Second XV 2011-2012
Herts/Middlesex Merit Table 3
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Helio Vicente
2nd XV Captain
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Match Reports
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14th April 2012
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Hendon 2nd XV
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17
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B. Stortford 4th
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21
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Photos from the Super 2s last game of the season which was the semi final of the Merit Table Plate competition.
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14th January 2012
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The Mount
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48
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Hendon 2nd XV
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21
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After the close well fought loss against Cuffley still fresh in the minds of the Hendon players, the look of determination was evident on every Dons face despite the early meet at The Bodhran for this crucial double header against The Mount. With a strong team of18 players it was a refreshing change for the Super 2’s and a real sign of improvement for the remaining season. It was nearly 17 as Mad Dog Darren (who lives closer than anyone to The Mount) drove past the entrance 3 times and had a personal escort to the changing rooms for being late.
On the pitch Hendon 2s had a great warm up where all the problems with the lineouts from last week were ironed out and the two jumpers of Mad Dog and Soppy gave Hendon more options and ideas. With Alex’s kick off deep into The Mounts half the strength of tackling by Hendon was clear from the start which the opposition were not comfortable with. Unfortunately within the first five minutes The Mount had managed to break the lines of Hendon and ran over a try into the corner. The loss then of Nick (Hendon’s resident electrician) on the wing early on due to a head injury was a massive blow but the replacements were strong enough to cover such a great loss. Hendon then struck the next blow with a penalty in front of the uprights to get the Hendon scoreboard ticking over. Alex then struck again with fine kicking for another 3 points. With the pressure on Hendon the clearing of their lines was very impressive, with Alex kicking to touch in fine form and strong running from Cubby and Pat Kerrigan. The pressure eventually paid off for the Mount and they ran in a try just before the half time whistle.
With the second half under way the big tackles were going in hard and Hendon had The Mount on the back-foot who were now running backwards and making errors with their passing. But again as is the case The Mount spread the ball across the field and broke the ‘green wall’ of Hendon and scored into the corner. As is Hendon II’s spirit though The Mount were put under pressure in their half and Hendon consistently kept them on their line with the forwards of Fuzzy, Cubby and Helio constantly being held up and The Mount giving away penalties. Finally after one too many penalties the Ref gave a converted penalty try under the posts. After kick off again Hendon were back on The Mounts 5 metre line and as the ball was released out wide Mad Dog Darren ran the ball over the line into the corner for a great well worked try and Darren’s first for 7 years! With 15 minutes left Hendon conceded 2 tries in quick succession.
At the ref’s final whistle the game ended The Mount 48 Hendon II 21. Though it was a loss it was 6 points Hendon needed greatly with a lot of positives to take from the game. Next week against Welwyn they will be hoping for the same effort and spirit to produce a big win. Man of the Match for the day for his outstanding mauling, tackling and running with ball in hand had to go to Cubby, a well deserved accolade.
Match Report: Rob Steel
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7th January 2012
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Hendon 2nd XV
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5
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Cuffley
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7
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On the windy dales of Barnet Copthall Hendon 2s took to the field full of New Year hope, and for some bellies full of mince pies and turkey. Opting to start downhill Hendon was under pressure from the off and dealt with it with ease. With the rousing team talk from Helio still ringing in the ears Hendon slowly as is common started to take control of the game and the backs showed rugby skills worthy of the Pro’s. Unfortunately with Stevie Wonder playing hooker and consistently out of fresh ideas at the line out Cuffley took advantage and managed to break the Hendon line to under the posts for a converted try. The cries of support from the Hendon faithful on the sidelines re-ignited the Hendon fire and pressure was now on the Cuffley back line as Tommy and Kevin Brown kept smashing the Cuffley defence. The front row worked hard to keep the ball and secure it for the fired up Kola to work his smooth polished passing. The constant pressure resulted in a penalty to Hendon which unfortunately was just marginally missed by Iain Brown. As ever the first half wouldn’t be complete without a cameo from Mad Dog Darren showing the Cuffley Prop who has the scariest eyes which harshly resulted in a 10 minute rest for both players (handbags).The score going into half time reading 0-7.
After words of inspiration from Helio and JP at the break the 15 men of Hendon going into the second half were rejuvenated and full of confidence. Instantly after the restart this confidence was reflected in the awe inspiring rugby being played by the green and white hoops and even Stevie Wonder was managing to hit the front man in the line outs. A tired looking Cuffley started getting injuries and Hendon’s strength and poise paid off with twinkle toes Helio finding a hole in the Cuffley back line to dance across the line for the try. With only two points in it and the festive frivolities now taking effect on a few lads the Hendon players sucked it up and went on the search for that next score. At times the rugby being produced by Hendon was pure magic and not the Paul Daniels kind (this stuff actually worked). The ball was moved slickly across the backs reaching the new Romanian signings who ran the Cuffley back line ragged! With the pressure now purely in the Cuffley 22 the ball was passed out wide for Nick (the resident Hendon electrician) to clearly put the ball over the line. Twice! Unfortunately the referee failed to spot this and both tries were disallowed with a 5 metre scrum being the decision.
With all the pressure put on the opposition they were able to clear their lines with help from the wind and Hendon were unable to run in those all important last points needed. The referee called time and the look of dejection was evident on all Hendon players alike. Full time score 5-7 to Cuffley.
Match Report: Rob Steel
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