A Win’s a Win

7

Leicester
Lions

V

21

Birmingham
Moseley

By Jon Meadows

The home team started proceedings, playing down a slight slope and with a steady breeze behind them. It was not long before the visiting pack had the opportunity to show their strength, drawing a scrum penalty just outside the Lions 22. Kicked to touch, the home team seemed to steal the line out. The referee saw things differently and awarded Moseley a penalty which was taken quickly, the ball up to the 5 metre line. With quick ball from the ruck Sam McNulty burrowed through to give Jack Jolly a fairly simple conversion.

Following another line out on the home ten metres, the ball was worked infield before coming back to the wing and to Tuoyo Egodo who had space to race down the right hand side for Moseley’s second, Jolly again successful.

Ollie Stedman was the recipient of some heavy contact, the referee calling a halt to proceedings to allow him treatment. Limping from the field he would happily return in the second half. Moseley seemed to be a bit destabilised and conceded a scrum penalty of their own. From the resulting line out on their left hand side Leicester worked the ball to the other side, Charlie Davies breaking through before feeding Joseph Brock to score, Luke Bouchier adding the extras.

The score seemed to shake Moseley to their senses and they began to take the game back to their opponents. Conceding several penalties the referee invited one of the Lions to have a ten minute breather and a few minutes later asking one of his colleagues to keep him company. The visitors took advantage with a catch and drive from ten metres, Will Safe applying the downward pressure. Jolly’s conversion brought the half time whistle for a 7 – 21 score line.

With the slope and breeze now in their favour the strong travelling support were hopeful of a powerful second half. It was not to be, the phrase “a game of two halves” was coined for such an occasion. Moseley would be down to thirteen themselves within 5 minutes of the restart, the second giving a kickable penalty from distance. Pushed to the left of the posts it was the last time the score sheet was in any danger. The Lions would spend a period in the visitors 5 metres before loosing the ball forward, Moseley a catch and drive held up. That was about all there was.

Adam Balding commented afterwards that it was always going to be a difficult game away from home. There was disappointment that we slightly went away from our strengths of set piece structure and building pressure and almost fell into the Lions trap of playing a more open game.

Things to talk about, but Moseley return home with 4 points in the bag.