Dorking 21- 21 Oundle
Dorking Snatch Last Minute Draw in Epic Match
By Kevin Beal
Dorking snatched a last minute draw with the try of the match as Harry Barker crossed the line in ‘coffin corner’ as the backs cut through a tiring Oundle defensive line, setting up a difficult long range conversion for Tom Hardwick, who didn’t disappoint.
Oundle’s game plan was clear from the start; use their powerful set of forwards, generally accepted to be the most efficient in the league to keep possession of the ball, choke the life out of any attacking moves from the opposition and control the pace of the game. And so it proved, as even when reduced to thirteen men on the pitch they were able to prevent the Red & Whites from crossing the whitewash. But more of that later.
Oundle kicked off playing downhill on a surface that belied the fact that it had rained almost continuously for the past two weeks; a credit to the House & Grounds and Set Up teams and were immediately in an attacking position as the Dorking backline stepped offside and conceded a penalty and subsequent 5m line out. Catch – drive – score; a pattern that had been foretold in his programme notes by Chairman Hammond and which was to be repeated oft throughout the afternoon. With Matt Waring last up from the pile of bodies clutching the ball and a simple conversion for Benjamin Young the visitors took a 0-7 lead with barely two minutes on the clock.
Showing their intent to play a more open running game, Dorking took the ball into the Oundle half with a purposeful ‘show and go’ from George Jackson who fed the charging George Head, who was felled illegally inside the 22. Penalty to Dorking and a yellow card for Oundle’s 8 Shaun Adendorff. Opting for the scrum and a pick and go from Will Scholes, Dorking were thwarted once more by an illegal tackle, which saw another penalty and a second yellow, this time for Oundle’s Harry Nicholls. With the opposition down to thirteen men Dorking looked to exert pressure through the backs; however careful game management by the Oundle pack, suitably reinforced to the detriment of their backline kept Dorking in check. Every ruck and maul was strongly contested, meaning that the ball, if it emerged did so very slowly. Every set piece took an eternity to set, and the ball looked after as if it were a Faberge egg. Starved of possession Dorking were simply unable to make any impact, and indeed found themselves very much under pressure defending their line.
Perversely it was not until Oundle were back up to full strength that the home side were able to trouble the scoreboard, twice, and in quick succession. Firstly a ‘training ground’ move as an off the top lineout ball on the Oundle 22 was fed to Tom Howe on the burst; unstoppable from 20 metres with a lovely wide gap in front of him and nice swallow dive to finish off too. And secondly, straight from the re-start as Max Coyle fielded the high ball, shipped it wide to Tom Howe who slipped his opposite number again to create space for Will ‘The Colonel’ Sanders to round the oncoming defence and score under the posts. With Tom Hardwick on target with both conversions, Dorking moved into a 14-7 lead.
Oundle’s response was to camp in the Dorking 22. Stout defence looked to be keeping them at bay; three times it looked as if they were over the line, three times hands went up in jubilation and three times Sir adjudged held up, no try.
But there was a certain inevitability to events and following a scrum penalty and lineout, the unstoppable catch & drive maul made it over the whitewash and down for Jac Arthur to score. And with Young’s conversion good it was all square 14-14 at half time.
Oundle started the second half as they had the first, with a carbon copy converted catch & drive try by prop Harry Morley on the 49th minute, and from then on it was Oundle’s forwards on the front foot as Dorking looked to unlock their choking defence with backline moves. As in the first half they pummelled away at the Dorking line in a concerted show of 9 man rugby to be thwarted by massive defence.
That’s not to say that it was all one way traffic; when they had the ball Dorking looked to run and looked dangerous. A perfectly weighted kick pass by Tom Hardwick fell just out of reach for the unmarked Harry Barker; a front of the lineout move put George Head in the clear only to be called back for a forward pass, and Captain Scholes was hauled down metres short of the line following a pick up from the base of a scrum on Oundle’s 22. And throughout Chapeau to the side for massive defence which kept the marauding Oundle pack honest and the scoreboard quiet.
As the game moved into the final stages the physicality of the match began to take its toll with both sets of forwards looking tired. And as the clock wound down it seemed that a repeat of the match back in October was on the cards as Oundle once again set up camp in the Dorking 22. But with the visitors’ forwards tiring more than the home side’s, a mighty shove in the set piece scrum deep in the Dorking 22 afforded relief; a penalty and subsequent line out for Dorking on half way.
A quick ball off the top was fed down the back line to Tom Howe who once again shrugged off the advancing defence and rifled the ball the waiting and umarked Harry Barker to dive over in ‘coffin corner’. As Tom ‘nerves of steel’ Hardwick lined up the difficult shot from the touchline, Sir indicated that the match would be over following the conversion kick. No pressure then. Never in doubt – the ball bisected the uprights earning what all felt was a well deserved draw.
Director of Rugby Armand Roux commented:
“We missed a few opportunities in the first half to go ahead and when those same opportunities did not appear in the second half, we knew that things will be tight at the end.
I have only praise for the Dorking team who had to dig very deep in the final 20mins to keep Oundle at bay alongside scoring and converting the try at the end was just reward for some great efforts.
Having now played the 4 of the 5 teams above us in the league a 2nd time so we now have the responsibility to make our league position count as we play those 7th and below in the coming few months.
Next focus is replicating some great performances in the last couple of weeks over at Oxford Harlequins next weekend. “
Photo Credits: Edward Payne
Teams:
Dorking
Coyle, Sanders, Howe, Barrett, Barker, Hardwick, Jackson, Stephenson, Head, Bristow, Sammut, Goodfellow, Howorth, Bloomer, Scholes (c). Replacements - Rawlinson, Bird, Barry, Chambers, Baldwin
Oundle
Rayner, Hamilton, Carlnan, Snelling T, Vaenuku, Young, Finlay, Morley, Snelling G, Collins, Frost, Waring, Gracey, Arthur, Adendorf. Replacements- Bridges, Maka, Kerry, Noble, Haskins
Star Player – Tom Howe
Scoring;
Dorking:
Tries – Howe (26), Sanders (28) Barker (79)
Conversions – Hardwick (27, 29, 80)
Oundle
Tries – Waring (2), Webb (34) Gourlay (47)
Conversions – Arden (3, 35, 48)
Referee - Mr Phil Russell
Attendance 450
