Rugby Saturday

Today was an away game at Morley, playing against their third team. Traffic meant half the team were delayed in arriving until twenty minutes before kick-off, which meant pretty much zero warm up and practice. Not a good start, but we are the Old Modernians second team, and we are well experienced in playing without much of a warm-up.
The main pitch at Morley is big - it looks almost square, so there is plenty of width to spin the ball out and slip through the opposition's back line. But also plenty of room for them to run around our line, especially if there are any missed tackles. The spirit of the team is high before kick-off, and the team appear to be switched on to the game.
The first half started with our kick, so the forwards chased Ed's drop-kick deep into Morley's half. The ball was caught cleanly, but immediately spun out and their backs gave it a run. Obviously they didn't feel confident taking on the might of the Mods forwards.
Play seemed to move across the pitch without many breaks, tackles were made and taken, rucks and mauls hit by both sides with great energy. Morley appeared to have more power in the scrums early on, and they had an efficient line out which meant stealing was off the cards and disruption was kept to a minimum. But for all their discipline in the forward set pieces, it didn't stop Hatty getting the first try of the match, after a great run from the backs ending with a corner try.
There was a strange air of insanity around the game, which initially raised its misshapen head when Morley had a penalty in front of the sticks and made the right choice when opting for kicking for goal. While the ref was busy tending to an injured player, Morley's number 10 took the kick and astonishingly missed. However, the ref ruled that he hadn't seen it, so Morley had another go. This time, the kick was true and they put their first 3 points on the scoreboard.
Back into the thick of the game, Mods pushed towards Morley's try line. Full back Dan made an absolutely beautiful line from who knows where, blasting through the Morley line after receiving a pass from number 10 Ed, and scoring the second best try of the game. Most beautiful, definitely, but the best try came later.
Both sides managed to touch the ball down in the try-scoring areas before half time, but Mods started the second half with the lead.
Mods received the starting second-half kick, but quickly error was made with a knock-on and subsequent scrum. At this point, Mods had started to push back in the scrums and had even gained yards in some. Morley looked tired, and with chasing on the scoreboard there was no surprise.
After what recently could be considered the Mods' obligatory second half deficit, Morley took the lead at 25-24. After a tongue lashing from captain Dunnie, the Mods pushed forwards - and almost immediately conceded another unconverted try. 30-24. Not good.
Ed's quick thinking at the next kick-off, switching the kick to the unaware backs of Morley meant we went to another line out. Mods had started to ruffle some feathers in their opposition's line outs, and the intensity of the Mods' players was reaching an all-time high. There was an element of desperation, but experience and control meant the Mods could use it to their advantage. Scrum-half Rob almost scored, the ball held up by the defense of Morley's waning team over the line. Mods kept the aggression up, and managed another score with only minutes to spare. It was up to Ed to kick the ball through the posts to send us into the lead by a single point. Ed stepped up and as he started his path to glory, the Morley team bellowed a distractionary cry. Illegally. Ed's innocent demeanour was wobbled, and the ball hit the upright and bounced back onto the pitch. The score remained 30-29 to Morley. Time was completely against us.
Morley kicked the ball back into play from the halfway line, and the kick went too deep - out of play behind the dead-ball line. Mods had a scrum at half way, and everything to play for. The referee indicated that this would be the last play of the game, and Dunnie's burning enthusiasm spread throughout the team. The ball could not go out of play, we had to score. Ed decided that a win could be stolen from Morley if the forwards could drive up the field, enough for him to make a drop goal. Spirits were high even in this frantic situation, and the Mods kept their heads. The ball went through the hands of the backs from the scrum, and the forwards followed and set up a ruck inside Morley's 22. The try line was in sight, and Stu Kennedy took up the ball and rushed towards the posts. Morley piled in to stop the juggernaut, who managed to keep possession of the ball and present it for the backs. Receiving the ball, Ed looked up to see that the Mods had a two man overlap. The ball was spun out expertly, giving Giles the honour of crashing over the line and scoring the winning try. Without doubt, the best try of the game, and scored by every member of the team. Ed did not manage to convert it, but it didn't matter; the final score was 34-30 for the Old Modernians.
This was a huge effort by the 15 men that turned up to the game at Morley. With no substitutes, 100% was required from all members for the full 80 minutes, and nothing less was given. Good work guys.