Old Elthamians 33 Smiths Rugby 19

Glorious. Simply glorious.

As ‘Take me home, Foxbury Road,’ rang out around the home of English rugby on the final whistle, above a sea of outstretched arms and cheering faces, this was a timely reminder of just how far this club has come in the last five years.

Captain Richie Trew lifted the Papa Johns Cup for the second successive season at Twickenham as the Blue & Gold overcame a powerful Smiths Rugby oufit to continue a remarkable winning run which has seen them lose just once in their last 56 league and cup matches.

There’s not much that can raise the eyebrows of the Elthamians faithful any more after the rollercoaster ride of their recent history. Homeless, player-less - and pretty much dead and buried - to successive league and cup doubles and two Twickenham appearance in the space of five years. From the ridiculous to the sublime. Just another uneventful chapter in the club history books.

This pulsating final encapsulated the Elthamians experience beautifully. Thrills, spills, drama, ill-discipline of course (more of that later) and a group of young players that have risen to every challenge placed in front of them.

Smiths were formidable opponents; the match a compelling, frenetic encounter of movement and thunderous defence. Two sides going toe to toe with each other on the hallowed turf from the first whistle.
Ferociously competitive, unrelenting and energy-sapping in the heat, it was also a contest of contrasting styles.

Playing off a rock solid foundation of a large, battle-hardened set of forwards who caused OEs no end of problems in the scrum, Smiths used big ball carriers to go up the middle, attempting to build patiently through the phases.

Elthamians, sparked by the promptings of vice captain Dillon Robertson, who enjoyed a superb afternoon pulling the strings in the middle of the park, and the dancing feet of the livewire Prince Ncube, looked to play with pace and width from the off, spreading the ball quickly at every opportunity to move the big Smiths forwards around the wide open spaces of rugby HQ.

In truth, OEs should have been out of sight by half-time. They squandered three clear-cut try-scoring opportunities in the opening 40 minutes when they were monopolising territory and possession. And every time they threatened to pull away on the scoreboard, they somehow contrived to find themselves a man down and offered the Cheltenham side a lifeline back into the game.

Four yellow cards for the Blue & Gold, two in each half, tells its own story. Only Max Sanger can have any cause to feel hard done by - his first half tackle was adjudged to have been high on a Smiths player who was hit from behind and falling just as the unfortunate OEs flanker made his attempt. In contrast, Perry Parker, the recipient of OEs’ second yellow, could consider himself lucky not to be shown a red after his clumsy head high challenge late in the first period.

Discipline, or lack of it, has been a recurring issue for Gavin Lach’s men this season. Indeed, from the Round of 16 victory over Thanet Wanderers onwards, Elthamians have played 37 per cent of this cup campaign with only 14 men on the park - an astonishing statistic. Talk about making life difficult for yourself.

However, their aggressive blitz defence has also been a key to their success this term, and they used it to great effect from the first whistle, swarming all over Smiths in the opening exchanges.

They needed an early score to settle any nerves and it came from a familiar source. If the regular season had been relatively quiet by his own high standards, then No.8 Reis Norman used this cup campaign to remind everyone just what a force of nature he is at the base of the OEs scrum. By rights, it should have been nigh on impossible to top his astonishing man-of-the-match performance in the semi-final victory at Saltash. Yet the Bath University dynamo saved his best for last on the grandest stage of all.
Every time his side were in need of inspiration or for someone to get them out of a tight spot, stormin’ Norman stepped up to the plate. Time and again, his priceless ability to grind out the hard yards, legs driving like pistons into the mass of blue and white hooped shirts, put Elthamians on the front foot when they most needed it. He scored one try, was involved in two more of OEs’ five scores, and was at the heart of their best work all over the park.

It was no surprise when he gave OEs the lead after only nine minutes, barging his way through two tackles from the base of a five metre scrum to crash over the try-line.

Then came Sanger’s yellow card and suddenly Smiths sprung to life. With their first foray into Elthamians territory on 20 minutes, slick hands out wide allowed the impressive Jack Davies to go over in the corner.

It was only a brief respite as OEs came storming back. Ncube twice created excellent chances to score, the first unselfishly passing when he should have gone for the line himself, the second, knocking the ball on as he was brought down inches short of the try line. Sam Tilley was then held up over the whitewash before the Blue & Gold finally took a 14-7 lead at the interval. Luca Petrozzi took a quick tap penalty in the Smiths 22, the ball was moved quickly down the line to the other flank where 18-year-old Matthew Chick, the youngest player on the park, was on hand to touch down from close range.

A seven point-lead was a small return from a dominant first half display and the next score was crucial for both teams. It came from Elthamians as they made a dream start to the second period within two minutes of the restart.

A bullocking break up the middle from Norman split the Smiths defence and was followed by a jinking run from Ncube to within a couple of metres of the Smiths line. OEs were awarded a penalty and the ever alert Petrozzi was the first to react, taking a quick tap before stretching an arm over the try-line.

Joe Leigh’s conversion gave OEs a 14-point lead. But if they thought they had one hand already on the championship trophy, Smiths had other ideas. The warning signs about the power of their scrum had been apparent in the first period but now they really turned the screw up front and proceeded to enjoy their best period of the match.

They reduced the Elthamians eight to rubble at the next scrum, winning a penalty which they kicked to the corner. From the resulting lineout and maul, the burly Mitchell Renton bulldozed his way over from close range.

With the lead now cut to seven points and momentum threatening to swing the way of a Smiths pack with their tails up, OEs desperately needed some ballast up front.

Enter the oldest man on the park. The introduction of 49-year-old Haydn Wilds, playing his final first team match before retirement, on 50 minutes proved to be a pivotal moment in a game that was delicately poised.
In the previous year’s final against Wigan, Wild’s arrival on to the field at almost the same point had a transformative effect on the Elthamian scrum when it was most needed. And here again, his broad shoulders effectively neutered Smiths’ chief attacking weapon. For the remainder of the match, the OEs scrum creaked and groaned but crucially did not capitulate, and Elthamians did not look back.

Lock Sam Ryan, whose astonishing tackle count and bruising performance in defence, vied with Norman for the man of the match award, fumbled with the try-line in sight before OEs added a fourth try on 56 minutes. Norman inevitably was involved, almost disdainfully lifting his opposite number on his shoulders from a driven scrum five metres from the Smiths line and ripping the ball away allowing the OEs backs to swiftly move the ball wide for Cam Hancock to cross out wide.

A feature of Elthamian performances this season has been the impact their bench has made in the second half of matches. And here again Wilds, Luke Kemp, Luke Cooper, Ben Adamson and Will Davies all added fresh impetus as the game began to fall to pieces just a little through sheer exhaustion.
Davies, especially, proved to be a real handful around the base of ruck and maul, and it was the Loughborough scrum-half who put the result beyond doubt on 70 minutes. Spotting a chink of daylight at a ruck midway in the Smiths half caused by Wilds’ robust clear-cut, he burst through a tackle before stepping two defenders and accelerating over the line. In doing so, he became the first Elthamian in the club’s long history to score in two successive Twickenham finals!

There was still time for late drama as the Blue & Gold were reduced to 13 men for the remainder of the contest. First, Hancock received a yellow card for an attempted interception which was judged to have been a deliberate knock on by the referee. Again, Smiths took full advantage of the extra man when John Bryant was driven over from a five metre lineout.

And it was squeaky bum time in the dying moments when Cam Haimes produced a wonderful try-saving tackle to barge Jack Davies into touch as the winger dived for the line. But again the referee had no hesitation in producing the yellow card, adjudging Haimes had made a no-arms tackle.

Anxious moments at the death then. But Elthamians' history-makers were not to be denied.
A remarkable journey continues.

SCORERS:
Tries: Norman, Chick, Petrozzi, Hancock, Davies
Cons: Leigh x 4

Half-time: 14-7

Old Elthamians: Trew, Sweet, Reed, Ryan, Parker, Chick, Sanger, Norman, Petrozzi, Leigh, Scott, Robertson, Tilley, Hancock, Ncube. Subs: Kemp, Wilds, Davies, Adamson, Cooper, Coppard, Haimes

MOM: Reis Norman

YC: Max Sanger, Perry Parker, Cam Hancock, Cam Haimes