OEs hit top spot

New Ash Green 36 Old Elthamians 55

A fourth successive league win for this fledgling Elthamians side but a less than convincing performance provided a timely wake-up call ahead of the tough games to come.

It might seem overly harsh to criticise a nine-try win away from home. But the lack of celebration on the final whistle tells its own story as OEs were given a major fright in the closing stages by the battling home side.

After 60 minutes of this fractious, mistake-ridden and topsy-turvy encounter, Elthamians were leading 55-10 - and deservedly so - and seemed to be heading for their biggest win of the season, despite a real mixed bag of a performance.

Instead, New Ash Green produced such a ferocious and sustained fightback in the final 20 minutes, scoring four tries in the process, that by the end it was the visitors who were left hanging on like grim death for the final whistle.

As a member of the Elthamians coaching staff put it in the immediate aftermath, it's not often you feel disappointed by a nine-try victory. That might be harsh on an inexperienced OEs side who had just won the game by 19 points. And you could also argue that leading by 45 points on the hour and forced into a reshuffle because of injuries, they had understandably taken their foot off the gas.

But that would be a major disservice to a New Ash Green side who knuckled down and kept their heads in the second half as an increasingly ragged OEs side began to lose theirs, and showed greater tactical acumen and structure in the final stages.

Indeed, the manner in which Elthamians capitulated late on will be a cause for concern for the coaching staff, specifically the lack of discipline. They conceded needless penalties for backchat to the referee and crass infringements, and allowed themselves to be distracted by individual physical confrontations with the more savvy and experienced New Ash Green pack.

Yet when OEs concentrated on the rugby and put multiple phases together, they looked slick and threatening, particularly either side of half time, and had far too much pace and power out wide for the home side.

It was New Ash Green who started much the brighter of the two sides. Abrasive and physically dominant in the early forward exchanges, they enjoyed the lion’s share of territory and possession early on and were rewarded with the opening try after only seven minutes. Their pack won a scrum against the head five metres from the OEs line and drove over from close range.

To their credit, Elthamians hit back immediately with their first foray into home territory. From the restart, a big hit from No.8 Tom Elliott, knocked the ball loose, Drey McLaren drove into NAGs 22 before feeding winger Josh Chanthrakumaran for a score in the corner.

The try settled OEs' nerves and they began to find their rhythm with the ball in hand, adding two scores in quick succession. McLaren finished off some good interplay from forwards and backs and a typically strong run from Arjun Dasgupta to cross the line on 18 minutes. Then NAGs made a hash of dealing with Miles Quick’s harmless-looking kick as it bounced over the try line which allowed captain Sam Ryan to dive on the loose ball.

The try sparked the first of several flare-ups involving the two packs, as punches were thrown, handbags swung and the end result, bizarrely, was a yellow card but only for OEs full-back Cam Haines.

However, the sense of injustice seemed to galvanise the visitors and for the remainder of the half, they took a firm stranglehold on proceedings.

Lofty White was driven over from close range for his first try of the season on the half hour, scrum-half Max Drysdale added a fifth try after great work by Chanthrakumaran on the left touchline and when winger Sam Scott finished off a sweeping backs move a minute before the interval, Elthamians were 34-5 ahead and in complete control.

NAGs grabbed a lifeline four minutes after the restart with a well worked try in the corner, but it was to be only a brief respite as they lost their No.8 to the sin bin, and Elthamians came storming back with a three-try burst in just five minutes.

Luke Cooper danced under the posts after combining superbly with Quick, Haines sped away down the left touchline to finish off a move started by McLaren in his own 22 and then Dasgupta raced under the posts from inside his own half after another lovely break from Cooper.

Leading 55-10 after 56 minutes and their backs now enjoying the freedom of the park, Elthamians seemed to be heading for their biggest win of the season. Except New Ash Green had other ideas.

Instead of capitulating like Footscray had done the previous week, the home side rolled up their collective sleeves, kept their structure and discipline and began to pressurise the visitors into a succession of errors and penalties.

It sparked a remarkable transformation. As NAGS began to secure the majority of possession and territory, so the inexperienced visitors, not helped by the loss of Callum Lach and Chanthrakumaran through injury and forced into a major reshuffle, became increasingly ragged and ill-disciplined, to such an extent that in the final quarter you could have been forgiven for thinking it was the home side leading by 45 points.

NAGs scored again in the left corner after turning over OEs’ possession on the hour and when the visitors had a decision reversed for needless backchat to the referee five minutes later, the home side were quick to take advantage by crossing the try-line for their fourth try of the afternoon.

Had it not been for three wonderful try-saving tackles by Scott on the right wing, Elthamians could have found themselves in serious trouble.
Neverthless, into the final 10 minutes and behind 55-24, NAGs could clearly sense that Elthamians were on the ropes and hanging on for the final whistle. They went over for two more tries in the closing minutes and were clearly dismayed when the referee called a halt to proceedings, much to the relief of the visitors.

OEs SCORERS
Tries: Chanthrakumaran, McLaren, Ryan, White, Drysdale, Scott, Cooper, Haines, Dasgupta.
Cons: Deveny (3), Quick (2)

OEs: Oh, Sweet, White, O’Connell, Ryan (capt), McLaren, Lach, Elliott, Drysdale, Quick, Chanthrakumaran, Dasgupta, Cooper, Scott, Haines. Subs: Trew, Deveny, Coppard