The Moseley pack dominate proceedings

19

Esher

V

59

Birmingham
Moseley

Jon Meadows reports

They say it’s the forwards who win matches and the backs who decide by how many. Well, that was certainly the case in this encounter with the Moseley forwards dominant at scrum time, drawing a penalty on most of their own put ins and making life uncomfortable for the hosts on theirs.

The opening score came quickly, a catch and drive from about 10 metres was stalled short of the line. A couple of iterations later Harry Barnes would roll round the corner to touch down, Tommy Taylor adding the extras. The next score would be in similar fashion, a glorious 50 – 22 kick giving Moseley a close range lineout. The forwards beginning to show their dominance and with the ball secure drove Ryan Roach over, Taylor again successful.

When Esher had possession they refused the temptation to kick the ball away, preferring to keep the ball in hand. They were having limited gain line success but were retaining possession. They had a penalty which they kicked to touch inside the visitors 22, who knocked on the resultant throw for a home scrum. A strong shove from the Moseley forwards drew a penalty – kicked to their 10 metre line on the right. The ball safely gathered it was passed inside with Ollie Allsopp making a break almost to the line before feeding Aquile Smith to finish, Taylor with a simple task to add the extras.

The hosts had to soak up a sustained period of pressure and several scrum penalties but the visiting pack could not find a way to cross the line. Pressure eventually told, another catch and drive from 5 metres saw Allsopp score for the bonus point, Taylor once more making no mistake.

Esher began to gain some traction, again preferring to pass the ball to hand, and were slowly making progress. Whilst Moseley repelled these initial advances the hosts came knocking once more. Following a period of open play with the ball changing sides frequently, the hosts were rewarded for their persistence, Oliver Norris finishing a fine team move under the posts, Sam Morley converting with the last kick of the half.

The hosts would carry the momentum into the second period. They restarted for Moseley to gather but kick straight into touch, giving the hosts a line out deep inside their hosts territory. The throw was safely gathered and once more went through the hands. Progress up field was patient before Ben Robins was released to race down the left wing to score, a difficult conversion going wide.

The relief was to be short lived. Another solid scrum from the visitors eventually ended with the ball coming to Taylor in midfield. He gathered his own grubber kick to run in before converting his own try with perhaps his best kick of the game.

Esher continued with keeping the ball close, coming short of the Moseley line, but were they were prone to losing it forward in contact, giving the inevitable scrum and penalty outcome. From one such situation the referee decided to invite Jacob Morris, the home tight head, to have ten minutes reflection in the stands. The resultant kick to touch and throw was safely gathered, driven before the ball was released, Smith and Freddie Painter combining, for the latter to finish under the posts, Jack Jolly having taken over kicking duties duly obliging.

Moseley did not delay in making their numerical advantage count. Taking the ball into contact it came back out, Painter and Daniel Brough combining who chipped through to gather and score, Jolly with his second.

With just ten minutes left and the result a forgone conclusion both teams would be forgiven if they just wound down the clock. Far from it, both sides make a raft of substitutions bringing on fresh legs to finish the contest. Moseley would have another scrum on the home 22, another penalty and free ball it was chipped forward for Smith to grab his second, the conversion pushed wide.

To their credit Esher did not deviate from their tactic of passing the ball through the hands and were rewarded once more for their persistence when Harry Faulkner found space on the right before cutting infield to score under the posts to make his own conversion a formality.

With five minutes on the clock the action was not yet over. The hosts were looking to get a try bonus and were pressurising their visitors who were becoming a bit ragged, Tighe Maxwell-Whiteley seeing yellow for a deliberate knock on. However it was the visitors who would have the last say, a lineout on the home 22 was worked infield before Painter combined with Tuoyo Egodo who had some work to do before scoring in the corner. With the last kick of the game the breeze caught the ball sending it wide and the final whistle.