On Saturday 27th October, Wotton rugby club set sail for their away league fixture against Old Bristolians III. With an unbeaten record to maintain there was tension in the air as the flotilla of Wotton vehicles crossed the Clifton suspension bridge towards this new world. The mood was pensive with fearless leader Sam ’Giovanni Caboto’ Chappell insistent that the team not become complacent. Whilst the team contemplated the physical challenges ahead, the chairman’s focus was more on the exotic beauties he may encounter. Despite numerous injuries, Wotton still travelled with a sizeable crew; the only real negative was the failure of Wotton’s local press gangers to locate experienced quartermaster Gareth ‘Mr Rugby’ Davies.

Much like the Scots, arriving on the Isthmus of Panama in the Darien Scheme of the 1690’s (read about it here, it’s interesting), Wotton arrived in this new land to find conditions treacherous. Unlike the current Indian summer of the Wotton under edge microclimate, the team were faced with extreme cold, sheeting rain and at one point snow. With such brutal conditions the instruction from coaches Justin ‘Isambard’ Barton, Peter ‘Kingdom Brunel’ White were to build slowly and use the forwards to create a platform. Chairman Dai ‘David Prowse’ Lloyd reinforced this message to son and Captain Sam ‘Luke’ Chappell.

From the kick off Wotton did just that, with Ben ‘Banksy’ Jones, Sam ‘Yes, like the beer’ Adams and Captain Sam ‘Cabot’ Chappell leading the charge. This early pressure brought Wotton a penalty which Dan ‘Stephen Merchant’ Harte slotted over. Despite this early pressure Wotton were playing at a frantic pace and were, at times, their own worst enemy. In the treacherous conditions this resulted in mistakes and Wotton conceded an early try and then missed a penalty.

However, Wotton were absolutely dominant in the scrum with Wotton’s engine room especially destructive. Tristan ‘SS Great Eastern’ Willis and James ‘SS Great Western’ Needs in the second row and Dan ‘SS Great Britain’ Isaacs resembled huge engineering juggernauts; slowly but remorselessly driving the opposition backwards. From this platform Wotton were able to launch a massive attack and there was strong running from wingers Olli ‘Holloway’ Boyle, Alex ‘The Stig’ Boshier and two quick tries were scored. The first of these was scored following quick ball from scrum half Steve ‘John Cleese’ Black which created a flowing backs move and ended with Wotton starlet Alex ‘Cary Grant’ Irons scoring in the corner. The second was a push over try from a scrum which ex Russian International Gary ‘Mabbutt’ Alexanderov managed to avoid knocking on. The half ended with Wotton leading 15-5.

The second half started with a moment of comedy from Huw ‘Russell Howard’ Edwards. Hearing advantage called he attempted a drop goal which even the great Sergio Parisse would have found embarrassing. Wotton came back for a successful penalty and it was 18-5 to Wotton. With the weather closing in, it became a gritty forwards battle and one man up for the fight was Jon ‘Blackbeard’ Muckle. Following a period of sustained Wotton pressure and snarling all the way, he powered over the Bristolians line for his second try of the season.

Wotton now began to use their sizable bench and brought on powerful Ian ‘James May’ Goldsmith into the front row and the destructive Matt ‘Trescothick’ Tewkesbury into the back row. Both had immediate impacts, carrying the ball well and smashing the Bristolians players back in the tackle. Further substitutions were made in the pack with veteran Dave ‘Boycie’ Padgett and debutant Gareth ‘Judd Trump’ Hancock providing additional power in the front row. Brad ‘Lee Evans’ Skelly came on in the backs and the wing made an immediate impact with several strong runs.

The final word however, must go to Man of the Match, Tom ‘Damien Hirst’ Gibbs. Filling in at 12 he had a magnificent game, running artistic lines and making numerous breaks in the midfield. He saved the best until the end of the game however, when, receiving a superb delayed pass from Justin ‘Isambard’ Barton, he cut a line sharper than a Chipping Sodbury credit card and breezed over for a superb try. The conversion from Dan ‘Stephen Merchant’ Harte into a swirling wind, from the touchline was almost as good as the try. With just minutes left to play, Wotton finished the game by conceding a late try and the score finished 30-12.

Wotton will return to action for their next league game at home to Thornbury III on Saturday 3rd November, K.O. 14:30. Training continues Thursday evenings at KLB School at 6:45pm. New players of all abilities are always welcome and can contact Chairman Dai Lloyd for more information at contact@wottonrugby.co.uk .