The replay game.

The result of this game,that is a replay of the previous one, was as much down to wanting to win as having more skill for we have players with skills as good as any in the league when we put it together.
Kingsbridge are chasing promotion and were obviously keen to get their revenge on us after morally and just about to physically lose the last game.
To recap for those who missed it, the previous game was closing in on the final whistle with nine minutes to go, we were 19~13 up with Kingsbridge having lost their game plan and cool and with a player in the sin bin.
With Luke Stannard making a possible try scoring run at the line the referee pulled up with a calf injury was unable to carry on and blew his whistle, as a result the game was called off.
For a short while we thought that the result would stand as there was so little time to go.
Kingsbridge, quite rightly, appealed and after a long think it was decided that the game should be replayed.
Presumably they decided as they did because with the score as close as it was there was a possibility that in those nine minutes they might have scored and won. Many people watching the game were not so sure.
Still it was nice to have the moral win and as good as a physical one.

While all the games around were being called off because of the weather we kicked off on the 3G at Keyham with a stiff breeze blowing down the pitch from behind us and the players already soaking wet from the warm up though perhaps warm up is the wrong phrase to use here.
We kicked off and for the first five minutes we kept Kingsbridge pinned down in their own twenty two, it was not till the tenth minute that they even got close to the half way line when their backs made a run out of their twenty two only for the final pass to the winger being knocked on as he reached the half way line. An early penalty just inside their twenty two was awarded to us and we chose to go for a five meter line out that in the end came to nothing. Some of the spectators thought that with the wind directly behind us a kick at goal and an almost certain three points might have been a better option.
Shortly afterwards we won a line out five meters out from their line, made a mess of it but Kingsbridge infringed and we sent the ball across the field, after a couple of attacks we got within inches of their line and scoring but were just stopped short.
We won another line out but they defended it well and pushed us back.
It was twelve minutes before they actually got into our half and that with a long kick. We got a penalty from it and Matt Anstis kicked us back to their twenty two.
With the Kingsbridge scrum slightly stronger and occasionally much stronger they got in close to our line when the pack rumbled along from a scrum. They won a penalty and a quick tap and their number 7 went over on twenty minutes.
The conversion was missed and the score stood at 0~5.
At some point around this time the floodlights went off by themselves probably due to the wet. Fortunately though the weather was so poor and overcast it was quite bright and the game rolled on without noticing their failure.
On thirty one they scored again, they had won a five meter scrum, we held them so they send the ball out to the number 14 who crossed to score, the conversion hit the upright and bounced over, 0~12. So that was how it stood at the break.

For the most part we held them back in their half as much as we did with some good kicking by Matt Anstis with the help of a stiff south westerly. They had problems making touch a number of times with the ball looking as if it had safely made touch only for the wind to curl it back into play as the ball reached its peak of flight.
Twelve minutes in to the second half Kingsbridge scored their third try at the hands of their number 1 after a five meter scrum had got to our line and stopped.
The conversion went over and a 0~19 score line was posted.
On twenty five minutes we had a good spell of fast well supported play pushing them back and getting close to their line with drive after drive. Kingsbridge infringed a number of times that resulted in the Number 1 getting a yellow card followed not long afterwards to the side lines by their number 12.
Our scrums improved slightly and for the most part are holding them and occasionally pushing and twisting them.
We continued to attack their line which they defended well but at one point Matt Gregory looked to have crossed and scored, see the only photo I took and that on a phone.
At that point their three quarters were bunched in and had we sent out a quick wide ball we probably would have scored, as it was we carried on doing the same till eventually they won the ball and pushed us out to the half way line.
With ten minutes to go 0~19 looked like a final score as we were defending well enough. Unfortunately for us they scored the simplest of tries in doing what we should have done, sending the ball quickly out to the winger. 0~24.
Well in to a mysteriously long period of extra time they scored their last try in the top corner to make the final score 0~29.
A shame that we let them score twice at the end. To be fair I think they were always likely to win but I think that with a shade more team effort we might have held them to a non bonus point score line.