Vets Rugby
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Sat 05 Jan 2013
London Welsh
16
38
Harlequin Amateurs Rugby Club
Vets Rugby
Quins finally play some rugby away at London Welsh

Quins finally play some rugby away at London Welsh

Neil Welsh7 Jan 2013 - 21:41
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Oh God is Christmas really over and did I really forget to go on the 5 mile run every day that I had sworn I would do before the first game of 2013???

The starting 15 (proper rugby players one and all)

Jan, Ed, Gav, Liam, Brian H, Si, Kirk, Fozzy, Welshie, Loizos, Alain, Nick, PA, Ian T, Hugh

Our subs:

Chris L, Fab, Mike G, Karl

So yes, sad but true, it is 2013 and Christmas is over. There is one resolution that I want to keep for the year and that is to continue with the strong run of performances from the mighty Quins Vets. After our last run out of 2012 against Dorking where a rather scratch team managed to get an important away win, we knew that this week a much stronger squad and overall better performance would be required against the London Welsh Occies.

By my reckoning it is about 5 years since we last played the Occies and in that time a lot has happened: Ireland have won a Grand Slam, Leinster have won the Heineken Cup twice, I turned 30, Nic Marren started to shave and our big local rivals have become London Irish. Now having beaten Irish this season it would not have been a good start to the year if we lost to London Welsh. So having issued a very strict training plan to the Vets over Christmas I took the bold decision to make Thursday night training a three line whip. And knowing that with a few players coming back from injury competition for starting places would be fierce so I expected at least 20 to turn up. So I was partly right in my estimate but unfortunately I should have left off the 0 – there we were on Thursday night, Brian H and myself with all the youngsters. We don’t train often but I can assure you that it is worth going to. Dave S runs a great session so before our next really big game we will have Vets training and I would hope for a few more players but I know that there will be at least 2 of us.

So anyway, having returned to work on Wednesday and having returned to consciousness on Thursday, it was good to see a strong looking squad coming together. We had a robust looking pack with a monster front row, bolstered by young Liam making his first Vets appearance and with Si Warmer coming back after a nasty shoulder injury we had every reason to feel positive. The backs looked to have some shape and with Loizos facing his brethren it was going to be a lively match.

For once in our lives we were out on the paddock early, and together for a good warm up, so with the rain holding off we were confident of a strong start. But it did not quite pan out that way as the Welsh took hold of the game from the off and when after a backs move in our own 22 went wrong the oppo full back knocked over a penalty to go 3 up. Another penalty to Welsh and a couple to Quins showed that this was going to be a very tough and attritional game. There was not a lot of quality until perhaps one of the moments of the season, when from a quick ball off a Brian H lineout, skips passed the ball to Loizos outside the 22 who popped over the sweetest drop goal you will ever see in a Vets game. The game started to liven up and after a further penalty to Welsh, we put in a storming attack into the oppo 22 with Jan as ever to the fore. Lots of strong driving by Nic and big Gav got us to within 10 yards and it was a bit of a surprise when Si Warmer was about to crash over for the opening try that the ref blew the whistle. In fairness he was getting an increasingly annoyed Welsh skipper (not me for once) who was dispatched to cool off for 10 mins, giving us a penalty on the 5 yard line. Skips tapped it off and feinted to pass it wide but instead flicked it up to a flying Kirk who was never going to be stopped – first try and conversion to Quins. So we went in to half time 16 – 9 up and after a drop of port (yes Myles we do still have a nice drop of Vintage) we knew that we needed to get straight back into rhythm in the second half.

With fresh legs on in the form of Chris Langrish, and Karl who has thankfully returned from his internment in a Siberian Gulag (or was that an over running building job in the City) we secured a good ball from the kick off and before you know it we had recycled the ball twice in the forwards and went for a third pop to Gav. Now Gav at full pelt you all know is quite force and obviously he had been following the Christmas training scheme as he must has knocked over most of the Welsh team on a 40 yard burst that nearly saw him get over the line. So imagine his surprise on getting up from the ruck to see that having popped the ball out once more we got turned over and the Welsh boys ran the length of the pitch and despite a valiant defence from Hugh and Fab they scored –I said at the start they were a good team and their first try proved it.

Our ability to secure ball from the kick off was not good but thankfully Ed took control of this one and made some good yards up field before Loizos sent up a wonderful high ball that was knocked on by the Welsh full back. From the ensuing scrum the Welsh scrum half struggled to clear the ball and he got hammered by Kirk who won a scrum to us. A well secured ball was picked up at 8 by who else but Fozzy and he charged over to secure another 5 points for Quins. Lots of other good points about the second half such as our storming lineout and general good discipline but the best move was again from a scrum just inside the oppo half. Si Warmer back on for Fozzy picked up from a take against the head and made good yards before off loading to Kirk who romped forwards and again off loading to Chris Langrish who hurtled through two tackles before going to ground. A quick ball to Loizos was sent on to PA who jinked past 3 of the Oppo like no Vet I have ever seen to score possibly our best try of the season under the posts. With the Welsh boys under increasing pressure and struggling to get their hands on the ball it was no surprise that we got a final corking try, courtesy of Loizos again under the posts. What a day he had with a full house of a try, conversion, penalty and drop goal. Final score was a 38 – 16 win to Quins.

The day was rounded off with some very generous London Welsh hospitality in the bar, a few pints of Brains, good food and of course Loizos leading the entire club house in a rendition of Delilah. What better start to 2013 could there be. Man of the match was a tough one but it went to Ed for his solid scrummaging, mobility in broken play and the fact that he was the only forward who caught a kick all day.

Next up it is Farnham Vets on the 19th Jan at home. Last year we took a motley crew down to their place and came away very much as the losing team. They will be the strongest team we have faced this season so boys, lets make sure we are all available to play.

Cheers

Neil

Match details

Match date

Sat 05 Jan 2013

Kickoff

14:00
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Sponsor - MYCO
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