Extra A 31 v Hertford 27

By far the biggest game of the season so far awaited the Extra A in Hertford on Saturday; not only was it Hertford away (everyone knows what that means), but they sat just 2 points below us in the league, having recently turned over some strong sides.

The drizzle came down as Stortford got proceedings under way with a deep kick off. It was Hertford though, who applied early pressure, and it only took them until the 5th minute to register the first score of the day, after neat play and strong running from their 12 and 8 led to them crashing over from close in and scoring under the posts ;the conversion was added. Stortford then had a period of pressure themselves, with strong forward play forcing a penalty just outside their 22, we opted to go for goal and the 3 points were added by Spermy. Our joy was unfortunately short lived, as Hertford immediately piled the pressure back on and after some ill discipline at the breakdown and some shoddy first up tackling from the blues, our opponents found themselves with a 5 meter scrum; they got the nudge on and showed good power as an 8 unit to push us over the line with their 8 dotting down for another try. The conversion was missed which left us 12-3 down within 15 minutes.

After some stern words under the posts and a lot of expletives, Stortford restarted the match and decided that actually, we would quite like to play some rugby today. The new tone was set with Baker putting in a huge hit on the opposition 8 from the kick off and Stortford finally managed to retain some ball and string some phases together. After notable carries from Slade, Macfie and Mackenzie, the ball was recycled quickly down the blind side from superstar scrum half Paddy Dean who found Roche, Roche showed an exceptional piece of skill to tie in 2 Hertford defenders and get the ball away to winger Owen Guest who finished neatly in the corner. Conversion missed but we were back in the game. The next score also went the way of the blues, this time to fly half Sperm, showing and going and making it through a gap to again score out wide. We led the game for the first time going into the interval at 13-12.

Stortford rung the changes at half time, bringing on returning flanker Mckirdy, as well as winger Walsh and second row Jones. New hooker Mike Whitehead would also make his second appearance 10 minutes into the half. Stortford applied Pressure immediately in the second half, forcing a penalty very early on which was slotted by Sperm to give us some breathing space. The next score also went to the number 10, after he once again used the dummy that nobody should fall for and managed to round the fullback and score closer to the posts. This time the conversion was made and we took a commanding 23-12 lead. In classic Hertford style though, they came back at us powerfully and scored a try of their own wide out on the left to make it a 6 point game. As the pressure started to build and patience started to wear thin, it was Stortford who managed to capitalise, employing a kicking strategy to turn the opponent wingers and dominate territory. After sustained pressure in the opposition half, our impressive pack forced yet another penalty at the breakdown, which again was slotted by Sperm. 26-17. Hertford again applied forward pressure and managed score again, their 12 again proving an illusive and powerful runner. The next score went to Roche, who exploited a hole on the left wing and showed searing pace to go in in the corner, which left the score at 31-22 with about 10 minutes to play. Unfortunately, the next act of the game would reduce both teams to 14 players for the remainder, with both fly halves being sin binned for handbags; no one really punched anyone, which was fortunate for the entire Hertford team, as everyone knows what happens when you mess with the big dog (Sperm). Hertford scored the final try of the day and missed the conversion to leave the end result at 31-27.

An excellent all round performance from the Extra A who rallied well and played strongly as a team. Many factors contributed to the win, with nobody really having a bad game. Everyone who came off the bench proved that they could comfortably start games, in particular McKirdy and Walsh who were both outstanding in the second half. Man of the match was rightfully given to Captain Matt Slade (he didn't nominate himself, don't worry) for an outstanding performance, led from the front, carried exceptionally and was solid in defence. Dick of the day was given to Sperm (shock) for getting binned and only scoring 21 points.. clang.

Massive game next week as we fight Hackney for 2nd place!