MATCH REPORT: Chosen Hill FP RFC II vs Stroud Rugby

After last week’s nail-biting win against Old Pats, Stroud were back on the road as they faced Chosen Hill on a bright but breezy afternoon.  Injuries and unavailability resulted in a number of changes in both personnel and position.

Stroud: 1 Phil Fruin 2 Sam Davies 3 Tommy Allen 4 Ben Baldwin 5 Will Tidey 6 Chase Stokes 7 Harry McNeill 8 Kieran Rodway 9 Sam Hester 10 Will Hammonds 11 Aaron Raath 12 Sam Leworthy (Captain) 13 Ben Wilkes 14 Will Mapletoft 15 Oscar Adamson
Replacements: 16 Tommy Warner 17 Tom Stone 18 Darion Lambert

The home side, with the benefit of the slope, kicked off deep but a secure take and positive carry from Rodway offered Stroud the opportunity for some early possession with carries from Baldwin and Tidey.  Just as the exit looked to have been completed a box kick drifted out on the full.

Chosen took advantage, winning the resultant lineout and sending their centre up the middle.  He was well marshalled by Leworthy and Wilkes whilst excellent work from McNeill forced an error and a scrum to Stroud.  The Stroud pack continued their improvement and a huge surge, led by Fruin, Davies and Allen, set the tone for the afternoon.  A penalty enabled Hester to send play up into the Chosen half.  Davies and Stokes combined at the lineout to set up a driving maul, which advanced 20m before Hester and Hammonds released Leworthy on a powerful burst.  Great recycling at the breakdown and distribution from Hammonds and Wilkes gave Adamson a bit of space on the outside and the fullback showed pace and strength to squeeze in at the corner.  0-5.

Baldwin secured the kick off however Chosen targeted an isolated carrier and forced a penalty 30m out that was comfortably kicked to instantly reduce the deficit. 3-5.

Adamson was soon back in the game with a typically elusive run from a kick return.  His break took play back towards halfway before McNeill continued the momentum with a destructive surge through the middle.  Chosen were caught offside at the breakdown and Hester calmly slotted the three points. 3-8.
Stroud began to go through some phase play but on a number of occasions forced an offload, which handed possession back to Chosen.  The concession of a number of penalties also awarded Chosen some easy territorial gains and they worked the touchline well.  From one lineout they carried well up the middle through their powerful centre before spreading play to the right.  With a considerable overlap and a try beckoning, Hammonds gambled on the intercept and as the ball stuck sprinted away from his own 5m line to cruise away from any chasing cover to rum 95m to score under the posts.  Hester converted 3-15.

This could easily be considered a 14-point swing and really shifted the momentum very much in Stroud’s favour.

Stroud continued to dominate possession despite a number of handling errors.  A number of scrums were taken against the head with the front row completely dominating the proceedings up front.  One turnover at the scrum allowed Rodway to pick and drive before well recycled ball allowed Hester to feed Hammonds, who spotted a mis-match and used his pace beat a number of forwards on the outside before accelerating away to canter in at the corner.  Hester converted. 3-22.

Stroud’s defensive press was impressive in this half and pressure at the lineout from Stokes forced a hurried pass from the Chosen scrum half, which caused confusion in the midfield.  Pressure from Leworthy and Wilkes allowed Hester, alert as ever, to seize the opportunity and hack the loose ball through before showing superb control with the boot to collect and ground by the posts.  Hester converted. 3-29.

Half Time Chosen Hill 2nd XV 3 Stroud Rugby 29

(Warner and Lambert replaced Allen and Tidey at Half Time.)

Stroud were immediately back on the attack in the second half.  A deep kick from Hammonds forced an error in the Chosen backfield and another dominant scrum gave clean ball for Hester to feed Hammonds.  The young fly-half again took the ball to the defensive line and an excellent supporting line from Leworthy held the defence enough for Hammonds to glide through a gap to cross under the posts.  Hester converted. 3-36.

From the restart, Stroud looked to stamp further dominance on the game with an athletic leap and take from Warner. The prop then set off on a barn-storming run up the middle with tacklers hanging off him like passengers trying to jump on a runaway train.  This 30m surge should really have set the platform for yet another attack however an adjudged forward pass in the resultant phase stopped Stroud in their tracks.

(Stone replaced Leworthy with Davies moving to the wing and Raath moving into the centre.)
The next fifteen minutes proved particularly scrappy with possession being coughed up by both sides.  Stroud looked to attack at every opportunity but often forced an offload or took contact when early distribution may have proved more beneficial.  With planned structure not as apparent, Stroud relied on individual moments of skill from Hammonds and Adamson in particular to spark attacks.  Chosen were now looking to move the ball more than in the first half and one wider attack was well stopped by scrambling defence from Raath and Stone, enabling Wilkes to secure loose ball before Mapletoft cleared to touch.

Stokes and Lambert were able to continue to secure lineout ball.  Hester and Hammonds were always looking to spread the ball wider and a strong carry from Raath took play up towards the 22.  Allen, who had returned in place of Fruin, carried on the momentum before Lambert drove for the line.  Held up just short, recycled ball was switched by Hester, who fed Hammonds running wide.  With the defence drifting, a clever inside ball found Rodway and the Number 8 crashed over from 5m out.  Hester converted. 3-43.

The home side did not lie down and went in search of their first try of the afternoon.  Despite pressure from the Stroud scrum, the Chosen Number 8 secured possession and opted for the pick and drive.  This was nullified by an excellent tackle from McNeill however this was a rare occasion in which Chosen were able to maintain possession for a number of phases. Another forward carry preceded the ball going wide to Peter Sykes on the wing, who jinked his way past a number of tacklers, making significant ground.  Chosen then switched play and some excellent handling resulted in a strong surge on the left and a try in the corner.  8-43.

Fruin returned to the field in place of Stokes and was soon in the thick of the action with a strong tackle, which stopped another attack at source.  Loose ball was secured by Stroud and enabled Hester and Hammonds to orchestrate a number of forward carries.  Warner and Lambert made inroads and pushed play into the 22.  Hammonds and Hester switched their roles at half back, Hammonds feeding Hester to slip through a tackle and then accelerate away to cross by the posts for the final try of the afternoon.  Hester converted. 8-50.

Full Time: Chosen Hill 2nd XV 8 Stroud Rugby 50

This was another well-deserved win and the 5 points kept up the pressure towards the top of the table.  The set-piece continues to become a more potent weapon whilst the backs always look to have the ability to exploit the wider channels.  Moments of individual skill lit up the afternoon however the commitment and spirit remain very much team orientated.  With no fixture next week, Stroud have four training sessions to continue their development and allow returning players to challenge for places in two weeks’ time. Thanks to all the travelling support – as always, they are very much appreciated.

Man of the Match: Kieran Rodway

Next Fixture: Saturday 15 October (Home) v Tewkesbury - KO 1500.