Heathfield & Waldron V Heath

An away game against an in form Heathfield team was always going to be a difficult fixture for the boys and so it proved, with the team eventually eking out a very hard fought victory 15-17.

The boy’s pre-match preparations were given a pleasant lift with the arrival of ex-Heath player and current Harlequins prop Joe Marler, to give the boys a little pep talk in in the team huddle. Unfortunately this appeared to have the opposite effect as shortly after kick off, Heath found themselves 5-0 down following a series of driving plays by the Heathfield forwards close to the Heath line, with Heathfield eventually crashing over in the corner. The conversion was missed.

To their credit Heath came straight back into the game with James Watson picking up from the base of a scrum around the Heathfield 10 metre line. He then spotted a gap to break free and showed good speed to sprint in from about 40 metres, leaving a number of Heathfield pursuers in his wake. William Goodwin slotted an easy conversion to take Heath out in front 5-7.

Heath were now starting to find themselves on the wrong side of the referee’s whistle as the penalty count started to mount against them. Some poor decision making in the Heath 22 as they endeavored to run the ball rather than kick it, which lead to them failing to clear their lines. A spilt pass gave possession back to Heathfield in the Heath 22 and from a number of subsequent driving plays, Heathfield scored a second try in the corner that was similar to their first, leaving Heathfield ahead at 10-7.

This was becoming an exceptionally tight game with both teams competing fiercely for the ball. Eventually, Thomas Wharton found some space just outside of the Heath 22 and sprinted about three quarters of the pitch to score under the posts. William Goodwin again converted to put Heath back in front at 10-14.

Then, just on the stroke of half time, there was an altercation involving both teams. Two Heath players were yellow carded for fighting and talking back to the ref and a Heathfield player was also shown a yellow card for fighting.

So the second half started with Heathfield and Heath down to 14 and 13 players respectively and continued as the first, with an even and hard fought contest and both sides defending well. However, Heath were again finding themselves on the wrong side of the referee’s decisions and so, after returning to a full team, they were back to playing with a man short following a yellow card for infringing close to the Heath line. It was now backs-to-the-wall time as Heathfield pressed for another score, with Heath fighting hard for each other, and a man down, in defence. However, after a series of attacks, Heathfield were eventually able to work the ball free with a try being squeezed in by the corner flag. The referee was happy that it wasn’t in touch and the try stood. The conversion was missed and so Heathfield had a slender 15-14 lead going into the closing stages of the game.

In previous years, that would have been it for Heath but not anymore, the boys were able to work themselves back down the field and kept Heathfield pegged back in and around their own 22. This ultimately led to a penalty for Heath in front of the Heathfield posts which William Goodwin duly converted to put Heath back in front at 15-17 and this is how the game finished shortly after.

This was an excellent and evenly matched game of rugby with both teams giving it their all. From a Heath perspective and tries notwithstanding, their defence was generally excellent and their pack certainly stepped up to the plate. Special mentions go to Harry Edwards and Kai Jutson for their excellent work at line-out time, as well as Kai Jutson's noticeable turnovers. Thomas Wharton also deserves special mention for stepping up to the captaincy at short notice with the late withdrawal of Bobby Collins and dealing admirably with an occasionally fractious game. However, today’s Man of the Match award goes to Ellis Dubois for his general forward leadership, driving play and turnover work.

For next year, the backs need to work on their decision making processes and some of their handling also wasn’t up to their usual good standards. However, all in all, this was an excellent win away from home in quite a passionate environment and the boys deserve full credit for coming away with such a hard fought win.

The boys now have a well earned rest with their next fixture being a friendly on 6th January against Horsham, where they will no doubt be severely tested again. In the meantime, the Coaches and Support Staff wish all of the boys and their families a very happy Christmas and a successful 2019.