The 2s continue their winning run!

One of London’s fiercest rivalries took place this past Saturday as the Bastard 2s faced Belsize Park. Once a few reluctant youths were cleared from the pitch, the stage was set for a great match under the October sun.

The game got off to an interesting start, with Belsize coming out strong. Dominating much of the possession in the first half, they began to rack up points against the Bastards. The boys put their bodies on the line, with some huge hits from the likes of Kioko and Yarwood. The Bastards managed to force several penalties in the opposition half and opted to go for the sticks. However, despite Weaver’s best efforts, nothing quite came of it

Towards the end of the first half, the Bastards started to gain more possession, with strong carries from Dan N and Nursey looking promising. After some great phase play, Max D managed to get one down in the corner just before halftime, leaving the score at 19–5 to Belsize.

A rousing team talk from Nugget, calling for more grit across the field, set the tone for the second half.

Belsize received the kickoff and began building through their phases, but the Bastards’ defensive line held firm. Big shots began to rain in just as Nugget had insisted. Before long, the wise Ben H demonstrated he still had it by reading the attack play and running a 50 meter intercept.

This really gave the boys a sense of confidence and we continued to build. Passes that wouldn’t stick in the first half started to land, tackles weren’t slipping, and the lineouts began to click.

More excellent phase play followed, and Max D was once again in the corner for his second try of the match.

A short while after the restart, we forced a knock on in the opposition’s 22, leading to a scrum. Rumour has it Mitch called that he’d charge down their kick. Sure enough, by the time I’d untangled myself from the front row, the ball was rolling over their try line after a successful charge down from Mitch, with Kris there to dot it down.

Belsize came back at us hard, but the boys defended brilliantly, winning a turnover on our own five metre line. Huge hits from Dylan had Nugget visibly emotional with pride by this point (pretty sure I saw a tear).

From there, we kicked upfield, won the lineout, and set a powerful maul before Welsh Tom hit a hard line, broke a few tackles, and went over under the sticks.

To keep the three fans on the sideline entertained, we allowed Belsize one more try before the end. But it wasn’t enough… After an almighty comeback, the Bastards sealed a 36–26 victory.

A great first outing for me with the Bastards, and I’m looking forward to many more.