Moderns made the short journey into Leicestershire to take on bottom of the table Ashby looking to build on their emphatic performance against Belgrave last week. Those that didn’t have sat nav arrived bang on time whilst those that thought they were smart had a scenic tour of rural Leicestershire finally arriving at some randoms house not realising that the post code they had downloaded was the postal address for the clubs secretary and not the club house...durr!!
On a warm, sunny day with a gentle breeze blowing across the pitch both teams started well with the early possession charts equal with Mods having the better of the territory. It was clear from the outset that there were going to be two distinctly different styles of play with the huge home pack up against the relatively tiny visiting forwards. With the superior mobility Mods took the first opportunity to attack and made big inroads down the blindside with prop Parker making good ground. From the resulting play the visitors were awarded a penalty which Hughes just missed but it wasn’t long until the red and whites registered their first points. Quick ball was once again key to Mods going forward and a probing cross kick from fly half Carroll was too much for the home defence and centre Jackson gathered smartly to score unchallenged under the posts. Hughes converted.
Fearing the visitors pace Ashby kept hold of the ball for a few phases and their extra weight in the scrums soon paid dividends for them as they exerted pressure on the visiting forwards and equalled the scores when a couple of loose tackles saw the home fly half cross the line.
The score certainly woke up the red and whites and they retook the lead when the lively Petchey intercepted a loose pass and raced in from 80 yards leaving a trail of defenders in his wake. Hughes converted making it 14-7. It soon became 14-10 when Mods again pressed the self destruction button and rather than playing careful rugby they began to throw loose passes around and commit too many penalties at the break down. The indiscipline soon got the referee involved and Mods were reduced to 14 men for ten minutes when fly half Carroll was harshly adjudged to have come off his feet at the breakdown.
For the second week running Mods used the ten minutes constructively and to their credit they played the better rugby and controlled the game scoring two tries and opening up a healthy lead. The first was taken smartly by openside Alexander who supported well to get on the end of two smart offloads from props Parker and Burkey. Hughes converted and then shortly after managed to cross the white wash himself when a counter attack from fullback Gaunt saw the ball spun wide to be finished smartly in the corner. The conversion was missed taking Mods into half time at 26-10 but with the bonus point secure.
On too many occasions Mods were guilty of trying to do too much when the simple basics were too much for the home sides defence. They were reminded of this at half time and with Monaghan coming into the pack to add some weight to the scrum Mods were confident that the second half would be more productive.
I don’t think anybody expected the level of productiveness that the visitors produced in a scintillating 15 minute spell that saw a return of 34 points and a style of rugby that was outstanding from everyone in a red and white shirt. The ball was moved with pace and purpose and across the back line all options caused havoc to the home sides defence. Hughes stared the ball rolling with a penalty and Petchey doubled his tally finishing a smart move which saw the ball go through several pairs of hands. Hughes converted. Winger Woodward was soon involved when a break from centre Jackson down the left flank saw the ball moved from one wing to the other in 3 passes for him to score in the corner. Hughes converted smartly from the touchline and extended the score further with another penalty.
His personal points tally was increased further when he supported another Petchey break to take a smart offload and score under the posts making his own conversion a formality. Woodward was back in the act again and once again Mods played from deep in their own half finally crossing the line after an 80 yard build up with the ball once again being moved with ease. Hughes converted again and realisation of what we had just witnessed sunk home to the following support when we realised how effective the visitors had been in their destructive spell.
With the lead now at 60-10 and the game clearly won the game fell into a long period of nothingness and handling errors as to their credit Ashby looked to force their way back into the game. Changes in the visiting team saw Petchey and Parker replaced by Slack and Finlinson and Ashby finally managed to reduce the lead with a quick taken penalty that saw the forwards power over. The conversion was successful.
Mods were finally able to get back on the front foot again and a smart chip in midfield from Stillwell saw Woodward complete his hat trick as fullback Gaunt took the ball smartly before releasing his winger to cross under the posts. Hughes converted. With time running out Ashby managed to raise one last effort and a driving maul from a short lineout saw them cross for their third try and shortly after they crossed again to secure their first bonus point of the season.
Tries: Woodward 3, Petchey 2, Hughes 2, Alexander, Jackson
Penalties: Hughes 2
Conversions: Hughes 8
Man of the match – Ben Hughes for a 32 point haul. |