Sat 18 Jan 2025, 14:15
After several weeks away from rugby for all of the players – due to the Christmas break and bad weather – you’d think that both sides would be a bit rusty going in to this match but that was certainly not the case. With a VP Lunch held before the match, the large crowd were once again treated to a great display of open, running rugby by both teams.
Worcester started brightly. Playing downhill in the first half, they quickly moved the ball with intent down the field and into the OCs 22 where their continued pressure led to an OCs player encroaching offside. The Worcester fly half easily slotted home the penalty to give Worcester the lead after just 2 minutes. As so often has been the case this season, OCs came back immediately, and it was their free-scoring winger Emosi Nabakeke who did the damage. After a controlled passage of play by the OCs forwards, second row Dan Anderson found himself in the stand-off position and , showing some of the skills learned in his early days as a fly half, he threaded a delightful grubber kick through the defence which bounced beautifully up in to the hands of Emosi who gathered the ball and trotted over the line in the corner for OCs first try and a 5 v 3 lead. It wasn’t too long before Worcester were back in the lead. A long kick by the Worcester fullback from in his 22 was well fielded by flyhalf Chatty Senavirathne but as he was upended by a chasing Worcester player the ball popped up and was intercepted by the Worcester winger who outstripped the OCs defence to score the away teams first try of the game.
The to’ing and fro’ing continued and as OCs pressed once again, a well-placed crossfield kick by Chatty was caught by Josh James who found himself in acres of space and casually ran the ball in for OCs second try. Unfortunately, Chatty wasn’t able to convert the kick but it did give OCs back the lead at 10 v 8. The lead swapped again after just a few minutes as Worcester strung together some nice interplay and drove the ball deep in to the OCs 22 where OCs gave away another penalty which the Worcester 10 gratefully accepted and slotted the ball over for 3 points to the away side. Back came the OCs and, following a lineout on the opposing 5m line, Dan Anderson – who was to prove a real handful at the lineouts all afternoon – rose to secure a quick ball which was moved out to the backs. After three phases of play, OCs had created enough space on the blind side for Dan Anderson to put Emosi clear on a well taken 2 on 1 and the winger scored his second try of the game. Are Anderson and Nabakeke the new deadly duo?
An immediate response straight from the kickoff by the Worcester team saw them come close to a second try – only to be thwarted by a superb last-ditch tackle 2 metres from the line by OCs captain Sam Miles. However, from the ensuing scrum, Worcester put enough pressure on the OCs defence to force them to concede another penalty, with Worcester taking the 3 points. Worcester now looked to take control of the game. Driving the ball back into the OCs 22 it was the turn of the Worcester flyhalf to go to the air, as his crossfield kick was well taken by his right winger and he just managed to get himself over the whitewash to put his side back in front at 15 v 19. OCs came straight back into the game and, following another well worked lineout move, winger Emosi powered through a gap in the Worcester defence to secure a first half hattrick and a 4 try bonus point for the home side. The conversion was made by Chatty and OCs were back in the lead. As the penalty count started to become a problem for the home side, Worcester made another foray into the OCs 22 which led to another OCs offence and, with the last kick of the half, the Worcester 10 popped over the penalty to draw the sides level at half-time at 22 points each – probably a fair reflection of how the half had played out.
Half-time score: Old Coventrians 22 v 22 Worcester
After a free scoring first half from both teams, the first 25 minutes of the second half saw both sides cancel themselves out. Neither side could muster up an opening to breach some strong defensive play. With OCs conceding further penalties, Worcester were able to put some pressure on the OCs line. But a huge take at the back of a lineout on the OCs 5m line by Josh Kent saw him rampage up the field and give his team some breathing space.
With OCs struggling to string together any effective attacking phases, the OCs coaching team opted to make some changes and bring on some fresh legs - in the shape of Mason McMurray at 10 and Jordan Kelly on the backrow. These changes paid immediate dividends as, following a scrum in the middle of the field, some nifty footwork by Mason got him through the Worcester defence and he was able to shift the ball out wide to JJ who had an easy run in for his second try of the game. OCs back in the lead at 27 v 22. OCs looked to have another gear and quickly extended their lead. Another well taken lineout ball by Dan Anderson led to the OCs backs breaking through the Worcester defence as Emosi danced inside his opposite number and the fullback and fed the ball to Sam Miles who, in turn, popped the ball off to Mason McMurray to dive over the line. Up stepped Elliott Sheepy to slot over the conversion and give the home side a little bit of breathing space on the scoreboard. Worcester worked hard to get back in the game but a thunderous hit by centre Alex Kelly stopped them in their tracks. After showing his defensive power, Alex then treated the crowd to his attacking prowess as he broke through the Worcester defense, fed the ball inside to Dan who in turn popped the ball off to Sam Miles who, as ever, was in support of the break - as he has been all season.
The game finished with the scoreline at 41 v 22, OCs having kept a strong and abrasive Worcester team to no points in the second half. Five of the seven OCs tries were scored by their wingers – which is a testament to the way that this OCs team like to play their rugby. Probably too many penalties conceded for the OCs coaching team to feel completely happy by the performance, but it did make for an exciting match which kept the crowd out on the field watching till the very end – despite the very cold conditions. Another fabulous game with OCs once again proving to be a great team to watch!
Full-time score: Old Coventrians 41 v 22 Worcester
