Canterbury 50 Bishop's Stortford 1st XV 8

It was clear from the outset that relegation last season for Canterbury had not undermined their resources and, despite having lost the toss and being asked to play against the breeze and slope, they enjoyed much the better of a competitive, but fractured first half. Their dominance was based on a strong scrum and flat, blitz defence, and but for some woeful passing at times they would have turned round with a comfortable half time lead.

Despite all of this, the first real scoring opportunity went Stortford's way, but a searing break by debutant fly half, Owen Thomas came to nought, when his potentially scoring pass was grounded in the centre. The home side fought back strongly and scored the first try ten minutes into the game, when their left wing ran in a good try out wide, after one of many dominant scrums on the opposite flank. Their second score was only 5 minutes away and this came from a forward drive off a 5 metre lineout, following a penalty against Stortford at the breakdown, forced by a spell of good 15 man rugby from Canterbury. The conversion was again missed and some dogged defence from Stortford kept the home side out for the following 25 minutes. Indeed it was the visitors that registered the next score with a penalty from Thomas for an offence at the breakdown, after a rare period of pressure on the home line. Unfortunately the momentum moved quickly back Canterbury's way and a forceful drive down the left forced Stortford's skipper, Richard Gill to commit a blatant offence in preventing release of the ball at a breakdown in their 22. The resultant yellow card made it even easier for the home side to exploit the penalty by kicking for touch and driving through two phases by the forwards for their third try. This also went unconverted to leave the halftime score at 15-3.

Stortford started the second half more positively, despite the continuing absence of their skipper, but their efforts to prevent another score during the sin bin period were frustrated when a missed tackle in the centre, following a poor penalty and lost lineout brought the home side's bonus point fourth try, which was converted. The visitors remained under pressure and the next home try came ten minutes later, when frantic play by Stortford in their own 22 brought a Canterbury scrum, from which simple passing along the line saw the right wing run in out wide. The conversion was again made. The next try took only five minutes, when a speculative cross kick from the Canterbury flyhalf was not dealt with and a good bounce allowed the right winger to commit the fullback and give a player supporting on the inside a simple scoring pass. The conversion took the score to 36-3. A further five minutes elapsed before a rare Stortford attack forced a cynical offence out of the home 6 in preventing quick release at a ruck and he was yellow-carded. As the opposition had done in the first half, Stortford were able immediately to exploit the extra man advantage, when Mark McCraith forced his way over for a try close to the home posts, following a couple of forward drives after a penalty and lineout. Almost immediately after the sin bin period had elapsed, however the dominant Canterbury scrum again made its presence fully felt by forcing a penalty try from their own scrum after one of a number of wins against the head at a preceding Stortford put in. With time running out, the home side scored their 8th try when a laboured long pass in Stortford's midfield brought an interception inside Canterbury's half and no hands were laid on the home player, who cantered in under the posts for a final converted try to take the score to 50-3.

Although Canterbury may well prove to have been one of the better sides we'll face this season, the Stortford performance undoubtedly gives the coaches and players a lot to work on this week to try and find for next week's encounter at home to Luton the kind of form shown in the pre-season win over Hertford.