Dorking 26 – 19 Guernsey Raiders
Raiders Repelled – Just.
By Kevin Beal
Guernsey Raiders, having recruited wisely over the summer months arrived at The Big Field with ‘five from five’ looking to reverse their fortunes of the previous years which had seen Dorking very much with the upper hand. With the returning Finn Osborne champing at the bit following his pre season injury and the return of Henry ‘Lazarus’ Anscombe, out for the whole of last season, at 10, Dorking looked well set for the contest that awaited.
Dorking kicked off playing downhill and immediately felt the challenge that the Guernsey forwards offered as no.8 Josh Pullet went on the offensive, charging upfield to win a penalty as the tackler didn’t roll away quickly enough for Sir’s liking. A Guernsey lineout on the Dorking 22, a catch and drive, a further penalty, a 5m lineout, a Dorking penalty for a Guernsey lineout infringement, a Dorking lineout on the Guernsey 10, a further Dorking penalty, a 5m lineout, a knock on in the tackle and a defending Guernsey 5m scrum rather informed how the match would play out. Just as in the previous week’s match it was very tight as both sides probed in attack to be rebuffed by watertight defence. Harry Elbrow, Finn Osborne, Jasper King and Captain Will Scholes looked to have done enough to open the scoring as Dorking camped in the Guernsey red zone, but said strong defence held strong and no amount of wizardry from the back line could create the space for the score.
With two sets of evenly matched forwards Sir was having trouble identifying the guilty parties when the set piece wheeled, rode up or collapsed, awarding penalties it seemed in rotation, and this, coupled with a gusting wind disrupting the lineout made for a somewhat stop-start pattern to the game, albeit interspersed with flashes of skill from both sides and some flashpoints as tempers boiled over in frustration. Scoreless until the 30th minute the game was nonetheless entertaining, and it was Guernsey on the board first as Ceiran McGann read the Dorking play and intercepted a long pass meant for the centre to sprint away from inside his own half to touch down, the chasing group of Dorking defenders forcing him just wide enough for the conversion to be harder than it might have been, and as a consequence missed. 0-5.
This score, marginally against the run of play at the time seemed to act as a spur and Dorking were straight back on the attack and in Guernsey territory for the remainder of the half as a high tackle penalty allowed Anscombe to kick for the corner and a 5m lineout. A quick off the top move took play close to the Guernsey line, and with the defending tackle adjudged high, a Dorking penalty under the posts which they opted to take as a scrum. A clean heel, pressure applied, a pick & go from Osborne and Harry Elbrow was over under the posts. An easy conversion for Anscombe, 7-5.
The re-start kick was returned with too much interest and bobbled over the dead ball line for a Guernsey scrum on half way. As the visitor’s attack was met head on, tempers boiled over. Once things had calmed down both Dorking’s Tom Newman and Guernsey’s Joel Broadhurst were invited to take a 10 minute breather, and Dorking were awarded a penalty. From the subsequent 5m lineout, made easier by the absence of Broadhurst, Osborne plucked the ball from the air and King was over for Dorking’s second try. And as Anscombe’s conversion ricoched off the post it was 12-5 at half time.
Dorking started the second half where they had left off in the first, camped in the Guernsey 22 following a massive 50/22 kick to touch from Coyle stepping in at 9. An off the top lineout move had Osborne charging for the line only to be brought down illegally, and not for the first time Captain Scholes opted for a scrum rather than a penalty kick. With their set piece scrum now marginally in the ascendancy winning another penalty, it was scrum time again, a try for Osborne and another conversion for Anscombe. 19-5. With King stealing the Guernsey lineout following the re-start the Red & Whites were back on the attack in the Guernsey half, and but for an errant long pass whipped out of hands reach by the wind, might well have been in for a fourth. As it was, it was a Guernsey scrum and they were back on the attack moving the ball swiftly out to the wing. Well almost as a big tackle by Zak Stephenson allowed Max Coyle to intercept and much as McGann had done in the first half, sprint clear to score out wide. From the touchline and into the teeth of the wind, Anscombe’s conversion was good and Dorking’s lead pushed out to 26-5 with the try bonus point secured.
But Guernsey hadn’t just come to make up the numbers, and as Dorking seemed to get on the wrong side of the officials, they made the penalty count work to their advantage. Using both the wind and the slope they pinned Dorking back into their own half and kept them on the back foot defending in their red zone. A yellow card for Harry Barker gave Guernsey numerical advantage and it was only a matter of time before the pressure told, and it did with a 5m lineout catch & drive try for hooker Joe Callery, converted by Gwyn Parks. 26-12.
It was now Guernsey’s turn to reap the benefit of scrum dominance as they deployed the equivalent of their ‘bomb squad’, bringing on fresh legs in the front five and winning a succession of scrum penalties, again forcing Dorking on the back foot by using the wind to return them repeatedly back to their own 22 every time they broke out. With 5 minutes left on the clock this pressure told and replacement hooker Michael Cantle, in a carbon copy of Callery’s earlier move was over for his side’s third try, again converted by Parks. 26-19.
Guernsey were straight back into the Dorking 22 from the re-start. With the ball held up in the wind and not going 10 and a penalty from the ensuing scrum they were back on the Dorking 5m line and looking to equalise. However, three successive lineout steals (interspersed with 3 penalties) thwarted their ambition, and Dorking cleared their lines to their 22. A further penalty against Dorking for ‘in at the side’ defending the subsequent maul put Guernsey back on the hosts 5m line once more but again the defence held strong. But two further penalties for technical defensive offences yielded a yellow card for Captain Scholes and the option to take a scrum under the posts for Guernsey. Which they did. But to their surprise the Dorking 7 (plus wing Barker) held firm, turned the ball over, and lead by Osborne with the pick up kept the ball long enough for the clock to go red, when Anscombe gratefully hoofed the ball off the field to end the match. 26-19.
Director of Rugby Armand Roux commented:
“I’m pleased for the squad getting 5 points against a physical Guernsey team.
We have worked very hard over the past 6 weeks and getting a good result like that was certainly well deserved for their efforts.
I thought our pack was outstanding today. The set piece was top drawer and we disrupted Guernsey set pieces in some key moments.
Big credit to Guernsey for their relentless pressure on both sides of the ball and it was a proper game of Rugby.
Also the crowd at dorking was immense and very pleasing to see everyone getting behind the squad. Thank you”
Team: Coyle, Sanders, Hotston, Heber, Barker, Anscombe, Newman, Stephenson, Rawlinson, Litchfield, Sammut, King, Scholes ©, Elbrow, Osborne. Replacements: Tyson, Barry, Chambers, Wilkie, Jackson
