27 - 5
Tucked away in one of the less nice parts of the capital, Old Tiffs 1st XV travelled to Streatham and Croydon – one of the oldest clubs in the world. With half the team turning up minutes before the kick off, preparation for this 2nd v 3rd in the table clash was not the best. Watched by the ever loyal support of Pete Smith and Georgie Dryden, Matt got the game underway with a high kick which was won by Jamie Heath. A strong and aggressive start led to a quick try from world record points scorer James Fentiman, which was expertly converted from the touchline by Kierle. Minutes later, a great line by Michael Osborne sucked in Streatham’s notable centre and after being spun wide Fentiman was over again for his second. From there however, S & C played to their strengths and kept the ball in the tight and away from their poor backs. Frequent penalties given away by Tiffs led to a driving maul from a 5 metre lineout which could not be stopped. Half time saw the scores at 5 – 12 and far from comfortable for Tiffs.
The second half started poorly for Tiffs even after some strong words at the break from Bungle. Tiffs spent the beginning of the second half camped firmly in their own half as set piece and handling mistakes cost them. Thankfully the defence was strong once again and a break away try from Fenti after S & C dropped the ball in the centres, led to a further try. A penalty from Kierle followed after an ambitious attempt from Tiffs own half just missed. A further try again from that man Fentiman (4 tries on the day of the first big social was in his own words ‘not ideal’) saw the game effectively over yet Tiffs spent the last 8 minutes defending their try line as S & C ran penalty after penalty at the purple and whites. Two sinbinnings-one each for Kierle and Captain Turner saw Tiffs defending the line with 13 men, but as England did against the All Blacks in 2003, Tiffs stood strong and maintained their status as the best defensive team in the league-something that is sure to be tested in the top of the table clash in two weeks time at fortress Grists. Tiffs must try to play their attractive style of rugby and be more disciplined-6 team members late is unacceptable as was the penalty count during the game. However a great result again and the whispers around the camp now are that anything less than promotion would be a disappointment. Indeed there were even drunken ramblings on Saturday night of 11 straight promotions seeing Tiffs playing Premiership rugby! I’ll drink to that.
Stripper Andy
RFU.com 
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