Extra A 81 v Welwyn 2s 5

The Extra A, looking to get their season on track after two disappointing losses, took on a Welwyn second team on Saturday who were also promoted at the end of last season. Another sunny day at Silver Leys offered a perfect opportunity for some running Rugby; ideal for a young and (mostly) fit Stortford side.

Our guests kicked off and Stortford were immediately on the attack; a powerful midfield surge from Wasley put us in a good position and, after some strong direct running from several members of the blue pack, we were awarded a penalty. This was kicked to the corner and the ensuing lineout was won. After several close range efforts, the ball was released by scrum half and leper Alex Walsh to Sperm, who used the decoy run of Will Moore to go over for the first score. The next 25 minutes saw total dominance for the blues, the forwards carried hard and produced excellent ball which was recycled quickly to the backs, Steve Green (now to be known as tank) showed all of his talent to continuously release the outside backs. This led to tries for our wingers Alex Tindall (2) and Mikey Roberts, and one for the rampaging Simon Wasley. The forwards, not to be outdone by their more intelligent, better looking team mates, scored a well worked try of their own after securing a lineout and driving the maul over 10 metres. It was not all one way traffic though, and Welwyn fought back hard for the final 10 minutes of the half. They ran some hard, direct lines which, combined with some ill discipline and below par tackling from Stortford, led to them scoring a try of their own. Rob Jones or Rosey were yellow carded at this point (I can't tell them apart anymore) for repeat team offences.

We went in at half time with a commanding lead, but in truth had let ourselves down during the last 10 minutes of the first half. We kicked off the second half and began to assert pressure all over again, the introduction of Jack Scants and new winger Tiarnan Kelly seeming to give a new energy to the blue side. As the Welwyn defence began to tire, line breaks from the Stortford pack became more frequent and the tries began to flow. There was some excellent handling and offloading on display across the park, as well as one superb break from prop George Hogan who defied stereotypes to rampage 50 metres downfield. Off the top of my head, second half try scorers included Slade, Baker (2, I u), Sperm(3) and tank. I have probably missed some try scorers and notable moments; I do apologise for this, but mine have been noted, and that's what really matters. The game was cut short by about ten minutes, after prop Dan de Franca had a nasty (or so we thought) knee injury at a scrum. Dan was seen later in the evening performing some form of African/Mexican/Portuguese dance routine, so we think he is Ok now.

Man of the match was a close run affair, with most blue players stating a case. Notable mentions go to Baker, Rose, Scants and Tank who were all exceptional in the second half, but the award was given to Alex Tindall for scoring two tries and partaking in some of the worst 'trash talk' every heard on a Rugby field. D*ck of the day went to Sperm, either for scoring over half the team's points, or for being really modest when questioned about his tally after the game. It isn't clear which as of yet.

We have our first league win, and need to carry this momentum into next week's clash against Belsize Park.