Dubs 5 - London Fire Brigade 8 (15/12/07)
The last league game of the year saw us at home to old rivals Fire Brigade, a club we have built a long association with over the years and probably the club we relate to the most in terms of our sense of history and a similiar struggle for survival. With Fire Brigade putting together a couple of good results after a slow start and us inconsistent after a good start the teams were likely to be closely matched.
True to form, Fire Brigade kept the ball tight and used their 'experienced' pack to good effect, breaking around the fringes in multiple phases and carrying the ball in numbers. With the referee making his point early on and giving consistent decisions throughout the game, discipline on the floor and around the fringes was going to be key. We provided solid defence early on without conceding much, until midway through the second half a penalty just within range gave LFB a 3-0 lead to edge the half.
With the slope in our favour in the second half, we gained good territory and with the lineout working well, secured good ball but were guilty at times of taking it too far through the forwards, playing into LFB's hands. A break through the midfield from Neil and Ash in the back row saw the backs threaten, with good ball moved through the hands and the chip infield from Penny just skewed out on the full to end the move. Shortly afterwards, good hands out wide again saw the defence stretched and Penny held on to ride the tackle and go over in the corner, conversion missed, 5-3.
Fire Brigade attacked hard again through the pack, and we defended our line with excellent discipline for what seemed like ages, including a couple of 5-yard scrums to eventually clear our lines. Late in the half a break in midfield saw the LFB winger go over in the corner to be awarded the try, despite more than a hint of being forced into touch before touching down, 8-5. With 10 minutes left on the clock and the LFB pack tiring, we pressed hard for the remainder of the game but a couple of knock-ons and lack of composure cost us the winning try, which looked very possible right up to the whistle.
All in all this was an excellent game to play in, with good competitive rugby and superb fair play on both sides - we will of course be looking to reverse the result when we visit Priest Hill in the New Year....
Photos have been added to the Picture Gallery.
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