Heathfield 12 Dover 7
Heathfield just overcame Dover in an entertaining and fairly contested game between two similar teams. The league is now at the half way point with Heathfield just above the three likely relegation places so every league point is to be treasured.
Rugby is the winter game and that implies dealing with the weather. The rain overnight and into the morning left the pitch outside the clubhouse at Cross In Hand with standing water and a very soft surface. Reluctantly both team managements agreed it was not playable so the game was moved to the Wilson-Rhodes pitch which had so far survived relatively unscathed – not after today!
The strong but fluctuating breeze was straight down the pitch but oddly all three scores in the game came against the wind.
Dover had first use of the wind but they rarely made use of it in spite of being penned in their own half for long periods. Heathfield started the stronger and some emphatic tackling by Jay Massey-Taylor and Tom Tingley kept them on the front foot. A penalty gave good field position in the left hand corner and after a couple of phases from the ensuing lineout Dylan Eames muscled his way over for the opening score with barely ten minutes on the clock, duly converted by Toby Simpson. Eames was afterwards noted for his all round efforts, especially in the first half.
From the restart Heathfield soon returned to the visitors’ half and were looking dangerous although some of the play may have become a little frantic as the try line beckoned – white line fever perhaps.
Approaching the half hour Dover finally used the boot to good effect and reached the home half for a short while. However this just triggered an especially pleasing piece of Heathfield play as the ball was moved coast to coast from the left touchline through multiple hands and phases before Tom Cornwall arrived with perfect timing and was unstoppable in the right hand corner. (12-0)
Dover now had a period of position and possession in the home half but the defence was resolute and the rest of the half passed without incident.
At half time Heathfield will have been pleased to have a 12 point lead with the elements to come in their favour. The set piece was even and neither side dominated the breakdown. The penalty count was distinctly against Dover thus far without any particular pattern.
Heathfield again started strongly in the second period, pinning Dover back, and Rob Lawrence was disappointed when he went for an interception in the visitors’ 22 but couldn’t hang on and was duly penalised for a deliberate knock on.
However Dover now had their best sequence of play and worked their way upfield, helped by some penalties against the home side. Indeed a tap penalty was then well exploited as they worked one of their forwards over for a try. The conversion from wide out and into wind was impressive.
With 25 minutes remaining the result was now much in doubt. The soft pitch was sapping legs and players knew that the next mistake could well decide the game. The penalty count against both sides was rising although in the event no cards were issued. Generally defences proved adequate and much of the play was between the two 22m lines.
Sensibly, given the game situation, when Heathfield were awarded a penalty near the visitors’ 10m line, they opted for a shot at goal, but it was just short. Another period of Heathfield pressure resulted in an attacking lineout in the right hand corner but they were adjudged to have obstructed in the lineout and the chance was gone.
Dover had the better of the last few minutes but they were having to play from deep and the home defence did enough..
Indeed the defensive efforts by the home backs were generally complimented afterwards with Lucas Cuming being particularly mentioned. While Jem Macvicker was noted with an impactful all-round game even he was outshone on the day by his back row colleague Tom Cornwall who had another storming game in both attack and defence.
For Dover their hooker Kirk Savage, the oldest man on the pitch, was one of the most effective players for them, outperforming people half his age. There was also a comment by one of Heathfield’s lady supporters about the size and fit of the shorts worn by one of the visitors’ backs but that’s not a subject appropriate for this report.
Dover returned home with their well-earned losing bonus point and will look forward to entertaining Heathfield in 2024. It looked as though the coach journey home was going to be a lively one.
The lack of comment afterwards about refereeing decisions was a further reflection of how well the game had been handled by today’s referee Paul Shepperd who had quiet effective control throughout.
Next week Heathfield commence the second half of the league season with a visit to their nearest neighbours Crowborough with whom they had an unusual 3-3 draw in September. (16 Dec 2.00)