UEL Rugby 1st vs University College London - Memorial Park 28th November
Tuesday 4 December 2012
UEL started well by forcing a penalty in front of the posts but unfortunately couldn’t convert. From the 22 metre drop-out UCL forced UEL into a handling error which led to a scrum deep in their own half. Good UEL pressure, however, led to a turn over but yet another UEL error allowed the opponents to intercept the ball and play through the phases to score a try on 5 minutes far out on the left of the try line. The resulting conversion was missed to leave the score 5-0 to UCL.
After the restart, the game became a war of attrition with both sides failing to find any rhythm due in part to the referee awarding a number of penalties. UEL were competing well in the scrums and certainly enjoyed a lot of possession in the first 25 minutes of the game. However, another handling error led to a scramble for the ball which UCL won. From this they worked the ball through the phases and stretch the UEL defence eventually scoring the second try on 27 minutes in almost an identical place to the first. This time the resulting kick was converted to make the score 12-0 to UCL.
Following on from this try the game again took on a disjointed feel. Both side struggled to make meaningful incursions into their opponent’s half and much of the play was concentrated in the centre of the pitch. A spell of concerted pressure from the UEL forwards led to a try scoring opportunity but they were held up close to the UCL try line. On 38 minutes UCL found themselves back near UEL’s 22 meter line and a burst of pace from the backs was enough to give them their third try just to the left of the posts. The resulting conversion was missed.
Before the referee had time to blow his whistle to end the first half, there was a brilliant piece of individual skill from Fabio Ogunfowora as he made a jinking run past three UCL players and then sent a chipped kick over their last man. However, the resulting bounce did not sit up well for the UEL player and this gave the opponents time to recover and prevent UEL scoring a deserved first try.
The second half began in similar fashion to the first. Both teams showed attacking intent without being clinical and a large part of the early exchanges were played in the middle of the pitch. On 47 minutes, however, after a great UEL scrum just in front of the UCL 22 metre line, UEL’s fly half Fabio Ogunfowora picked up the ball and made a powerful run past three misjudged UCL tackles to score under the posts. This try was just reward for the territorial advantage UEL had enjoyed up until this point in the game. The kick was converted to make the score 17-7 and meant that UEL finally had a foothold in the match.
However, on 50 minutes UCL tightened their grip on the game even further by scoring a third try. Following a run from his own 22 metre line to exploit a large gap in the UEL defense the player had a clear path to the line. This was a disappointing try to concede as UEL had worked so hard to get themselves back in the match. The resulting conversion meant that UEL now had a mountain to climb with the score at 24-7.
The game again descended in a battle of wills as both sides looked to establish some control over the other. A number of scrums was followed by a kicking exchange and some decent runs for both sides. However, on 61 minutes UCL again manage to breach the UEL defensive line with a run from their own half when a good run from the UCL centre was turned into a try by their winger. The kick was converted giving the UCL kicker 4 from 5 on the day and meant the score line was now an increasingly insurmountable 31-7.
The remainder of the match was largely played out in the middle of the pitch with both sides starting to look tired. There was still time for a couple of well thought out runs from UEL players but unfortunately these failed to be add to the team’s point total. The final whistle blew with UCL winning 31-7 in a game that will have been frustrating for the UEL side. They certainly had more of the territory and enjoyed good spells of pressure but a few handling errors and some lapses in concentration in defence cost them dear.
Although this match ended in a convincing score line for UCL there are many positives that UEL can take from this game into the rest of the season. With a bit more composure with the ball in hand and more organisation in defence UEL could really pose a threat to opposition teams and this could well lead to success in the near future.
by Tom Egan
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