1XV lose on the road to Hereford

Camp Hill last travelled to Hereford for a league game in October 2012 and, as was the case then, the visitors came away with nothing to show for the long trip.

Camps started the game with the strong wind at their backs and they started brightly with some tidy interplay between forwards and backs and winger Ben Taylor was only just squeezed out in the corner.

Hereford were eventually able to clear with a high kick which Camps failed to deal with and the resultant scrum gave the home side the chance to run the ball which they did to good effect with full back Ben Osborne going over in the corner.

Camps continued to have good possession from the restart with forwards Jan Van der Walt and Dan O’Grady prominent and they were rewarded with a penalty on the 10-metre line, which Ian Briggs kicked to reduce the deficit to 2 points. Unfortunately, Camps gave the ball away almost immediately and when the ball was kicked ahead conceded a penalty under their own posts, which reinstated the 5-point difference.
Hereford lost a player immediately on the restart when winger Matt Clarke arrived at the same time he caught the ball and the collision left the home player groggy.

Clarke was again in the action shortly afterwards but this time it was to receive a yellow card after a dust-up with his opposite number.
Down to 14 men it was now Hereford’s chance to attack, which they did to good effect. A forward pass when it seemed easier to score let Camps off once but only desperate defending and a string of penalties kept the home side at bay. Eventually, however, the referee lost patience and prop Jan-Erik Anderson also saw yellow. Hereford opted for the scrum and the number 8 picked up and powered over for the try.
Trailing 13-3 at the half and with 14 men on the pitch, Camps came under immediate pressure and found it difficult to get out of their 22 in the face of wind. They did hold out for 15 minutes before Hereford scored their next try but the home side followed up almost immediately with a bonus point try under the posts which stretched the lead to 27-3.

Camps still had a decent share of possession and whilst the handling was solid there was little threat to the Hereford line. In contrast, when the home side got their hands on the ball they sliced through some indifferent tackling to score try number 5.

The scenario was repeated with Camps having the pressure as time slipped away but losing the ball right at the end and conceding another long range try.

Next week we entertain Lutterworth at Haslucks Green Road and all support will be welcome as the boys seek to turn things around. Kick off 3.00.