Sat 8 Feb 2025
With 12 minutes left on the clock and with OC’s down to 12 players, not playing well and not looking like scoring if they played till Monday, I prematurely jotted down my headline for today’s match report “….. Huge Penalty Count and Three Yellow Cards cost OCs Victory in local Clash….”. Well, what do I know!! Once again OCs managed to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat, leaving it very late to pull away and secure a 5 point bonus win against a Barkers Butts team whose lowly position in the League does not reflect what a good side they are.
The game kicked off in dull, drab conditions – which was actually how the first 15 minutes of the game played out. The game was shaping up to be a battle between Barkers big, strong pack and OCs young, pacy backs. Both sides were trying to create something in that first quarter, but a plethora of penalties denied each side the opportunities to close out any pressure they had managed to create. Barkers had the first go but conceded a penalty at the lineout inside the OCs 22. Shortly afterwards, a deft grubber by George Curtis pushed OCs within yards of the Barkers line but, in their eagerness to score, they conceded a penalty to allow Barkers to clear their line. The deadlock was finally broken when, after pushing OCs back into their 22 from a penalty kick to touch, Barkers took a clean lineout, drove hard and to within 2 metres of the OCs line. Two pick and drives later and Barkers were first on the scoresheet with an unconverted try.
All the pressure was with Barkers now – especially their forwards. They missed a relatively straightforward chance to go further ahead, when a penalty kick from in front of the posts just outside the OCs 22 metre line was pushed wide. Five minutes later – on a rare foray into the Barkers half - OCs also missed a good chance when their penalty kick at goal was also skewed wide of the posts. But it was Barkers forwards who once again made the OCs indiscipline pay with almost a replica of their first try. Their kick to touch was well placed 5 metres out from OCs goal line and Barkers trademark catch/drive/score took them 10 points ahead and they were starting to look dominant. However, OCs responded well and gave Barkers a small taste of their own medicine. When Barkers conceded a penalty in midfield, Chatty pushed the touch kick to within about 8 metres of the Barkers line. The lineout throw was cleanly taken off the top, popped to Paul Wilkes looping round, and his “worldy” dummy, completely wrong-footed the defence and he dived/fell over the line. Kicking conditions were proving to be tough as another conversion attempt drifted wide. From the restart, OCs caught the ball and Rhys Johns (an early replacement for the injured Jim Ryan) broke through the Barkers defence, carrying the ball well into Barkers’ territory. Two plays later, Rhys was involved again, driving hard up to the Barkers line. From the ruck, Sam Miles moved the ball wide and into the hands of Emosi Nabakeke to dot down in the corner to draw OCs level.
With halftime approaching, OCs backs were starting to play with a little more enterprise – despite the conditions. Ollie Cunningham sliced through the Barkers’ backs and charged towards the Barkers line. With just 1 player to beat, Ollie chipped the ball over the top and, as two Barkers players converged to stop him, there was a terrible collision which sadly left the Barkers centre with what looked to be a nasty neck injury. The physios from both sides responded quickly and did a great job to secure the player in a safe position, before he was stretchered off and eventually ferried off to hospital in an ambulance. Once play finally resumed, OCs tried hard to take advantage of their good field position, but another penalty conceded allowed Barkers to relieve the pressure. The half closed on a sad note and we all wish the Barkers player a speedy and full recovery.
Half-time score: Barkers Butts 10 v 10 Old Coventrians
The second half started well for Barkers – aided by OCs continuing to concede ground by giving away penalty after penalty. As Barkers pushed the ball deep into the OCs 22 they deployed their driving maul to great effect once again and a catch and drive from the lineout lead to them driving over the OCs line with ease. Flyhalf Alex Hawkswood stepped up to slot over the first kick of the game and Barkers were up by 17 – 10. The game dipped into a period of stalemate for what seemed like an age (to the crowd at least!) – where good defensive work negated any attempts by either side to break down the opposition. But it was the OC’s backs who finally managed to get the breakthrough. After some sustained pressure and good ball retention on and around the Barkers 22 metre line, No. 10 Chatty spotted some space wide out on the left wing. A well flighted cross field kick was gathered cleanly by Emosi who cantered home for his second, and OCs third, try of the game and OCs were back in it at 17 v 15.
For the next 15 minutes it was a complete penalty fest! OCs just could not get it right with the referee and proceeded to give away numerous penalties, knock the ball on several times and lose ground repeatedly. As Barkers pushed the OCs back once again deep into their 22, it looked very much like they would secure another try from a catch and drive at the lineout. But fortunately, for OCs at least, the Barkers player knocked on and OCs were able to clear their lines. Frustration then set in for both teams and following a number of feisty tackles, George Curtis was penalised for a dangerous hit at the ruck and was shown a yellow card. Two minutes later, his centre partner Alex Kelly, received the same fate from the referee who deemed that his tackle in midfield was both high and dangerous. OCs, now down to 13 men and not able to put anything of note together, looked to be down and out with no way back. Or so everyone thought….. Barkers pressed hard in an attempt to take advantage of their extra numbers and drove within inches of the OCs line and their players and the large, vocal home crowd alike were convinced that they had managed to dot the ball down on the line for a try - only for the referee to deem that the player was held up. OCs have been excellent defending their own line throughout the season and held out charge after charge from the home forwards. Frustration this time got the better of the Barkers lads and a poorly timed dump tackle by their hooker on scrum half Sam Miles not only kicked off a mass scuffle but also saw the referee unleash his yellow card once again. The Barkers hooker was given the third seat on the naughty chair. Within minutes, the naughty chair became a naughty sofa as both sides each lost a further player to the sin bin – the Barkers second row and the OCs tight head prop both being shown yellow for high tackles. OCs were still a man down but, as Barkers bigger pack seemed to finally tire, OCs managed to find their stride and it was Chatty Senavirathne who caused the damage. His first try came from some good recycling of the ball from the OCs forwards and as the ball came out to him, Catty easily powered his way through his opposite number to score under the posts. Chatty duly converted his own try to give OCs the lead for the first time in the match. From the kickoff, OCs moved the ball quickly back deep inside the Barkers half and, as a gap presented itself in the Barkers backs, Chatty skipped through unopposed for this second try of the game – which he again converted. Two quick converted tries had really taken the game away from a now deflated Barkers team. As the game drew to a close and the yellow carded players returned to the field of play, OCs were completely irrepressible. Barkers did manage to thwart an almost certain hat-trick for Emosi with a desperate tackle made by their centre with the line beckoning. The final honours though went to the OCs. With Barkers trying hard to play the ball out from under their own posts in an attempt to perhaps secure at least a bonus point, OCs pressure forced a knock on which was smartly gathered by Sam Miles whose wide pass was swallowed up by Ollie Cunningham and he cantered in to complete the scoring.
It's quite a sad indictment that the most prominent person on the field was the referee this afternoon. On a day when the weather conditions dictated much of how the game was going to be played, a little more ‘latitude’ might have been the better approach to take for all concerned. The game was somewhat unnecessarily spoiled by an absolute deluge of penalties and yellow cards from both sides. For Barkers, the day was filled with disappointment. They felt aggrieved that a couple of key decisions went against them and ultimately cost them the game – a game that they were probably in control of for large periods. For OCs it was probably more a sense of relief. It took them 70 minutes before they really started to play the way they are capable of. OCs certainly missed the all-round game of Dan Anderson in the second row and the power and ‘weight’ of Chris Cain in the front row. But they just had enough class in the end to secure a scoreline that probably flattered their performance. Luke Ireland, returning to the starting line up after a few weeks out with a shoulder injury, got better and better as the game went on and his work in the lineouts was immense. Both second rows – Jack Fennell and, man of the match, Josh Kent, put in huge defensive shifts. OCs supporters have been treated to a number of fabulous games of rugby this season. Sadly, this was not one of them. But conjuring up a victory when you’re not playing well is the sign of a good side.
Full-time score: Barkers Butts 17 v 34 Old Coventrians
