Longlevens “Fin”ished by a great team tackling display

It was a re-match of last years Plate final where Stroud had won their first silverware – happy memories ! Longlevens were looking for revenge and the County Cup was the perfect platform on which to do so. It was a cold day at Archway school and the parents were wrapped up warm leaving the players to fend for themselves in the bitter conditions. Yet again the sub jackets were going to be very popular with the players.

The other popular news was the reporters hands were freezing so he was unable to take decent notes so the match report would be shorter than normal. Self employed people would only lose 20 minutes and £15 lost earnings on Monday morning reading the report.

Freezing Forwards: Liam, Orgy, Stoner, Mr T, Laurie, Keyan
Cold Backs: Flash, Will, Dave, Arthur, Joe, Finn, Alex
Warm Subs: Darion, Lucas, Jedd, Sauce, Ryan, Archie, Nibbles

Stroud kicked off and the ball bounced loose. Good kick chase and rucking won the ball for Stroud from which they attacked strongly. Longlevens managed to steal the ball though and create their own maul. Laurie managed to steal the ball though and went on his own storming run. Good defence though stopped the attacking move and Levens attacked back through their quick backs. They were no match for the organised Stroud defence though and the ball made it out to the winger and he was met with a crunching tackle from Finn – the first of many.

Stroud showed great appetite at the breakdown and won the ball that Dave then attacked left with another trademark loop move. A good pass to Finn gave him the chance to attack the line but he was stopped short and a scrum was awarded to the boys from Gloucester that they duly won. Mr T put in a great tackle which then allowed Orgy to help win the ball. Stroud quickly attacked right and Joe was unlucky to be held up on the line. A Stroud scrum and this time it went through all the backs to the left and it was Finn’s turn to be stopped on the line. The ball was quickly recycled though and Dave dived through for the opening score and 5-0 lead.

Stroud kicked off again and Keyan put in a powerful tackle. Liam and Laurie won the resulting ruck that Stoner then took the ball on at pace and gained some hard yards. Flash at scrum half sniped round the side but Levens were waiting and turned the ball over but Arthur was quick to put in a strong tackle. His centre partner in crime Dave then stole the ball at the ruck and quickly passed to Finn who powered down the left wing and scored in the corner. 10-0 to the boys in blue.

Levens ran back the kick off but this just gave Finn another tackle opportunity that he nailed. Laurie was there to win the turnover and the ball came quickly to Keyan who bullied his way through a few tackles to score the 3rd try and 15-0 lead.

Levens turn to kick off and the juggling Mr T did well to hold onto the ball and draw the defenders in to him. Strong support from Orgy and Liam won the ruck and Flash fed quick ball out to Dave who ran to the left wing but was denied by good defence. It didn’t matter because Stroud were becoming dominant at the clearout and won more clean ball that came back to Dave who has escaped the ruck – like all backs try and do – and was then presented with an attacking option to the right that opened up for him and he ran in a long distance try. 20-0 to Stroud.

Levens kicked too short which gave Stroud a scrum on half way. The game was held up for the first of a few lengthy delays for injuries – time for the players to get colder. Stroud won the scrum and attacked left and right and somehow the ball found Dave’s hands again and he scored his 3rd try of the half and extend the lead to 25-0. He was rewarded with a well earnt rest as the sub rotation started in earnest.

Stroud kicked off and Levens looked to attack quickly but an errant pass in the biting wind went out of play. Stroud had a line-in ball that gave Will chance to show his passing expertise with a long pass to Liam and then onto Finn who made a long run for the line with a few dummy passes thrown in for good measure. He was eventually tackled in the 22 but the replacements (sorry Finishers in Eddie Jones speak) led by Sauce and Darion had used their fresh legs to keep up and win the ruck. Flash quickly got the ball out to Will and with the overlap waiting Levens over committed which gave Will the chance toexploit the gap and score a well earnt try and 30-0 lead.

Levens kick off and Alex’s turn to handle run back duties. Keyan took the ball on and squeezed doiwn the right wing but a good tackle eventually forced him out of play. Levens took the line-in but Arthur was waiting with a tremendous tackle. Another turnover and Sauce saw his opportunity and took the ball on well. Levens were penalised at the breakdown though and the penalty run was taken by Keyan who showed his power by running through, around and over about 6 tackles and managed to somehow score a try. 35-0 to Stroud who were dominating in all phases of the game.

Stroud kicked off and Levens managed to work some space and their speedy winger got the ball but Finn brought him down expertly. The game was halted for another Levens injury and half time was taken with Strouds dominant tackling performance giving them a clean sheet and a great platform to then score some superb tries.

Half Time: Stroud 35 – 0 Longlevens

More sub rotations with a returning Ryan coming on to play scrum half. Levens kicked off and Keyan ran the ball back. It was lost at the subsequent ruck and Levens attacked themselves but Finn was again waiting with a great timed tackle. Levens were not to be denied though and quickly got the ball out to the speedy left winger who scored in the corner to close to 35-5. Was the comeback on?

Stroud kicked off and Will chased down his own kick and made the first tackle. Levens went to spread the ball wide but the wind took it and Alex pounced on the loose ball. Arthur took the attack on and went left. The ball came back and Nibbles was forced out of play. Levens took a quick line-in and ran left but Arthur was well positioned to put in a crunching tackle and take the player out of play. Stroud took the line-in and the ball went through all the backs to Nibbles who went on his own swerving run. The game was stopped for a penalty which gave the forwards their chance to shine. Stoner took the first ball, quickly followed by great support runs from Mr T and Liam that got Stroud close to the try line. These punishing runs were taking their toll on the Levens player and another injury stoppage gave Stroud chance to rotate the subs again. Stroud won the scrum restart and attacked right. Some great dummy runs and expert slight of hand confused the defenders and Will ran in untouched for the 8th try. 40-5 to Stroud.

Levens kicked off again and Arthur somehow ran it back through desperate Levens tackles but was eventually snaffled on the 22. Laurie was the next player in and took the ball on into contact strongly. This gave Lucas the chance to pick and run. Now Ryan saw their chance and quickly passed the ball left. It went through all the backs hands and Nibbles was given a run to the line but a great covering tackle denied him a well deserved try. Levens won the scrum restart and ran it out from under their posts. Their strong attacker muscled past the Stroud defence and looked to be in for a breakaway try but a great chase down snuffed out the chance.

Stroud were on the back feet but they won the scrum restart and went left. Arthur was hauled down but with a Houdini like pass tossed it up to the on-rushing Dave who then cut back to the right. Archie was in a great position to take on the attack but Levens were not giving in and managed to stop the attack and force their own turnover. The ball eventually came out to their left winger and as he threatened to score another try a diving tackle from Dave forced him out of play. Stroud had a line-in that Stoner took on. As he cleared the way Liam was ready for the off-load and barrelled on further. Levens to their credit kept going though and eventually won a turnover and attacked back. This time it was Archie with the covering tackle and then a ball to the head to deny the offload. Levens were scrambling around under the increasing pressure and Stroud forced the player out of play.

Stroud took the line-in with Mr T running over more unfortunate Levens tacklers. Darion was then there to keep the attacking move going but was forced out of play. Levens took the line-in and ran left but Archie held up the player and Alexc helped push him out of play. Stroud took the line-in and Will threw a long pass left and a Stroud player took it on straight and scored for a 45-5 lead. My frozen hands had failed me at this point so I couldn’t read my writing. I am sure Dave or Keyan will claim it…….

The last phase of the game was started with a Levens kick off and Will run back. Stroud earnt a penalty and Jedd went on a rampaging run. Good forward support gave Stoner the next platform to attack from. Levens managed to win a turnover though and went for an ambitious pass but Joe saw the chance and jumped on the loose ball bravely. This gave Laurie a chance to attack but he was left isolated and Levens won another turnover. Their big guy got the ball but Alex brought him down well. Levens kept the ball alive well though and got it out to their speedy left winger. He accelerated down the line and looked certain to score but was tackled out of play by his shadow. His shadow being his arch nemesis Dave.

Stroud took the line-in and Jedd again ran over some tiring Levens players. A few more phases of play were highlighted by another Jedd run from a penalty and Orgy also making some good yardage. Levens were still up for the fight though and managed to get close to the Stroud line but more strong tackling kept them out. Another turnover gave Dave the chance to kick long. Flash led the kick chase and stopped the run back. Alex picked up the loose ball and Sauce bundled forward at pace. Stroud kept it alive and were awarded a scrum that they duly won with another great push. They attacked left and in typical Stroud fashion the ball went through all the backs hands and a looping Dave then scored the final try of the game in the left corner.

Final Score: Stroud 50 – 5 Longlevens

Wrap Up

Players formed tunnels to show the good spirit the game had been played in. Team huddle (Emperor penguin style to keep the warmth in) was had and debrief held. Good all round performance with much better competition at the breakdown to gibe good attacking ball. Still things to work on but an improved performance than vs Stow and that’s what the coaches had asked for. Half term to unwind but keep up that fitness as we don’t want to start cold again in our next game. Hope the Longlevens players recover from their bruising encounter. Stroud had imposed themselves from the off and stopped a dangerous Levens team from getting a foothold in the game and whenever they did threaten to score great defence – team co-ordinated and individual brilliance - was there to snuff out the moves.

Upstairs to the Jack Russell lounge and another helping of pasta and spag bol was waiting for the players courtesy of Caroline. A repeat of last week’s delicious culinary delights – still minus Parmesan though. This time there were ample spare helpings because Longlevens forfeited our offer of hospitality with a need to get back to Gloucester. Their loss was Stroud’s gain (again!) and most players and siblings devoured 2nds or 3rds. We finally worked out why Finn had curly hair – it was the plateful of cheddar cheese with a splash of sauce to help him digest it.

So we ended up 2nd in our County Cup group which we can claim makes us 6th best in the County and as we beat Old Pats last year as well and they are in top Cup group we’ll now claim 5th ;-)