What a Difference a Week Makes !

On a perfect early Autumn day, playing on Grasshopper’s 1st XV pitch and after such a positive performance last week, it was hard to see this one coming. Even the best sides have an off game and let’s hope this is ours for the season.

Stortford started slowly, conceding the first try after barely 45 seconds of the game and thereafter, despite scoring the next one, the visitors were second best for the remainder of the game. Grasshoppers were quicker to the breakdown, more physical and recycled well. Too often Stortford B's took the ball in to contact only for the home side to turn it over or hold up the ball carrier to come away with the put-in at the subsequent scrum. Stortford spent considerable parts of the game chasing shadows and what little ball was generated was used to poor effect.

In short Grasshoppers were more direct, played intelligently to their strengths and scored ten tries. Stortford will need to bounce back from this performance, work hard in training over the next couple of weeks before a tough friendly vs Saracens B's in Division 3 on the 15th October. On a day where not much went right, having scored four tries, (one converted), at least we came away with a bonus point to add to last weeks 5.

Team: Downing, Simons, Matthews, Williams, Dutta, Jones, Goodfellow, Turner, Townsend, Gleed, Neal, Abbott, Richardson, Tasker, Hall, Gregory, Reynolds, Behra, Wilkes, Allen

c/o Jez Abbott