Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold

For King's it would appear that local rivals Old Emanuel are becoming something of a bogey team. Recent meetings between the sides have been somewhat perverse with King's ahead 115-58 on the scoreboard, but 2-3 behind in wins. If you take out a reluctant walkover gifted to OE last season and a 57-0 hammering King's dished out back in October, then the aggregate score of 58-58 is arguably a more accurate reflection of where the respective teams rank against one another. Although King's sat fourth and their opponents seventh in the league coming into the fixture, OE had given joint leaders LIA plenty to think about in their last outing it would have been a brave gambler to wager on the outcome of the sides' latest encounter.

On a chill Winter day and under greying skies it was a much altered King's who received the kick with their backs to the clubhouse and it soon began obvious that OE were not content to simply make up the numbers. The visitors had come with plan and whilst not sophisticated there was no disputing its effectiveness – the loosehead and No.8 were to take it turns to crash the ball up and give space for their elusive 10-12 axis to turn some tricks. It was from one such formulaic attack, facilitated in no small part by King's self-imposed tackling amnesty, that OE's left winger was afforded the space to finish well out wide. The conversion was missed; 0-5. Soon after OE, somewhat fortuitously, found themselves with an attacking lineout in the same corner, however what followed was anything but lucky as they crossed again, this time adding the extras; 0-12.

Well on top in the scrum and more than a match for the OE lineout, King's did have some straws to clutch at, and it was from a lineout that King's finally registered their intent to contest the game - a well executed catch and drive seeing Seb O'Hara stretch to the line. King's hearts were momentarily in their mouths as the unsighted referee initially signalled a 5m scrum instead. Credit to OEs, they sportingly informed the man in middle that a try should be awarded, although it could not be improved; 5-12.

Sensing danger OE called for reinforcements from the bench in the form of their planetary prop to shore up the front row. They need not have bothered as direct from the restart the ball was kicked straight down an OE throat and a few phases later they duly sauntered in for a third try, this one converted from in front of the sticks; 5-19. Back came King's and they did at least have the last say in the half as livewire scrumhalf Ben Fabbro sniped over from a quickly taken tap-penalty, and the extra 2pts brought King's to within a score at the break; 12-19.

With the wind, such as there was, behind them the home team began the second period strongly and a try from Angus Sanders plus a Mike Hill penalty saw them take the lead for the first time; 20-19. Whilst King's probed for a further score, and with the OE scrum back in full retreat mode following their super-sub's retirement from proceedings, King's were frustrated to fall behind again as OE's struck with a penalty of their own; 20-22. Things then began to turn a little fractious with tempers fraying as OE had to absorb wave after wave of pressure and not before time their hooker found himself in the bin after his umpteenth cynical attempt to slow attacking ball. Regrettably for King's the penalty kick that followed soon after was missed and buoyed by their reprieve OE alternately barged and jinked their way through a back-peddling defence all the way to the King's in-goal area for a converted try of their own; 20-29.

It was now or never time for the hosts and King's were in desperate need a score. Man of the moment Ben Fabbro didn't disappoint and a carbon-copy of his first half try followed soon after; 27-29. With OE restored to their full complement, and despite the enduring travails in the scrum (how OE conceded just one penalty in 80mins will surely rank with the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot in the world's greatest mysteries), they were not to be bettered in the closing stages and their cheers at the whistle were a reflection of just how elated they were to finish on top.

Whilst King's will look back at the match and rue what might have been, take nothing away from OE who played to their strengths and took their chances with a ruthlessness which was conspicuous by its absence from King's own performance. Whilst it would be easy to point to the kick missed late in the second half this would not be fair as the result was as much a reflection of the multiple personnel and positional changes before and during the game which gave rise to, set-pieces aside, a disjointed outing from the Old Boys.

On the bright side there were encouraging individual performances from, amongst others, Ben Fabbro, Bryn Rees and the returning James Montagu; and with two home games before the end of the month King's remain well placed to give the league leaders something to think about going into March.