Novos Stunningly Splendid & Unfeasibly Handsome 3rd Team v Consett 2nds

After suffering another miserable week of cry-offs and losing leading players late in the week to assist the noble cause of the Second team, captain Craig led his magnificent troops out onto the verdant Sutherland Park turf beneath a blazing sun for their first home league outing of the season against the Neanderthal behemoths from darkest Derwentside.

The squad was fortunate to be bolstered by the inclusion of a number of hard-core Centurions lads after the unfortunate cancellation of the 4ths away fixture; their involvement being made possible only after persuading the referee that Consett’s guttural objections to ourhaving a full replacement bench at this stratospheric level of top quality rugby were unfounded. Nevertheless the opponents’ intent to win at all costs had been clearly stated and the scene was set for a fiercely competitive tussle.

Right from the kick-off the much larger Consett team went on the attack with their early possession forcing the fabulous 3rds to defend hard. In fact the early stages were like a scene from a medieval battle with waves of the direct running Consett onslaught being repeatedly knocked down hard by forceful tackling until they seemed to tire temporarily. This allowedNovos to gain an initial ascendency in the scrum and to clear their lines up-field and then develop a spell of pressure of their own through a series of sharp “pick-and-goes” which quickly gave Jack Callaghan the first penalty opportunity which he comfortably slotted.

A similar pattern was repeated from the kick-off with Consett charging back into the game and Novos defence digging-in resolutely until Des, at no 8, made a brilliant pick-up and speedy burst away on the blind, from an impressively stable home scrum. Leaving the defence for dead and bearing down on the full-back like a charging wilder-beast with Will and Dave H in support, the Novos crowd roared in blood-thirsty anticipation ….. and then gnarled old Novosforward veterans from down the years, from Peter Fay to Mo Findlay and Lenny to Ed Gregory, allspun in their graves like washing-machines as Novos very own Gorilla-in-the-Mist tried what must be the career first of a delicate chip over the last defender!!!

In fairness, this departure from his usual abrasive style nearly came off but Consett just managed to gather and clear their lines. In fact this spurred them into a degree of desperation as Gavin Lish was flattened by a nasty swinging forearm and had to leave the field trailing claret for about 30 yards behind himself. Chris Brown came straight on, and busy and brave as the replacement was, the loss of Gav’s bulk allowed Consett to gain an edge in the forward battle, causing Novos to over-commit to a series of pressure phases and eventually allowing the visitorsspaceto score an unconverted try in the corner.

Fortunately, the Gorgeous 3rds took the game right back to Consett and from a keen chase of the re-start, they soon forced another penalty which Jack nailed to return Novos to the lead. However this was short lived as Consett exerted further pressure before a wickedly unfortunate bounce of the ball evaded the home defence and allowed them to score their second try which was converted on the half hour mark.

Novos came back with another Callaghan penalty but Consett were now piling the pressure on to disrupt any Novos possession at the half-back link and their third try soon came after the Novos midfield could not all maintain their concentration, became dog-legged and allowed a gap after sustained pressure close to their line. However, the half closed with Novos battling back and again managing to force some territory from which Jack converted a deserved penalty to leave the half-time score at 12:19 to the visitors.

After a quick analysis in the huddle and further words of motivation from Craig and Des, the second-half started with the big Consett side again driving hard at the Novos 22. Having recovered their breath during the interval, the whole Novos side threw themselves into a fierce defensive effort with Tommy junior, Pitchy, JP, Des both Darraghs and scrum-half Henry repeatedly notable among countless big tackles that the whole team made and which soaked up the worst that Consett could manage during the initial ten minutes of this half. In fact this solid defensive platform gave Novos the first opportunity of the second period to really develop some attacking pressure and from which an anxious defensive fumble on their line allowed Chris Henry to pounce on the loose ball and score a try by the posts which was easily converted.

Game on and didn’t Consett know it! Back they came and the score see-sawed as Consett scored a quick seven-pointer, off what the Novos boys were sure was a forward pass, immediately before Novos very favourite shagging sergeant forced his way over for a strong individual try to finish off a powerful series of drives from the home pack. Al’s try was scored out wide on the right but the diminutive kicking genius that is Jack Callaghan converted with a contemptuous ease to level the scores at 26:26 as the game went into its final quarter.

Both sides sensed how tight things now were as the hits kept piling in, causing, in almost amusing circumstances, the replacement of replacements Chris Brown and James Cowan. Chris almost let himself be persuaded to go back on to risk what initially sounded like a near fatal knee injury he had just sustained, before James, only just back after missing all of last season with a series of shoulder dislocations, popped his dodgy shoulder trying to throw a retaliatory punch after being held down – comedy genius from both our brave lads, but especially unfortunate for JC who will be sorely missed in the months to come while he hopefully gets his recurring injury properly fixed.

As the fray intensified, and after the home side had launched a number of attacks, Consett managed to edge a toe-hold close to Novos line and from a well-worked line-out they eventually drove over to regain the lead.

Both sides knew the next score was going to be crucial and the tension saw the referee penalise the anxious visitors for dissent. Callaghan inevitably brought the fabulous red, white and black hooped sex-beaststhat are the 3rds back to within a whisker and the game set-in for its final, fiercely attritional phase as both teams flew into contact again.

However the sustained defensive effort and the pressure of one or two unfamiliar positional necessities, now eventually took its inevitable toll. Despite their efforts to become more expansive, Novoswere not properly able to involve the potentially match-winning pace out wide of back-row wannabe Richard Seed and Garth and the shrewdly experienced Consett pack dominated possession as the game wound down to its close.
Unfortunately for Novosbattling effort, the final score came from the powerfulConsett pack who managed a late drive over the line for seven points with the very last play of the game. The final score confirmed by the ref at 29:40.

All things considered, and despite having just one or two knuckle draggers in their ranks, Consett were good value for their win and proved to be tough and well-organised opponents who were also well worth having a beer and chat with afterwards. Congratulations to them on taking the points and we wish them well for the next few months – or at least until we meet them again, later in the winter (weather permitting!) over at their Alpine pasture, when we will expect another close and physical battle. Thanks also to Steve, the young ref, who kept a decent grip on matters and contributed fully to a generally enjoyable, if slightly old-school rugby match.

From the perspective of a somewhat thrown-together but still devastatingly handsome 3rd team there are certainly plenty of positives to take. Congratulations to the front row and the overall scrumagging performance against bigger and generally older opponents; likewise the line-out generally functioned well. All the replacements (including young Jeff) put in very sound shifts and played an important part in the overall performance and there was a keen intensity about most of the kick-chases. There were several strong contenders for man of the match, including the aforementioned Juniors of Wilson and Darragh, Pitchford, Des and JP but for keeping a cool young head, willingness to put his body on the line with the rest of the squad and an absolutely perfect kicking performance it has to go to Jack Callaghan this week.

The never-say-die attitude and defence of the fringes and close-in midfield areas was truly inspirational and has set a great bench-mark for the squad to meet every week. We still need to shake off one or two hints of rustiness and get the ball moving better through the backs through a return to more frequent and regular training attendance but with another physical but very winnable battle to be expected this coming saturday its onwards and upwards away to another 2nd team at Wallsend.

Bring it on!!!

From your(very) special correspondent

T. H. Eoldog