Moseley sunk by second half onslaught

51

Blackheath

V

26

Birmingham
Moseley

Jon Meadows reports

On a calm day with a slightly sticky pitch, Blackheath started proceedings, but with the ball not going 10 metres Moseley were awarded the scrum on halfway and drew a penalty. Failing to find touch, the hosts drilled the ball back to the visitors 22, who in turn kicked to touch giving a lineout on their 10 metres.

Blackheath safely gathered, passed of the top and worked the ball infield. Moseley impeded and a fairly simple penalty, although from distance, gave an early scoring opportunity. Rebounding of the right hand post the immediate danger was cleared. However the hosts would soon come knocking again, another penalty was kicked to touch giving a short range attacking line out. Successfully caught the drive went through a couple of iterations before William Harding was driven over on the 5 minute mark, Tom Ffitch pushing the conversion wide.

6 minutes later Ffitch was given another opportunity with another penalty, this one more central and on the visitors 22. He made no mistake.

Blackheath gathered the restart and kicked back to the Moseley half. Thomas Taylor returned the favour with a 50-22 kick giving Moseley the lineout for a catch and drive. This time it was Blackheath who were penalised giving Mosley a kick to touch for an attacking line out of their own. The drive was started before Ollie Stedman picked up from the back, ran round the mall and crashed over, Jack Jolly making a tricky conversion look fairly simple.

The visitors continued to apply pressure and had several plays in the 5 metre channel before Morgan Adderly-Jones found a hole for the score, Jolly again successful.

The game continued to ebb and flow before Blackheath strung a passage of play, working the ball from one side to the other, and then back again to Noah Sloot on the right who had a clear run in, Ffitch once more unsuccessful.

With 8 minutes on the clock there was still plenty of action to be had. The Moseley pack were hunting, Jolly profiting from their hard work with his own try and conversion.

With only a couple of minutes left on the clock, the restart was gathered and sent forward. Another penalty gave the hosts a kick to touch and a 5 metre lineout in the visitors left hand corner, near to the scoreboard. A resultant knock on gave Moseley the scrum, with the scoreboard showing time up. We may never know, but it is your correspondent’s opinion that having secured the scrum they kicked the ball to touch to finish the half. The referees watch disagreed with the scoreboard and the lineout, well inside the 22 was allowed to proceed. The ball was passed of the top and worked infield for a concerted effort moving forwards. Tackled short of the line William Harding stretched out an arm to dot down under the crossbar, Ffitch’s unmissable kick finishing the first period with the score at 20 -21

If the first half had been an advert for free following National League Rugby then the second was a bit of a disaster, at least from a Moseley point of view. Following the opening exchanges a devastating 9 minute period saw Blackheath practically obliterate the visitor’s defence. With exceptional line speed following up box kicks to isolate the defending receiver, coupled with slick work around the rucks, they stretched their opponents this way and that, to score three quick tries. Jake Hennessey collected a wide pass on the left to cross over, Andy Boye was driven over from short range before Jake Lloyd ran down the line after a line out had been passed back to the short side. Another score was added soon afterwards when Ffitch made a line break from distance, Jordan Burns was on hand to finish the move. Ffitch slotted all four conversions, with a penalty also in the mix, to open a thirty point lead.

With ten minutes to go Moseley had a line out on the hosts 10 metres, working the ball infield before the referee blew his whistle and sent Noah Sloot to the stands for foul play. Moseley kicked the penalty to touch for a 5 metre lineout. The catch and drive in reality became a catch and stroll, Morgan Dawes touching down for a try bonus point, Thomas Taylor missing the difficult conversion.

What was left became a bit scrappy, Moseley trying to keep the ball alive and even though a man down Blackheath continued to press. The game concluded with Blackheath stealing a Moseley throw to kick the ball to touch and the final whistle.