Fullers warmed up well didn’t drop a pass, the line out was slick and the handling was sublime but that was that until the game started. Fullers just could not get into the groove in this stop start game but credit to Woodford who ground out the win to deny Fullers a deserved losing bonus point.

Into the wind Fullers were immediately on the back foot and Woodford took the lead with a penalty. They extended their lead with a well worked try under the posts aided by some poor defensive work by Fullerians.

The referee kept penalising the visitors at the breakdown stopping any momentum for Fullers. When they did make the break the last pass went astray or the 3 on 2 was not executed as it had in the past. In fact Fullers scored from a Woodford attack where the ball was spilled over and wing Rory Gibson was on hand to run 70 metres and hack the ball through to win the race to touch down under the posts. They added the conversion and a penalty shortly after as at last Woodford were penalised for not rolling away at the ruck.

In the second half and with the wind behind them, although it had dropped significantly, Fullers were able to build some momentum but once again the last pass went behind or poor execution allowed the scrambling defence to cover.

It was Woodford who took the initiative in the half as they scored from their impressive lineout and drove Fullers over the line. They extended further as Fullers coming out of the own 22 somehow lost the ball and Woodford’s centre was on hand to scoop the ball and touch down under the posts. 22-10 with 20 minutes to play.

For the next 15 minutes it was all Fullerians who pinned their hosts in the 22. From the lineout the ball was agonisingly held up. From the 5 metre scrum Fullers got almost over but once again Woodford stopped them in any way they could, sometimes illegally but they got away with it. Fullers did score via Mike Kerr who used his power to barge over.

In the dying minutes Fullers were pinned in their own 22 and tried to run it out as they still believed they could get something out of the match but it wasn’t to be. It was Woodford who had the last say kicking a penalty to deny the visitors the all-important bonus losing point.

“It was one of those days when the 50 50 decisions go against you and the bounce of the ball was not yours. Credit to Woodford who played the conditions and the referee better than us but our passing was poor and we didn’t execute our opportunities when they arose. Results went our way in this very competitive league so we still remain top but we will have to work harder if we want to stay there.
Our next game is at home on the 14th November against Hampstead.” commented Fullerians head coach Rich Hoskins.

Team. Barson (Wetton 50), Drew, Bushell, Boyd (Kerr 40), Perry, McCabe, Harvey, Barrett, Toon, Jacobs (Williams 40), Gibson, Duncan, Mann, Deane, Evans.

Man of the Match: Mike Kerr

A tough day at the office for Fullers 2’s who had their recent winning league run ended by a strong and experienced Hertford side.
The first 30 minutes were played in atrocious conditions and both sides initially repelled each others attacks with good defence.
As the game went on Hertford gained control, particularly at scrum time and Fullers couldn’t get on the front foot effectively.
The Fullers defence was not as strong as it has been of late and a number of tackles were missed which let Hertford in.
The final score of 36-8 did not truly reflect the game but it has to be said that the better side won on the day.
Next week Cuffley will no doubt feel the full force of of the Fullers will to win this league.