Mens 1st XV
Matches
Sat 20 Oct 2018  ·  Shepherd Neame Kent 1
Old Gravesendians RFC
Mens 1st XV
Tries: M Thompson, C JohnsonConversions: M Thompson
12
73
Ashford
Old Gs fall to heavy Ashford defeat

Old Gs fall to heavy Ashford defeat

Matt Holdstock21 Oct 2018 - 20:31
Share via
FacebookTwitter
https://www.ogrfc.org/teams/26

League leaders take the spoils as Old Gs lose 12-73

Old Gs were given a shock to the system on Saturday as they fell to a heavy home defeat against league leaders Ashford, tries from Matt Thompson and Chris Johnson not enough to thwart the Ashford onslaught.

Whilst credit should go to the away side, this was a awfully poor performance from Old Gs. The usual spring in their step and positive tempo completely absent, with too many players off form. Ball retention was poor, support play lethargic and patience with the ball non-existent. Defence, so strong in the opening games in the league, was not as aggressive as it has been, presenting Ashford with many chances which they took with aplomb.

Despite the scoreline, Old Gs actually controlled the opening 10 minutes, hammering forward with Andrew Kidd and Mat Wilson leading the charge. Only two try saving tackles prevented the home side taking the league. The lack of support saw the moves not finished when all that was required was the extra phase with Ashford back pedalling.

Despite the initial territory, with the lineout not functioning to its full potential and the scrum up against it versus a strong Ashford pack, Old Gs couldn’t find the platform required to sustain their pressure and began to be pushed back by the visitors. Ashford soon opened the scoring out wide, with the Old Gs defence not keeping its width to provide an overlap that was finished with ease. Straight from the kick off, within three phases they were over again, forwards brushing aside would be Old Gs first up tackles.

Old Gs did reduce the deficit, Matt Thompson crossing out wide after a break from Kidd. This showed the way forward, with good ball retention they could trouble their opponents, but this was all so lacking for the rest of the afternoon. The team kept plugging away and had plenty of possession in the Ashford half. This wasn’t converted into points though, with Old Gs not converting the pressure that they had on the league leaders.

On the stroke on half time, the ball flew out the back of a ruck in the Ashford 22, the visitors pounced on the ball and found their winger who finished well from distance.

Half time – Old Gs 5 Ashford 19.

To add to Old Gs woes, both Frazer Barnes and Matt Johnson succumbed to injury in the first half. Stern words were had at half time, with Old Gs needing to up the tempo and with the next score crucial in the contest to reduce the deficit. This seemed to go unheard though as Ashford crossed straight from the restart to secure the bonus point try.

In truth Old Gs initially responded well to this setback and worked their way back up field, but didn’t have the continuity to trouble the scorers. The Ashford defence held firm and they resumed their threat with ball in hand, scoring three quick tries with the Old Gs defence way off colour.

One bright spark in the second half was the introduction of James Hood, off the bench to provide his team with some energy and momentum out wide. On one occasion he skipped past two tacklers, drew the final defender to give Chris Johnson a free run to the line to reduce the Old Gs deficit.

Both Doug Wilson and Mat Wilson then departed the fray with injuries to leave Old Gs with 14 men, but this is no excuse for what then followed.

The remaining 20 minutes can only be described as a car crash from Old Gs, terrible play both with ball in hand and in defence handing Ashford another four tries. To be fair to the visitors they finished the gifts that Old Gs gave them clinically to give the score line a slight gloss but huge embarrassment to the home side.

Final score Old Gs 12 Ashford 73.

The score line suggests that Old Gs were completely dismantled here. However they contributed to their own downfall and were their own worst enemies. Too many players were off colour and heads went down when Ashford opened up an advantage. This was a performance that was unacceptable if the club has any ambitions of a strong top half finish in Kent 1. Old Gs will need to lick their wounds, work hard in training and put a few things right when they travel to RBS next Saturday.

Credit to Ashford, the best side Old Gs have faced so far, with their organisation and energetic play taking advantage of all the opportunities that they were provided. Old Gs look forward to having another crack at them later in the season.

Match details

Match date

Sat 20 Oct 2018

Kickoff

15:00

Meet time

13:30

Competition

Shepherd Neame Kent 1
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Club Sponsor - J.M Danslow
Club Sponsor - A Night Out Promotions
Club Sponsor - The Jolly Drayman
Club Sponsor - Bustles and Breeches