Great Performance by Uxbridge not Quite Enough to Overturn Higher Ranked Opposition!

Uxbridge took to the field on Saturday in their first competitive game of the season. Their league kicks off next week however this Saturday saw them face East London in the first round of the RFU Junior Vase.

It was a bruising encounter for URFC who lined up against East London, a team 1 tier above them in the league pyramid. Uxbridge started by kicking off to the opposition. The home side regained the ball quickly and played a solid 10 minutes with all of the possession in the attacking 22. Unable to make the most of the pressure 2 minutes later Uxbridge found themselves 5 points behind after conceding a well played try in the corner. Unable to convert the conversion Uxbridge still had hope and went straight back up the other end - Ieuan Jones stepped up to convert a penalty in front of the posts however couldn’t take the points to reduce the lead to 2.

Unfortunately this wasn’t the only missed scoring opportunity for Uxbridge, a knock on meters from the line, and 2 more penalties all left Uxbridge with no points on the board. East London got going after this and scored another 2 tries before the break, neither converted. This 1st half onslaught from the traveling team seemed unphased by the loss of 2 men to the Sin Bin at different times in the half.

Uxbridge started the 2nd half at full speed after regaining some confidence and energy at the break. Returning from the East London Kick Off they played a nice move in the centre of the field to put Joe Guy in the corner for his 2nd try of the season. Nick Guy now kicking due to an injury to Jones was unable to convert the points.

Uxbridge looked strong as the ball was kicked back to them however a moment of stupidity from one player, in a reaction to a nasty stamp unseen by the referee, saw a decision reversed and a yellow card to send Uxbridge down to 14 men. East London kicked to the corner with their penalty and scored quickly after that - still no luck with the conversion this made the score 5 - 20. All was not lost for Uxbridge who took the fight straight back to the away team. Some tidy and controlled forward play got Uxbridge in a strong position in the corner of the attacking half resulting with another score for Joe Guy, this time under the posts; Nick Guy converted making the score 12-20.

The contest remained close throughout the rest of the game. At one point Matt Coker found himself clean through on the line only to be caught by an impressive last ditch tackle from the East London 15.

The physicality of the game took its toll on Uxbridge. As the big hits kept coming from the opposition, players started to pick up injuries and the superiority of the higher ranked team start to show.

East London scored 1 more converted try and kicked a penalty before the final whistle to give them what looked like a convincing 12-30 win.

Uxbridge left the field, although battered and bruised, with their heads held high after a well fought battle that leaves them confident for next week's opening League game against Saracens Amateurs.