Saturday 14th January 2017 - DVRFC 1st XV vs Faversham RFC - Result - 19-10

Report by Luke Stickings

After the 5 match winning streak before Christmas and the excellent performance, but loss against Footscray RFC last week, DVRFC 1st XV were determined to get back to winning ways on Saturday against a Faversham RFC side who had convincingly won the away fixture early in the season.

Matchday was a typical January Saturday with frost on the ground and remnants of the snow still remaining from earlier in the week. The inclement weather did not, however, reflect the heat of battle ahead as DVRFC were resolute in their objective to show Faversham how far they come since the encounter back in October last year.

Faversham arrived very early with full entourage and were already in match drills before DVRFC left the changing room to set-up the pitch. This could, in times gone by, have distracted the squad, as they have learnt that a decent warm-up and prematch preparation has been key to recent success they have enjoyed. Instead, they got on with it, got the pitch ready and set about getting warm, stretched and minds focussed.

The Team on the day saw a welcomed return to the fold from Archie Wheeler and Kev Brown adding fire power to an already impressive looking backline. In the pack, Ant Sumbler assumed the role of Pack Leader on the day, a position much anticipated by many.

The pre-match chat from the referee was 'interesting' in so far as he clearly said that he had a serious case of 'man-flu', so if there was any messing about, he would be off!! However, despite this less than orthodox start, he had a strong game throughout and was fair to both sides.

So, after a strong warm-up, focussed chat from Coach Chris Burke and Captain Ben Orcan, the lads were ready for Kick-off. Straight from the off, DVRFC laid down the marker that would set the tone for the rest of the afternoon - hard running rugby, multiple-phase gameplan and an absolute refusal to give single metre to the opposition. After only 5-minutes of 3 sets of 5+ phase play, with excellent ruck clearance from Shane Baker, /Charlie Merideth and Aidan Jones, Faversham found themselves woefully undermanned out wide and Archie Wheeler crashed over to get the first try of the day for Valley. Welcome back Archie!

In the past, DVRFC sides have had the tendency to rest on laurels and not force home a gained advantage, but this team is not like the ones in the past. Instead, from the restart after the first try, they hammered the Faversham defence with tackles from everywhere and turnover ball leading to another excellently created try for Chris Burke in the corner after only 15 minutes. The over-the-shoulder pass from Mikey Lynch was a bit special (see video highlights on this page), but we are not making a big deal of it as he was quick to 'big himself up' on social media about it after game. 12-0 Valley after an excellent conversion wide out from Jonny O'Connor.

DVRFC never expected Faversham to lie down and take a beating. True to form, they responding to the first quarter Valley onslaught and came back into the game for the second quarter via their big pack, using multiple pick&go from ruck which Valley cancelled out with hard committed tackling, with notable hits from Danny Clive, Ant Sumbler and Sean Ottoway. However, from a 5-metre lineout, despite the Valley pack initially following gameplan and driving to touch, Faversham managed to roll the ensuing maul and crashed over from short distance to register their first score of the day. 12-5 - conversion missed.

The Halftime talk in the Valley huddle focussed on Gameplan, commitment and discipline for the second half. The boys evidently listened and from the restart, they resumed the offensive barrage that had served them so well in the opening 20 minutes of the game. Following an excellent turnover from Keiron Philips and Ben Orcan, Kev Brown found himself surrounded by Faversham cover, but managed to fend off their attempted tackles with superior upper body strength and subsequently created space to move at halfway. He then switched on the gas, opened his legs to show his class (!) and sprinted in an awesome try from 40 metres. Conversion by Jonny O'Connor - 19-5.

The only disappointing element of the Valley performance came in the last quarter of the game, when the chance of a bonus point win (4+ tries) eluded them as Faversham came strongly back into the game with another try that was well created with an overlap and sharp hands for the winger to score in the corner.19-10 - Conversion missed.

The most encouraging aspects of the day were two-fold. Firstly, that from early on in the game, the result was never really in doubt, DVRFC clearly the stronger side, with the main question being whether DVRFC would get the bonus point win or not. Secondly that, following the final whistle, the boys were actually quite disappointed for not 'putting Faversham away' in the last 20 minutes of the game. Both of these things can only be seen as massive steps forward for a side that clearly has high aspirations and unfulfilled objectives for the rest of the season.

In conclusion, another convincing Valley win against a full-strength, powerful Faversham team. Another message sent to the League that DVRFC are coming.

Away trip to Whitstable next week - going to be a tough, tough game. Can Valley deliver another shock in the league against top 3 opposition? They couldn't, could they??

Notable Performances:

Man of the match - Ben Orcan - Captains performance - strong game leading from the front with high tackle count (although, apparently he did get bumped on his behind again from a small opposition back?)

Hammer - Chris Burke - Impressive display of first-up hits and covering tackles that truly kept Valley on top in the game when Faversham turned up the heat in the second half.

DoD - Jonny O'Connor - for not understanding the difference between offence and defence.