Last week needed to be a cracker of a game just to warm the Hertford side up for this home leg to the top of the table London Irish Wind Geese (LIWG) Please do not ask where the name comes from I do not have a clue, if you do name on a post card to ..........
LIWG are four points clear at the top of the table with Hertford in sixth but lets look at the positives, they have lost three games just two less than Hertford, they have only scored ten points more than Hertford and only twenty five points difference so this is not a lost cause and is all to play for I'm eager to know the result.
Kickoff 3 pm.
Hertford RFC v London Irish Wild Geese RFC result
Re: Hertford RFC v London Irish Wild Geese RFC result
After last weeks blip Hertford came back full of spirit and scored two first half converted tries to lead at half time 14 - 3. The second half LIWG came out, as expected, fighting and looking for the win to maintain their top of the league standing but they were not aware of the Hertford resolve and they kept LIWG at bay with some stanch defending to restrict them to two more penalties and full time came up with a 14 - 9 win for the home side. This keeps LIWG at the top of the table but only just on equal points where Hertford rise to fifth and gives supporters something to ponder! Hertford are on on forty nine points along with Westcombe Park then above them are one team on fifty, one on fifty two and two on fifty six so with a potential thirty points available without bonus points what are the possibilities for this season? I'll speculate no further!
Finally and the end of the match its reported that a flock of wild geese flew over the pitch heading for London sounds more like something out of Harry Potter to me.
Finally and the end of the match its reported that a flock of wild geese flew over the pitch heading for London sounds more like something out of Harry Potter to me.
Re: Hertford RFC v London Irish Wild Geese RFC result
I think that they can finish 3rd as long as they can maintain their intensity against the lower sides in the league but Saturday's game must have been tiring
Re: Hertford RFC v London Irish Wild Geese RFC result
I quite agree Rizzo theres a lot to take into account including the depth of the squad and if they are getting time to recover from injury. I'm told the leagues are to be re-arranged after this season and a top four finish will be beneficial only time will tell.
Below is the club match report, reproduced with their permission.
Hertford closed the gap on league leaders London Irish Wild Geese to just seven points with a hard fought victory over them at a blustery Hoe Lane on Saturday.
With Hertford playing down the slope in the first half and the forwards showing their strength in the first two scrums, this set the platform for a dominant first half performance.
The first try came from a line breaking run from Luke Sloan who passed the ball to Michael Sargent then on to Rob Jones, who then returned it to Sargent, who threw a dummy and in for a try on the 15 metre line, converted by James Russell. London Irish number 8 went off with a nasty head wound.
With 15 minutes gone Hertford had the put in to the scrum 8 metres from their line. The scrum collapsed- penalty- reset- their front row stood up- penalty- reset- from this scrum Hertford walked them over the try line and number 8 Dan Belton touched the ball down. Converted once again by Russell
London Irish then applied some pressure and with the referee continuing to tell us to get back onside, and the team not doing so, Irish were given a penalty on the 22 metre line converted by Oliver Turner
Three minutes later a second penalty in the same spot was given- this time for not rolling away. Turner’s kick went just wide of the posts. From an Irish scrum Torren MacDougall brought their scrum half down with the ball. A penalty to Hertford for holding on, Russell’s kick went just left of the posts.
Back on our 22, Belton with hands in the ruck, received a team yellow card for too many penalties around our 22. This time Irish kicked to touch, which we defend well. On the stroke of half time Irish number 10 tried a long drop goal which went well wide.
Half time 14-3
A high tackle from Byron Odell two minutes into the second half gave the first points of the half to Irish from a Turner penalty. With Irish pushing forward in our 22, good defense and fast line speed halted their attacks. A break from Jones and a quick off load to Kyle Lemon saw him power through the Irish defense, but unfortunately a tap tackle brought him down. Hertford seemed to force the play a bit too often and their off loads from the tackle ended up in the hands of the opposition.
Josh McFarlane, with a foot injury, was replaced by debutant George Elliott whose first touch was to sprint down the wing but the Irish fullback’s tackle knocked his foot into touch five metres from the line.
There was more pressure from Irish but again Hertford, with great defense and with a little help by a number of knock ons, kept them at bay. A penalty for off side in the thirty fourth minute gave them three points from the boot of Ben Kitching. Within a minute James Keens received a yellow card and Hertford now had to defend the last five minutes with fourteen men. In the bungalow corner Irish drove a rolling maul over the line and for the second week in a row Stuart Smart got a bit of his body under the ball to save a try. In the dying moments Belton made a break down the line, passed to Josh Corcoran who again was stopped by a last ditch tap tackle. Irish had the last play of the game but a great steal from Jack Culverhouse and the ball was kicked dead to give Hertford another great win!
Final Score 14-9
Below is the club match report, reproduced with their permission.
Hertford closed the gap on league leaders London Irish Wild Geese to just seven points with a hard fought victory over them at a blustery Hoe Lane on Saturday.
With Hertford playing down the slope in the first half and the forwards showing their strength in the first two scrums, this set the platform for a dominant first half performance.
The first try came from a line breaking run from Luke Sloan who passed the ball to Michael Sargent then on to Rob Jones, who then returned it to Sargent, who threw a dummy and in for a try on the 15 metre line, converted by James Russell. London Irish number 8 went off with a nasty head wound.
With 15 minutes gone Hertford had the put in to the scrum 8 metres from their line. The scrum collapsed- penalty- reset- their front row stood up- penalty- reset- from this scrum Hertford walked them over the try line and number 8 Dan Belton touched the ball down. Converted once again by Russell
London Irish then applied some pressure and with the referee continuing to tell us to get back onside, and the team not doing so, Irish were given a penalty on the 22 metre line converted by Oliver Turner
Three minutes later a second penalty in the same spot was given- this time for not rolling away. Turner’s kick went just wide of the posts. From an Irish scrum Torren MacDougall brought their scrum half down with the ball. A penalty to Hertford for holding on, Russell’s kick went just left of the posts.
Back on our 22, Belton with hands in the ruck, received a team yellow card for too many penalties around our 22. This time Irish kicked to touch, which we defend well. On the stroke of half time Irish number 10 tried a long drop goal which went well wide.
Half time 14-3
A high tackle from Byron Odell two minutes into the second half gave the first points of the half to Irish from a Turner penalty. With Irish pushing forward in our 22, good defense and fast line speed halted their attacks. A break from Jones and a quick off load to Kyle Lemon saw him power through the Irish defense, but unfortunately a tap tackle brought him down. Hertford seemed to force the play a bit too often and their off loads from the tackle ended up in the hands of the opposition.
Josh McFarlane, with a foot injury, was replaced by debutant George Elliott whose first touch was to sprint down the wing but the Irish fullback’s tackle knocked his foot into touch five metres from the line.
There was more pressure from Irish but again Hertford, with great defense and with a little help by a number of knock ons, kept them at bay. A penalty for off side in the thirty fourth minute gave them three points from the boot of Ben Kitching. Within a minute James Keens received a yellow card and Hertford now had to defend the last five minutes with fourteen men. In the bungalow corner Irish drove a rolling maul over the line and for the second week in a row Stuart Smart got a bit of his body under the ball to save a try. In the dying moments Belton made a break down the line, passed to Josh Corcoran who again was stopped by a last ditch tap tackle. Irish had the last play of the game but a great steal from Jack Culverhouse and the ball was kicked dead to give Hertford another great win!
Final Score 14-9