As the 40 people involved (39 players plus referee) gradually dried and thawed out, and then many reportedly headed for the doubtless rewarding delights of Eastbourne nightlife, they should all take pride in having been part of an excellent rugby occasion which demonstrated many of the positive aspects of the game. Two very well-matched sides fought themselves almost to a standstill in miserable conditions. However as this was a cup game there had to be a winner and eventually Heathfield snatched the decisive try in extra time to reach the final of the Sussex Bob Rogers Cup.
I am currently looking at two pieces of blotting paper with some blurry inky hieroglyphics which may help me describe today’s events but inevitably details will be limited. Initially conditions were decent for mid-February. The pitch was excellent with a good grass covering over a mostly firm surface. However drizzly rain gradually increased in intensity and a significant but fluky wind across the pitch made for difficult handling conditions.
Both teams are having decent seasons in their respective Counties 1 leagues so there was plenty of anticipation of a good contest in this fixture which has a long history. Pleasingly there was a strong turnout of Heathfield supporters who indeed outnumbered the home contingent in the bar before the game (hmm?). Supporters for both sides will probably feel that they made the right decision and watched a properly contested match rather than the expensive embarrassment at Twickenham.
Heathfield started strongly with consistent possession mostly in the home half. One promising attack was spoiled by a knock-on on the 5m line. However eventually solid scrum ball was moved wide right and Charlie Hannan was able to finish well in the corner.
This seemed to spark Eastbourne into life and they had the better of the rest of the first half. They look a well-drilled team with particularly good ball retention. A few minutes after the Heathfield try an attacking Eastbourne lineout in the right-hand corner involved a smart move at the front of the line resulting in a try for lock Jack Curtis. Eastbourne continued to have majority position and possession with most play in the visitors’ half with their no 8 Jeremy Montes being especially effective, often breaking multiple tackles. However Heathfield’s defence has been a particular strength this season and Eastbourne rarely achieved any serious penetration.
In the last few minutes of the half Toby Simpson and Harry Slinnhawkins combined to break out of their own half and the last few minutes of the half were in midfield.
Heathfield were having the better of the set piece with their scrum clearly having an edge and at times it looked dominant. In the first half lineouts were even but thereafter the home lineout had an increasingly bad day with multiple errors while the visitors were generally secure. It has to be said that conditions made throwing in something of a lottery.
Heathfield again started the half strongly with Simpson going close in the right-hand corner. Then a dominant scrum provided good ball and slick handling allowed Lucas Cuming to work his way over on the left-hand side. This was much deserved as Cuming’s defensive work had been excellent today, indeed as usual this season. Critically Simpson converted.
Eastbourne naturally responded and had some sustained pressure on the visitors’ line finally resulting in a yellow card for George Hayter. Soon more pressure in the visitors’ half looked to have been contained when a penalty was awarded against Eastbourne but incautious words triggered a reversed penalty and an easy three points for them to give a 8-12 score line with over 25 minutes remaining.
By now it was clear that this was a close contest and neither side had consistent control. While Heathfield had some decent chances they too often lost the ball in contact which is partly a reflection of effective Eastbourne defence – but also the difficult handling conditions.
With ten minutes left in normal time a Simpson penalty edged Heathfield 7 points clear. This spurred Eastbourne to great efforts and they hammered away in the visitors’ half. Chris Baker-Butler was now binned for reasons which are unclear to me (and him?). The associated penalty gave them good field position in the right-hand corner and finally hooker Konrad O'Neill dived into the corner. The impressive conversion in difficult conditions tied the scores at 15-15 at the end of regular time.
After some confusion it was discovered that there was to be extra time of ten minutes each way.
In keeping with the game thus far an early Heathfield penalty was almost immediately answered by a similar Eastbourne score. The decisive moment then came as Heathfield built an attack into the bottom left-hand corner and Sam Walley collected good recycled ball from a breakdown to bosh his way over from short range.
In the second half of extra time Heathfield gradually exerted more control and in the last few minutes most of the play was in the home half. There was always the danger of a home break out but Heathfield mostly controlled the ball and eventually the final whistle went.
Eastbourne can now focus on their league campaign in Counties 1 Surrey/Sussex where they are having a decent season. As well as Montes as mentioned above their scrum half Leon Wood is an especially effective player with quick hands and feet.
Coach Sam Goatcher was as usual reluctant to pick out individuals in a team performance. The pack as a unit did well with the scrum having a clear edge and the lineout being generally secure in tricky conditions. As noted above there are concerns about ball retention in contact but this is a team playing with the increasing confidence that comes with winning.
Heathfield can now look forward to the Bob Rogers Final which is probably against Hove on 2nd May at Uckfield but in the mean time they return to league action when Gillingham visit Cross In Hand next Saturday. The narrow away loss to Gillingham remains as a significant blot on this team’s record this season and they will be keen to put the record straight.