Heathfield 32 Vigo 8
Heathfield collected a five to one try bonus point victory over Kent side Vigo in a game marked unusually by a broken post and a change of pitches.
Vigo chose to play into the variable breeze. After the initial skirmishes Heathfield secured a turnover and moved the ball left to achieve an attacking lineout near the corner. The ball was duly secured and the pack drove forward with James Woodroofe the beneficiary at the bottom of a heap of bodies. Woodroofe had only been on the pitch for less than a minute as replacement for Nick Cook.
Shortly afterwards Jack Morgan comfortably slotted a penalty to stretch the lead. Then good scrummage ball was moved through several phases and Cook made a huge run towards the left hand corner before unselfishly gaving a scoring pass to Tom Cornwall when he could well have taken the points himself.
Heathfield were now dominating the game with consistent pressure into the visitors’ half. Eventually Vigo bravely tried to run out of defence on their own five metre line and Eoin Larmer snaffled an interception before diving over the try line.
The first quarter had been all Heathfield but Vigo were gradually starting to make their voice heard with good lines of running and support. A Vigo scrum on the home 22 on the left hand side provided good ball for their scrum half Dominic Carslaw to exploit a helpful wheel to dart down the blindside and was able to wriggle out of Toby Simpson’s try line tackle to touch down.
The momentum in the game had changed and Vigo were growing in confidence as a sequence of Heathfield penalties gave them further encouragement. This was now an entertaining game between two sides who wanted to play open rugby. Shortly before half time a Vigo move on their right wing broke down allowing Larmer to fly hack the loose ball down field and then have the pace to reach the ball ahead of the defenders for the bonus point try in the corner, and his second on the day. Jack Morgan converted impressively.
Vigo replied almost immediately with a penalty for a half time score of 25-8. Given the visitors’ benefit of the wind to come in the second half the likely outcome was in the balance.
The Heathfield scrummage had a clear edge for much of the game providing, as has been usual this season, a secure platform. The Vigo lineout probably edged that phase, especially in the second half when conditions became more difficult.
Sam Goatcher retired hurt at half time and Sam Shillabeer come on to the wing, Jeyden Rainbow moving to centre and Larmer to full back. Rainbow was afterwards picked out for his especially effective and industrious first half.
The second half opened with a fine run by the visitors’ left wing into the home 22 but Heathfield were just able, perhaps luckily, to clear the danger thanks to some careful shepherding by Cook.
Heathfield were then starting to build some pressure at the other end when everything came to a halt. A Vigo replacement, clearly a man of considerable strength, was warming up by leaning against a goal post. Even he must have been slightly surprised when it fell over with the post broken several inches below ground level.
Complex and extensive negotiations now began between the two teams and the referee. The outcome was that the game was moved to the pitch outside the clubhouse which had earlier been declared unplayable. Most of the pitch was fine but the bottom corner was a muddy morass which inhibited any fast movement.
On balance it can be argued that Vigo gained more from this move as the new pitch is more exposed to the wind from which they were now benefitting, plus they now had the advantage of a slight slope.
Indeed most of the play in the rest of the game was in the home half as Vigo hammered away at the home defence. Heathfield fly half Harry Reilly had a generally very sound day with his kicking out of hand in particular as he repeatedly pushed the visitors back up the field.
However the home defence proved adequate with skipper Gus Taylor leading by example. Cornwall and Munch May were also afterwards picked out for their efforts and physicality in this period.
With fifteen minutes Taylor may have been unlucky to be binned, reportedly for coming in at the side of a ruck, but this was in the home 22 and the referee was a quietly effective and authoritative presence on the day.
With ten minutes remaining and Heathfield still a man short, Vigo now mounted a sustained attack into the muddy bottom corner. For several minutes they hammered away a few metres out and the whole home pack in particular take great credit for their committed efforts in this period with Fraser Goatcher putting in a big shift. This squad has developed a very strong ethos over the season which is showing in such situations.
Eventually Heathfield broke out and charged upfield where Cook grabbed the ball from the side of a break down and tired Vigo legs could not prevent him from strolling over for a simple try, duly converted by Morgan.
Other worthy mentions are Tom Tingley for some robust runs ball in hand, Dan Bird for tackles and one pick up of a poor pass, Morgan for an important rip in the tackle along with plenty of other solid work in defence and attack, Sam Crichton with solid accurate work in defence and attack – and as usual this year the whole front row. I am tempted to refer to them as FDR (Fraser, Dan, Reece) - this trio have now started 16 of the 17 competitive games this season and have not been bested.
This result lifts Heathfield to a season high of fifth place in the league table which is pleasing given the earlier flirtation with relegation places. There are some difficult games to come with away games at promotion candidates Bromley and Ashford but the squad is in good heart as you would expect with six wins out of seven in 2020.
Next week Heathfield visit Bromley who will be a severe test of this confidence (29 Feb 2.30).