Honours Even in Ten Try Thriller

35

Birmingham
Moseley

V

35

Richmond

It had been a long time since our last Friday night under the lights, and after this we hope the next one won’t be too long.

Moseley opened the scoring in the second minute. From a scrum just inside their 10 metres the ball was worked to the left, Daniel Brough running onto a grubber kick and scorching down the wing to score in the corner, Jack Jolly making a difficult conversion look easy.

Richmond began to show why they are top of the league with some slick handling and were soon level, Alexander O’Meara crashing through from short range giving Callum Grieve an easy kick.

Both teams were contributing to an entertaining free flowing game, but it was the visitors who were shading it, Moseley doing well to hold the ball up preventing a second score. However a yellow card to Jack Jolly allowed a tap and go, Luke Spring touching down, Grieve once more successful. Richmond continued to press and the depleted home team did well to limit any real scoring opportunities. However, just after being restored to full strength Richmond had a line out outside the home 22. Working the ball of the top an inside pass opened a hole for the visiting hooker William Goffey to run to the line for another success from Grieve and the last score of the half.

The second period started brightly for Moseley, a catch and drive from distance was stalled at the 5 metres. A few pick and goes came to nothing before the ball was fed out to Anthony Egodo to break through, Jolly bringing the gap to fourteen points.

It did not last long, Richmond with a catch and drive of their own, Spring peeling of to score his second for Grieve to add another two points to his tally. Back came Moseley with a five metre scrum. Ollie Stedman pick up from the back and went for the line buts was snagged to set up a couple of pick and goes before the ball was sent to Ollie Allsopp running a good line to score, Jolly drop kicking the conversion through the middle to bring the score to 21 – 28.

It was Moseley’s turn to press and it took some last ditch defence to prevent at least one score. Somewhat against the run of play Joshua Addams collected a Moseley clearance on his own 10 metres and danced through the line to touch down, the kick a formality.

Lesser teams may have lied down at this point, but that is not the Moseley way. They were enjoying the majority of possession and territory, Ethan Priest finishing another 5 metre catch and drive, Thomas Taylor taking over from where Jack Jolly had left off.

And so it continued, wave after wave of attacks cheered on by a vocal home support was ended with a penalty in front and a yellow for the visiting loose head Christian Freeman. Opting for the scrum Moseley were awarded a free kick and tapped and went. Held up short of the line a few iterations followed before Stedman found a way through for Taylor to successfully bringing the scores level.

There was just enough time for Richmond to restart from which they gathered the ball. Despite being a man down they would spend the next few minutes camped on the home 22, going through multiple phases. They were staying in the middle third of the pitch trying to find a gap or draw a penalty, neither of which the disciplined Moseley defence would give. An attempted long range drop goal was pulled wide for the final whistle.

Asked for his thoughts afterwards DOR Adam Balding said “it was Just a very big game of rugby for both sides, we knew coming into this game Richmond are at the top for a reason. They’re the best side in the league and showed their credentials tonight, but I thought again our lads were superb. 35 apiece. Friday Night Lights, it’s the way forward. What a great way to start the weekend”.