1st XV vs Walsham
So-called 'big games' rarely live up to their billing, but this weekend the 1st XV (2nd place) took on third place North Walsham in a game that meant an awful lot to both sides. There was a big crowd at Mill Road (perhaps in the region of 500-600 people) and although our boys came away with a deserved victory I don't our visitors could have much to complain about because their side gave their all and showed great resolve and determination.

Walsham started brightly and looked decidedly dangerous with the ball in hand, but ultimately the strength and physicality displayed by our boys was the difference between the two sides. Seventeen unanswered second-half points were indicative of our superiority, but the game was really won in the first half when Walsham used up their three replacements inside 40 minutes; this meant no impact substitutes and no way of changing the tempo or pattern of the game. In contrast, Anthony O'Riordan made key substitutions at the right time, and towards the end of the game made some tactical adjustments that simply took the game away from our visitors at a time when they had no way of responding.

The early exchanges saw a number of our boys put in some very heavy tackles on two key Walsham players; their scrum half Jake Duffield, and inside centre James Knight. Duffield was forced to leave the field after making the mistake of trying to tackle Dan Brennan head-on. Centre James Knight, who I had identified as a real threat before the game, played almost the whole game with a dead leg after Tom Dufficy and David Higgins took the big man down with a chopping tackle around the knees in the first few minutes. Knight bravely toughed it out for his side, but it was obvious to everyone that his movement was severely restricted by his injury. The Walsham outside centre Will Hodgson was less fortunate; Hodgson was floored by a crunching side-on tackle from Damien Brambley. The Walsham skipper Hodgson had to leave the field and never returned. These injuries were not the result of cynical play, our boys were simply more committed and intensely physical in their approach. Furthermore, we knew that the 10,12,13 combination represented the Vikings trump cards and their best chance of threatening our enviable home record, so the boys dealt with it early on.

The third Vikings replacement was made at half-time when they were forced to replace their tight-head prop who was mercilessly exposed by James Mitchell. Once again, James Mitchell showed himself to be by some margin the most destructive scrummager in the league as he systematically took his opponent apart with superior power and technique. In one or two of the early exchanges the Vikings tight head prop tried to negate James Mitchell's superiority by dropping his outside shoulder, attempting to drop the scrum, but fortunately, James was too strong and too canny to allow that and simply drove through on his opponent. I suspect that the match referee Ivan Kennedy warned the Walsham captain that a yellow card was imminent if they didn't deal with the scrummage more effectively in the second half - hence the third substitution. Walsham had clearly used their Southern Hemisphere contacts to recruit a new front row, but once again our tight five were utterly dominant and the only joy our visitors came in the shape of two somewhat inexplicable second-half scrum penalties.

Another crucial moment saw Ollie White steal Walsham line out ball midway through the second half, just as Walsham were looking to benefit from some brief territorial advantage. This passage of play proved to be Walsham's last serious assault on the Colchester try-line and from this point on it was pretty much one-way traffic as our superior physicality and attacking options proved significant. In terms of options, Director of Rugby Anthony O'Riordan picked the perfect moment to unleash Harrison Pickett. Harrison provided the spark needed to ignite our attack. He came on and immediately made an impact with his hard running style, but moreover, Harrison's introduction also gave Dan Whiteman the opportunity to take a short break, but return to the action just when our visitors were at their most vulnerable. This switch from O'Riordan worked to perfection as Whiteman re-entered the fray and almost immediately went over for the third and winning try as the physicality and pressure of the occasion began to show on the Walsham defence. We were unable to secure a winning bonus point (4 tries) but we did restrict Walsham's scoring and this meant that they came away from Mill Road with no points whatsoever; something that could be crucial at the end of the season. This win puts our boys seven points clear of third place North Walsham and then the gap really widens with Old Haberdashers fourteen points adrift of the top three sides.

Our @Twenty5 and Nethergate Wines Man of the Match was skipper Liam Pickett. Liam has been managing a hand injury so spent a few weeks on the sidelines so he could rest and recuperate, but his re-introduction came at just the right moment. The physical nature of this game was perfect for Liam, he put in a volley of big tackles and marshalled the forwards magnificently. Liam is such a positive influence upon the team, and from my perspective as the manager of the side, it's an absolute pleasure to work with such an honest and hard-working rugby player who offers so much to the game but is always willing to listen, learn and lead by example.

The end of season run-in begins - there are nine games of the scheduled season remaining. The 1st XV travel to Luton RFC next weekend, it's a long trip and although they have had a run of defeats I suspect that they will provide more of a challenge on their home turf than they did when they visited Mill Road earlier in the season.

Roundheads vs Aldeburgh & Thorpeness
On a cold and blustery afternoon, the Roundheads took to the field against league leaders Aldeburgh & Thorpeness, who were unbeaten all season.

From the outset it was apparent that the visitors were expecting an easy game; however, the Roundheads, fielding a mixture of youth and experience, presented the league leaders with a challenge. The Roundheads front five, featuring stalwart Alan Goggin, Tom Dale and Luke Voce in the front row, with Wayne Charles and Joe Walters providing the power in the engine room were not only able to hold the Aldeburgh pack, but on a number of occasions were able to dominate them. This allowed No8 Ian Lewis, supported by Austin King and Will Disney at 6 and 7 respectively, to react to breaks from the Aldeburgh back row and three quarters.

Against the run of play, and capitalising on Roundhead mistakes, both in handling errors and tackling, the visitors ran in two tries, neither of which were converted. The Roundheads pack was bossed by Taff Price, who combined with fly half, Ian ‘Bart’ Wilkinson, to distribute the ball to a rampaging centre partnership of Craig Charles and Henri Clements, supported by the pace of wingers Gareth Frensham and James Pearce, and Sam Migan at fullback. Despite a series of knock ons and handling errors, it wasn’t long before the determination and effort of the home side were rewarded. Tries Wayne Charles, together with a successful penalty from the boot of Bart saw the home side end the first half with a 13-10 lead.

The power of the pack was evident at times, when Ian Lewis was able to link up with Taff Price, whose quick delivery allowed back to release the three quarters. The combo of Craig Charles’ handling, Henri Clements’ raw power and the speed of both James Pearce and Jake Boardman saw the latter cross the line to give the hosts an 18-10 lead. Despite a continuous assault on the Roundheads line for the final 6-7 minutes of the game, the sheer determination, resilience and physical effort of the hosts saw them hold out to seal a thrilling and thoroughly deserved victory.