Finchley RFC vs Heathfield and Waldron U17 National Plate

Heathfield’s U16 (and a smattering of U17) were playing Finchley in the U17 National Plate because last year’s U17 won and Heathfield were the defending club but as there wasn’t a current U17 team then the U16 team was drafted in. So that’s all clear then.

So it was that very early on frosty but sunny Sunday morning, the team made its way into the mythical county of Middlesex to play Finchley U17 - it actually looked like London but mustn't quibble. The Heathfield team was a mix of U16 and U17, with the U17 bringing with them experience, rugby know-how and dare I say, heft? There was very little wind, it was cool and the pitch looked pretty good considering the previous month's weather.

The game started against a Finchley U17 side who looked big even for U17s but we all remember what happened in the tale of Samson and Delilah…… or was it David and Goliath…. anyway there was lots of smiting and the little guy won.

Heathfield kicked off and Finchley ran the ball back. The crowd held its breath. Would Heathfield be overwhelmed – no they bloody well weren’t!! They fought back. They were outstanding in the scrum with Teddy and Felix dangling a little MacKenzie in between them. The ball went out on the right near the Finchley 15. What would the line-out be like? Even better. A maul was formed and started pushing towards the line. It was slowed briefly and Podge grabbed the ball and it was passed down the line with quick hands to Ed on the left wing. He had just enough to get around and score in the corner. Sean converted the try from a long way out. (0-7)

Finchley were stung by this and instantly came up the other end and came close to scoring but the ball just went over the dead ball line. From the 22 drop-out, Finchley fielded the ball and passed it right to THEIR fast winger. There were a couple of missed tackles and he was in and under the posts. Conversion was duly made. Game on! (7-7)

Play continued and Heathfield were awarded a penalty on the 22. A strange thing happened. Sean elected to kick to the posts. The U16 had never seen this before but the reporter was reassured that this was type of thing that won games. Obviously Sean was jinxed and he pulled his kick wide. Not long after, Sean got another as Finchley failed to roll away. This time there was no mistake. (7-10).

Heathfield looked in control. There was lots of good movement from the backs. A good ball out to Tom T on the right but he was stopped short. The ball was recycled and it was to Ed again who didn’t quite get there but brilliant support from Harry and he got around the back to score. Sean missed the conversion, again from out wide. This had frantic parents looking at their watches. Only another 50 minutes to try and hang on!! (7-15)

Finchley came back again. They seemed to be getting the upper hand in the scrums (even after the referee stopped the scrum half from putting the ball straight into the second row). Finchley won a couple of scrums but every time they got the ball out they knocked it on. Eventually, Heathfield won a scrum back on their 10m line and Sean’s clearance kick had to be knocked out by Finchley. Heathfield won the line-out but couldn’t make anything of it. Back came Finchley to camp on Heathfield’s 5m line. A scrum won by Heathfield and the ball was passed to Sean but Finchley had been paying attention and his kick was charged down and Finchley scored under the posts. Conversion scored. (14-15).

Finchley were on the up. They came forward again. Heathfield were getting slower into the breakdowns and Finchley were speeding up their handling. The mistakes from Heathfield were creeping in and Finchley pushed over for another try. The boys thought that they had held the ball up but the referee ruled otherwise. Conversion scored. This was the last play of the half. (21-15)

Half Time 21-15 2 tries, 1 con, 1 pen

Second half, Podge came off, Sean moved to scrum half and everyone shuffled down one with Aaron coming on as right wing. The second half started and ended very quickly for Dan. Dr Dan suggested that his wrist was dislocated and if we just popped it back together he could play on. Unfortunately given the strange angle of his wrist it was probably broken. This was a proper injury unlike Ed’s tweaked finger. So having just gone off, Podge came back on as full back.

The reporter/first aider was slightly distracted for a while, so he missed the build-up to Finchley’s try in the corner. After a bit of debate over whether the carrier was in touch before he grounded the ball, the referee awarded the try. The conversion was missed. (26-15)

Whether Finchley thought that they had won it or whether they had just riled Heathfield but the tide turned again. Heathfield piled on the pressure again with the forwards really going for it and gaining ground. Felix and Teddy and TdB were being used as battering rams but Finchley held firm. Unfortunately for Finchley, they were being pinged for not rolling away or diving over, so every-time they wrestled the ball back, it was a penalty to Heathfield. Obviously a penalty kick at this stage was no use…… maybe later? Another injury brought a break in the play with a possible neck-roll seen by everyone but nothing awarded. Heathfield continued to push forward with Tom C and MacKenzie getting within inches of the line. The ball was recycled and rather than another forward push, the ball went to Ed, who weaved his way over the line to score near the posts. Sean converted. (26-22).

Heathfield came forward again, with the ball being passed between the backs, Harry decided to kick the ball. Now all season Harry has kicked the ball when a pass would have been better, especially as the ball would usually only land at the half-way line. This time Harry was at around 15 yards from the line and he placed a dainty kick towards the corner for Ed to chase. Maybe it was those magic tights (sorry skins) he was wearing but the ball was perfect. Ed outstripped the defender and leapt like a gazelle to touch the ball down for his third try. Sean converted from the sideline - not an easy kick. (26-29).

At this point (or before the try – I can’t remember I was giddy with excitement) George H went off and Will came on. Will was tackled hard which caused his chin to split open again. Off came Will and back on went George. In the film world that would be called a brief cameo.

Finchley came back again and they scored in the far left corner. Would the excitement never end? They missed the conversion (31-29).

There were two points in it. What could Heathfield do to win this game? Time must be nearly up. They raced up to the halfway line and took a quick high kick that dropped into the unorganised Finchley forwards. The ball was retrieved by Heathfield and they began to push forward. What was needed was a penalty in front of the posts. The referee blew up. TdB thinking H needed a try tried to take it quickly but fortunately the referee brought him back as Sean had already signalled that he wanted the kick. This was where the U17 experience comes in.

Cool, calm, collected, Crozier slotted over for the lead. (31-32).

Finchley kicked off and Tom C fielded the ball. He kicked it out and the referee blew the whistle. What had just happened? The country cousins ended up beating the townies.

Final Score 31-32
Try Scorers: Ed N 3, Harry, 2 pens from Sean and 3 (from 4) cons from Sean.

Finchley scored 5 tries to Heathfield’s 4 but it just shows that having the experienced player who knows when to kick is great advantage. The Finchley team were very good but I suspect their downfall was due to the number of infringements that they gave away which allowed Heathfield to keep attacking even when they lost possession. Also and as the title of the report suggests we had the speed in the backs to cause the opposition problems BUT we need to use BOTH wingers. Again we had overlaps in this game and the ball wasn't passed all the way down quickly enough.

With all the excitement of the day, I couldn’t help but feel Heathfield were missing something……..oh yes Tim C screaming from the sidelines. We missed you Tim. We look forward to the game on the 20th March.

Thanks to Robbie, Josh and Ronan (and parents) for making the long journey without getting on but given the injuries there was always a possibility that you would get on.