Hammers 3rd XV set the artificial grass alight at Chiswick
A slightly disappointed Hammers 3s took the short trip down the road to Chiswick, instead of heading into town to play at the nicest pitch in London, and funnelled that disappointment into a dominant display of running rugby. Some of the boys had clearly struggled to get out of bed for the pre 6 Nations 12pm KO but once they saw the all-weather pitch being baked in sun they perked up knowing this was a great chance to get back on the win train.
The game started perfectly with debutant Harry Bower clinching the opening kick-off over the heads of the opposition allowing MOTM Will Brentnall to crash through a few shellshocked HAC defenders, Sandy Duncan to pull the defence from one side of the pitch to another before Will finished the move off tumbling over the try line whilst apparently being hit by a sniper at the paintball ground next door.
Hammers built on this momentum and continued to push the opposition hard with winger George Nellany and number 8 Rory Gibson finishing excellent phase play with tries of their own. With the forwards getting bored of (ie tired from) all the open play towards the end of the first half, Captain Matthew Jones called for a kick to the corner and a maul of the subsequent lineout before rumbling over himself to give Hammers a 22-0 lead at half time.
With the wind behind us and the sun in the oppositions eyes the boys were very confident going into the second half however HAC weren’t giving up without a fight and seized on a mistake and some sloppy defending to score their opening try. This gave the boys the kick they needed and George Nellany scorched his way through their defence from his own half to score his second try of the day. HAC dug deep and kept playing putting the Hammers’ defence to the test but it held true with fullback Ed James and scrum half Daniel Gispert making great cover tackles on numerous occasions.
The game became very loose in the final quarter with the pace of the play catching up with those less used to the 4G surface but barring a scare from DotD George Nellany, when he offloaded the ball before going into touch to HAC’s best player, Hammers controlled the game and field position with Ed James scoring to take the final score to 36-7. A good team performance from the boys with three great debuts from Harry Bower, Chris Hudson and Tom Hodges putting us all in a great mood for an afternoon of 6 Nations rugby and the run in for the rest of the season.
The win puts Hammers 3s back into 2nd place in the table before our final three games which start with hosting Ealing 1871 2nd XV this weekend before must win games against Hampstead and Old Streetonians to ensure a place in the end of season finals.
Overall a good game played in great spirit and with respect by both teams which is even more important after the tragic news of Jack Jeffery from Evesham, a club who I have played against a number of times and where I have a few friends, from the weekend. The whole of Hammersmith and Fulham RFC extend their condolences to Jack’s family and Evesham RFC at this difficult time and share your grief with the rest of the rugby community.
Final Score 36-7
Tries – George Nellany (x2), Ed James, Matthew Jones, Rory Gibson, Will Brentnall
Conversions – Ed James (3/6)
Man of the Match – Will Brentnall
DotD – George Nellany for keeping the ball in play by passing it to their best player
