4th XV The Flogs - Report
Date: Saturday 8th January 2011 - Kick Off: 14:15
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| Handsworth 3 | 38 | vs | 14 | The FLOGS |
Handsworth 38 v Willenhall Flogs 14
Happy New Year Flogs!
Well finally the availabilities and the weather coincided and we had a game! Back for 2011 was Brian Taylor adding some beef to the pack and Mark (a new scrum half) making his flogs debut. The success of the curry night was still bouncing round the changing room when Handsworth announced they only had 13 players! Fletch D of R was just in the process of getting changed to run touch for Fletch the Ref (our old pal from Trentham) so before it was started it was all change. Planty took one for the team, as ever, and volunteered to play for Handsworth and the D of R dropped in at fly half - Cheers Planty!
We played on the University pitch rather than over the canal as Nico decided it was a nicer pitch - what he forgot was it was also a much bigger pitch, we hadn't played for 7 weeks, weren't fit before that and Handsworth had roped the youth policy in to make their 13! First Donkey nomination to Nico - Fletch keeps telling him not to start organising!!
Within 2 minutes from kick off we saw what we were up against - their No 10 stepped twice, put on the after burners and ran half the pitch the score under the posts, 7 - 0. We needed to keep it close, take it to them up front and keep it away from their 10 and full back who just had too much pace for us but those seasoned flogs will know our ability to carry out a game plan so yes, we put our foot through the ball and kept handing possession back to the opposition. In the pack we were dominant, the first scrum was needed to wake us all up but from there we won all our own ball and took 5 or 6 against the head. Wes was leaping like a salmon (a can of John West) at the front of the line out taking our ball and spoiling theirs and against the run of play we conceded 2 more break away tries from giving possession away. With the last play of the half we had a scrum about 15 metres from the Handsworth line, centre field. The pack put the shove on and drove the Handsworth scrum back over its own line. As the front row waiting for the whistle and try, someone shouted ball gone.....the front 5 had been pushing while the back row had taken the ball to the right. We broke up just in time to see Planty picking up Frodo in a Judo suplex over the maul and over the line to score - thanks again Planty! Half time 21 - 7
The second half continued much along the same basis although we did have a few driving mauls and pick and go from the base of the rucks which saw us making good ground. Birchy was in the thick of most things, back in the pack from his brief spell last year with the girls, but we lost him with about 15 to go after a bang to the ribs so Planty came back to the Flogs as the Handsworth bench arrived from a morning at work. A game against Handsworth always has the ability to boil over and no surprise to see Bilbo in the odd tussle but a pleasant surprise was to see Nico with his fist cocked threatening to return the punch he had just received from the Prop - rumour has Nico never got a punch off having received one himself - so he earns his second Donkey nomination.
The last 15 saw a lot of tired legs on the pitch, Webby had been walking from set play to set play since the second started (other than running back from a half time pee) and our handling was starting to get sloppy as it seemed we didn't have the energy the complete a pass. We did however put a full set of passes together to put Jacko in the corner, but he knocked on 5 metres out and Nico awarded him the Donkey.....Jacko has requested a stewards enquiry but Uncle A stayed at the club and watched the firsts....sorry Jacko, better get down the cellar.
The pack had one last ounce of energy left and drove the Handsworth scrum back from just inside the 22 all the way to the try line for Mark to pick up from the base and dive over for his Flogs debut try .....jug next week! Aussie again added the extras.
With the last play of the match, Handsworth scored the try of the match and we were all relieved to hear the final whistle.
Awards
Donkey - Jacko
Deputy MOTM - Planty - volunteering to play for Handsworth, assisting in the Frodo try and BRINGING THE PORT!!
An aching
Roving
We played on the University pitch rather than over the canal as Nico decided it was a nicer pitch - what he forgot was it was also a much bigger pitch, we hadn't played for 7 weeks, weren't fit before that and Handsworth had roped the youth policy in to make their 13! First Donkey nomination to Nico - Fletch keeps telling him not to start organising!!
Within 2 minutes from kick off we saw what we were up against - their No 10 stepped twice, put on the after burners and ran half the pitch the score under the posts, 7 - 0. We needed to keep it close, take it to them up front and keep it away from their 10 and full back who just had too much pace for us but those seasoned flogs will know our ability to carry out a game plan so yes, we put our foot through the ball and kept handing possession back to the opposition. In the pack we were dominant, the first scrum was needed to wake us all up but from there we won all our own ball and took 5 or 6 against the head. Wes was leaping like a salmon (a can of John West) at the front of the line out taking our ball and spoiling theirs and against the run of play we conceded 2 more break away tries from giving possession away. With the last play of the half we had a scrum about 15 metres from the Handsworth line, centre field. The pack put the shove on and drove the Handsworth scrum back over its own line. As the front row waiting for the whistle and try, someone shouted ball gone.....the front 5 had been pushing while the back row had taken the ball to the right. We broke up just in time to see Planty picking up Frodo in a Judo suplex over the maul and over the line to score - thanks again Planty! Half time 21 - 7
The second half continued much along the same basis although we did have a few driving mauls and pick and go from the base of the rucks which saw us making good ground. Birchy was in the thick of most things, back in the pack from his brief spell last year with the girls, but we lost him with about 15 to go after a bang to the ribs so Planty came back to the Flogs as the Handsworth bench arrived from a morning at work. A game against Handsworth always has the ability to boil over and no surprise to see Bilbo in the odd tussle but a pleasant surprise was to see Nico with his fist cocked threatening to return the punch he had just received from the Prop - rumour has Nico never got a punch off having received one himself - so he earns his second Donkey nomination.
The last 15 saw a lot of tired legs on the pitch, Webby had been walking from set play to set play since the second started (other than running back from a half time pee) and our handling was starting to get sloppy as it seemed we didn't have the energy the complete a pass. We did however put a full set of passes together to put Jacko in the corner, but he knocked on 5 metres out and Nico awarded him the Donkey.....Jacko has requested a stewards enquiry but Uncle A stayed at the club and watched the firsts....sorry Jacko, better get down the cellar.
The pack had one last ounce of energy left and drove the Handsworth scrum back from just inside the 22 all the way to the try line for Mark to pick up from the base and dive over for his Flogs debut try .....jug next week! Aussie again added the extras.
With the last play of the match, Handsworth scored the try of the match and we were all relieved to hear the final whistle.
Awards
Donkey - Jacko
Deputy MOTM - Planty - volunteering to play for Handsworth, assisting in the Frodo try and BRINGING THE PORT!!
An aching
Roving
Player Of The Match
Not Selected
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