In a week that saw the passing of the All Backs’ greatest number 11, East Grinstead paid tribute by turning up with a pack full of Jonah Lomu’s. The Heathfield pack was full of Tony Underwood's by comparison.

Heathfield started by defending the downhill end……….badly. EG piled on the pressure from the start. Heathfield could not get hold of the ball. EG eventually formed a maul and pushed across the line for a score. It didn’t get much better from the kick-off as the ball came straight back. Twice the EG number 10 kicked the ball over a static defence and was unlucky (oh for a TMO Mr Referee?) not to score in the corner.

Heathfield started to come back into the game with some good rucking and ball passing but everytime they got close to the line, EG would get steal the ball. Ed N and Tom T both went close but were stopped close to the line (TMO again Mr Referee?).

Then came the shift in momentum. From a scrum on the 10m line, the ball was passed out and after an excellent switching move from Harry, the ball was with Ed on the overlap and he doesn’t need to be given any instructions on what to do next. Tried scored and Tom kicked the conversion although the crowd were unsure as neither of the touch judges lifted the flags above their knees.

From the kick off that ball was again given to Ed and he flew down the wing again only to be pushed into touch close to the try-line. From the resulting lineout, the ball was stolen and Tom C appeared from the melee to touch down under the posts. Another Tom C conversion.
The 3rd try of the half was as the result of some good work by Charlie getting the ball to George M who broke several tackles and was surprised to find himself in the clear and heading towards the try line. After seeming to slow down and wait for EG to catch up, he eventually put the ball down over the line. Tom C converted.

There were several times when the ball was kicked from hand into space but it never seemed to go far enough. Also because the ground was quite soft, the ball wouldn’t bounce which made it easier to retrieve. If EG had been a bit quicker this could have put more pressure on Heathfield.

A late surge of pressure by EG got them close to scoring but the Heathfield defence held firm.

Half-time 21-5. 3 tries from 3 players

The second half was Heathfield’s turn to run down the hill. This was going to be easy! It certainly started that way. A strong start had EG on their 5m line. What was needed to break them down was a piece of superb skill instead we got a bit of Luck O’ the Irish (sorry Greg). An EG kicked clearance hit one of their own players and the ball bounced back towards the try line. Podge grabbed the loose ball and scored. This was no more than he deserved. He has been excellent at scrum half this season and has been on the end of some big hits but he has just got on with it.

With half time there had been changes and Sam had replaced Ed. Is he as fast as Ed – you bet! He was passed the ball in space and looked likely to score but he cut back in when the corner beckoned. A few more games and the tries will come.

With Heathfield thinking they were going to run away with it, the game changed again. Heathfield lost a scrum in the EG half. EG worked the ball up the hill and eventually scored. The worm had turned. Heathfield were on the back-foot and when Harry kicked to touch, EG just took a quick lineout and only an Ed N tackle prevented a score – for those paying attention he had been allowed back on the pitch as a sub and hadn’t just wandered on. More pressure from EG resulted in their BIG no. 8 scoring – it was like watching a wildebeest fending off a pack of hyenas. Take his legs boys!

The game started to ebb and flow, in fact the game shifted regularly from one end to the other. Heathfield had forced an EG lineout on the EG 5m line. The ball was thrown over everyone and into the grateful arms of George M who went over for his second try. With Tom C off the pitch Harry took the conversion but missed from a difficult angle.

It wasn’t over. Again good pressure by Heathfield into the EG half was undone when EG won a penalty and took it quickly. George H drove their winger into touch at the 5m line. EG again powered forward and after a few missed tackles from tired players, they scored again. Too many times EG were breaking through the lines with no-one being able to tackle them. If they hadn’t been running uphill, the result might have been different.

Heathfield again had several different players scoring tries and different from those at Seaford, which shows that we are strong going forward all over the pitch. Also despite the size and weight difference between the packs, Heathfield more than held their own. Heathfield outscored EG by 5 tries to 4 which shows how close the game was. Both teams were on their knees by the end on a pitch which is difficult at the best of times. Thanks to East Grinstead for making it a good game.

Good to see Ollie come on in the second half especially after rupturing his cruciate knee ligaments last week. The wonders of modern science eh?

Final Score 33-24

Try Scorers: Ed N 1, Tom C 1, George M 2, Podge 1and 4 cons from Tom C.

This is Rugby. Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline, Sportsmanship.