Swindon 19 - Witney 16
Mar
Another case of so near yet so far away for Witney as they almost turned over
inform Swindon after playing well for much of the match. With the wind against
them in the first half Witney really played well and with the score at 14-8, an
early score in the second half would have put them in the driving seat.
Unfortunately for that crucial 15 minute period after the break, Witney failed
to ā€œturn upā€ and it was Swindon who scored. This really lifted the home side and
they managed to hold on in the second half. A late penalty for Witney would have
tied the scores which would probably have been justice as both sides played so
well against the wind, neither deserved to lose the fixture.
Swindon enjoyed the elements in the opening 40 minutes but failed to use them in
the traditional way and instead elected to run most of their possession. Witney
were looking dangerous in the lose though and Henry Lamb and Johnny Wheater
countered from deep really well with Lamb storming upfield a full 50 metres at
one stage. Will Worrall was also asking questions of the home defence and it was
Witney who scored next as Henry Lamb slotted a penalty from in front of the
posts.
The home side then picked up though and from an attack in Witneys 22, their fly
half had plenty of options with runners coming hard and flat and their outside
centre chose a great line for a well worked try, which was converted to make the
score 7-3. The Witney forwards were really working hard with props Rikki Dore
and Mark Serle holding their own in the scrums and working well in the lose too.
The lineouts were going well too with Adam Copperwheat regularly finding skipper
Jez Hicks and Jimi Collis.
It was no real surprise that Witney scored again though as they were really
buzzing at this point. It came from a sublime break from fly half Joe Collins
who carved the opposition up before offloading to centre Carl Strutt who just
had enough gas and strength to stretch over in the corner to give Witney a 8-7
lead. If the score had remained like that Witney would have been in a great
position with the wind behind them in the second period. However Swindon pressed
late in the half and from a position around 15 metres out their fly half got the
ball but despite having numbers covering, Witney failed to pressure him and he
skipped between two soft tackles and scored under the posts to had back the
initiative to the home side, the score now 14-8.
At the break, there was no need to panic for Witney though as the pack were
providing a great platform and patience would surely bring scores. However,
Swindon came out by far the better side after the break and Witney failed to
utilise the elements and put pressure on the home side. From second phase ball
on around halfway, Swindon broke Witneys line and a couple of missed tackles
later they were over for what proved to be the crucial try.
With the Campbell brothers Carl and Gareth to the fore, Witney picked up their
game and really pressed for most of the rest of the half. Time ticked on though
and Swindons defence was pretty sound and they too were countering to good
effect as Witney had done in the opening 40 minutes. A Henry Lamb penalty
reduced the deficit but Witney needed a try and needed it quickly. It came from
a ruck in Swindons 22 as Gareth Campbell broke blind. He had no support but
jinked past one defender and showed great strength to take two defenders over
with him for a superb solo try.
With about ten minutes left, the initiative was swinging back to the visitors
but they failed to take any remaining chances as Swindons determined defence
gave little time or space. The excellent referee blew on time and Witney were
left yet again, defeated by less than one score.
1st XV
Wheater, Collins(L), Strutt, Lamb(J), Lamb(H), Collins(J), Campbell(G) : Dore,
Copperwheat(A), Serle, Fowler, *Hicks(J), Worrall, Campbell(C), Collis
Repl: Muller(Collis-45), Richens, Elwood
VIEW FROM THE TOUCHLINE
A great first half performance with only really one bad moment as Swindon were
gifted a soft second try just before the break. The tackling generally was too
high with only Will Worrall and the Campbell lads showing how to really tackle
low and effectively. That said the back three ran back at Swindon well and the
forwards really worked their socks off with Jez and Owen both doing some good
work in the loose. The crucial period was that 15 minute one after the interval
and it was the age old problem of the team thinking the hard work was done, as
Marky used to tell us, the wind has never scored a point in its life. The
Swindon second half try really gave them belief they could win and I thought
they defended well but also think Witneys threequarters should be asking more
questions of the opposition defence. A couple of weeks away from League rugby
and then itā€™s the final three matches and three wins would help sweeten what has
been a fairly sour season.
