Thirsty 3s winning ways continue!
On a cold November day, the mighty Hammers 3s looked to claim yet another victim. Up stepped Pinner & Grammarians, hoping to be a worthy opponent for this unstoppable force. The Hammers boys rocked up ready to go, baying for more blood, tries, and beers.
The game kicked off and within minutes the Hammers had a turnover. After some slick hands, James McKendry was over for his first of the afternoon. This set the tone for the entire first half: bullying Pinner in defence and ruthless in attack. With a mix of sensual structure and flair the Fijians would be proud of, the tries rolled in – courtesy of Cam Roberts, Kieran Smith, Fergus Cassidy, Mike Willis, and a further two for man-of-the-match McKendry.
A dry first half allowed the boys to play some serious joué. The lads were loving it, the ref was loving it… Pinner, however, were not and were about to make it known. In the dying moments of the half, flair got the better of the 3s. A dropped ball led to a turnover, and a later silly penalty gave the Pinner 9 the opportunity he’d been waiting for: a quick tap-and-go to fly under the sticks. They were on the board and hungry for more.
Half-time brought a much-needed reset. After a speech from Rob McKeon (something about his holiday or his injury – no one’s quite sure), the boys were ready to get stuck in again. But to the joy of the forwards, and the misery of the backs, the heavens opened. A true late-November rugby game was underway: cold, wet, and windy, no place for a 10 wanting to chuck the pill about.
A sluggish start allowed Pinner back into the game (well, we let in one try and were still about 40 points up). Some choice words from vice-captain and man-mountain Joe Hennigan provided the needed spark. On we go.
Despite the rain, the boys still tried to play. Structure was the aim: keep it simple and slice through. With the ball slick, no risks were taken and inspiration taking from Sean Dyche with some classic Brexit football: hoof it up the pitch and pin them in. That is, unless your 10 decides to mis-kick it and slam it straight into Oscar Newcombe’s belly. Cheers mate, didn’t fancy chasing it anyway.
As the weather worsened, the game slowed. The first-half festival of throwing it around felt a distant memory. Crash-ball carries and sending The Naan into battle became the order of the half.
Another win for the 3s both on the pitch and in the sheds, cementing their place as the in-form team in the league. Will anyone stop them? Will James stop scoring? Will Kieran ever let the ball into the back line off a scrum? Who knows. All we do know is that the 3s are marching, and those who face them best be scared.
Final score: 51-21
