EXILES KICK OFF CUP CAMPAIGN WITH A ‘W’
EXILES 20 – HACKNEY 13
Last Saturday the Exiles hit the (rather long) road to Hackney in the second round of the Cup. We knew that this would be a tough fixture with Hackney sitting in the equivalent position to us in their respective league.
The build up to Saturday was not ideal with a couple of last minute drop outs and a slightly depleted squad due to injuries. However, due to the good depth in the club which we have been working hard at producing we were able to field a strong side. This also meant that a couple of the young lads were given their chance to shine.
During the warm up we lost our inside centre Josh ‘Keith Lemon’ Beebee after he pulled his other hammy. Being the ‘mute’ that he is he claims this was down to too many squats in the gym. I’ll let you make your own judgement on that one.
Luckily Scoops was chomping at the bit to get that starting spot and this last minute injury gave him the chance to step up. After a quick shuffle in positions in the backs we were all set.
From the kick off it was a hard fought contest up front with Hackney gaining the early pressure and after a couple of failed conversion attempts they took a lead of 3-0. The Exiles responded well and upped the intensity. Some slightly inaccurate kicking from Hackney allowed new boy full back Max Allen to penetrate the Hackney defence with some very effective counter attacking. After some sustained pressure in the Hackney half the Exiles gained a scrum on the opposition 22. A well-executed move from the back row allowed Charlie Mac to find some space a put Max through a gap and glide over the try line and under the posts. The scores were at 3-7.
The Exiles responded well from the restart and gained territory from the boot to pin Hackney back in their 22. This pressure forced Hackney to concede a penalty on the edge of their 22. A successful kick put the scores at 3-10 to the Exiles.
From the restart Hackney used their forwards well around the breakdown area a gained some possession in the Exiles half. However some strong rush defence from Pez and Fish put Hackney on the back foot and good counter attacking play led by Max Allen put the Exiles back in Hackney 22, however Hackney gained the ball back from the contact area. Hackney cleared their lines and put the ball out on the 10 metre line. From the lineout the backs received some clean ball and a strong line from Pez allowed him to slice through the Hackney defence like a knife through warm butter to then turn on the afterburners and finish under the posts. The scores were at 3-17. The half time hooter sounded.
The half time team talk put great emphasis on ‘don’t give away silly penalties. Keep it simple and keep disciplined’. However, this was obviously translated as ‘give away penalties. Do not be disciplined’.
From the kick Hackney gained some pressure and almost right away the Exiles conceded a penalty which was converted to put the scores at 6-17.
The Exiles again responded well and some strong running lines from the pack allowed us to use the slight down wind and play the game in the Hackney half. This pressure eventually led to an Exiles penalty just outside the 22 which was converted to extend the lead to 6-20.
Hackney made some effective front row substitutions and responded very well to put all the pressure on the Exiles. The penalties flooded in allowing Hackney to maintain the pressure and forced a yellow card to second row Alex Williams for continued infringement. Down to 14 men and with a Hackney scrum 5 metres out the pressure was on the Exiles. Sustained pressure led to an inevitable Hackney try despite some brave Exiles defence. A good conversion from the Hackney 13 put the scores at 13-20 with 20 minutes remaining.
The next 10 minutes was played around the half way with the Exiles keeping the ball tight and soak up the pressure with 1 man down.
The Exiles received a penalty just inside the Hackney half and with confidence sky high Hupfield fancied his chances of slotting the kick. This confidence was soon shattered when he ended up on his arse and the kick making it about half way to the posts.
The return of Alex Williams put us back to full strength with 10 mins on the clock. The game was evenly fought for the next 7 minutes with the Exiles gaining possession and using a series of pick a go’s to run down the clock before playing the ball in the Hackney croner. However, before the kick was made possible an obstruction from a pick and go gave Hackney a penalty. This was put in the corner and a successful Hackney lineout provided some tense final few minutes for the Exiles and their 3 fans. (A special mention must go to Tezza and Beebs for their volume considering our rather depleted entourage).
However, a Hackney error gave the Exiles a penalty and an opportunity to put the ball out of play for an Exiles win.
We have Old Priorian’s at home in the next round of the Cup and 2 home games this weekend for the first and seconds.
Please make the effort to get to Barnes even if you’re not playing so we can have a good old knees up post match.
Cheers
Huppers