Tough day at the office for Hammers 2s against a strong CS Stags Team
Hammers entered the match hoping to build on their hard-fought victory against Battersea Ironsides from the previous week. However, they faced a strong Stags side that included three first XV players dropped to the 2s for “rest” and a deep bench with seven substitutes as well as this a total of 12 personnel changes for the mighty Hammers 2s.
Hammers started the first half positively, conceding only two tries despite immense pressure from the well-drilled Stags, who had a powerful pack and a strong set piece. After 15 minutes of back-and-forth play near the halfway line, the Stags’ dominant scrum set up their backs. A missed tackle by Oscar Norman allowed them to break down the right wing and score under the posts.
Hammers did well to keep Stags at bay for the next 15 minutes, forcing several handling errors. After a box kick from Sam Seymour, a no-arms tackle gave Stags a penalty, which they kicked to the 10-meter line. They then drove a maul to the Hammers’ 22, where the maul was illegally entered from the side, resulting in a yellow card for Oscar Norman. Stags failed to score from the ensuing lineout, but a knock-on at the 5-meter line led to a scrum that saw them push the ball over for another try.
For the next 10 minutes, the Hammers played in the Stags’ half, benefiting from sloppy penalties and poor box kicking by the opposition. Just before halftime, the yellow-carded Norman returned to the field and made up for his earlier miss by kicking a penalty from the 10-meter line, reducing the deficit to 11 points.
Half-time score: CS Stags 14 – 3 Hammersmith and Fulham.
Not too much to report from the second half. The second half started poorly for the Hammers, with a knock-on from kickoff leading to another dominant Stags scrum and a try. Heads dropped, and as Stags continued to score, the Hammers became increasingly deflated, while the Stags players seemed to grow increasingly angry.
Final score: CS Stags 46 – 3 Hammersmith and Fulham.
The Hammers 2s will aim to bounce back next week, building on their first-half performance, as they take on Horsham 2s in a double-header at Hurlingham Park.