Second Half Class Shows With Another Bonus Point Win


A welcome return to Wilkinson Way and a welcomed return to more settled weather, combined with a well prepared pitch thanks to the tireless efforts of Steve Tomlinson, meant the Farnham Faithful were looking forward to a nice afternoon of entertaining rugby. Farnham were little changed, with Max Williams returning from university to replace the injured Tommy Allen and George Bellamy earned his 3 start coming in for the injured Sam Voight.



Farnham received the kick off and exited towards halfway, managing to disrupt the Guildford lineout, they move the ball but fling a wild wide pass that is intercepted, although the home side had an advantage and kick to the corner. The Farnham lineout goes awry but they hold up the Guildford carry and win a scrum inside the 22, 15 metres in from touch, a great platform to launch the first probing attack. A dominating scrum surges forwards and enables a slick backs move that looks to have cut Guildford open, but the final pass is given too late as the player is falling in the tackle and is off target and to ground, resulting in a knock on, opportunity wasted. There was another advantage, so penalty Farnham, but instead of going for another scrum, Farnham bizarrely opt for the corner. The rolling maul is sacked early, and some miscommunication leads to an isolated Farnham player pinged for holding on and allows Guildford to clear their lines.

Guildford miss touch badly, not the last time that this would occur, and Farnham look to counter but an unsympathetic pass leads to another knock on.

Farnham guilty of something at the scrum, supporters, players, and I are all bemused as to what for, but Guildford find touch this time. Not straight in the lineout means a scrum to Farnham, but déjà vu whacks Farnham in the face with another scrum penalty, and Guildford kick to touch again. Farnham steal the lineout and look to break out but a speculative chip through goes straight into touch. 15 minutes gone and poor accuracy and errors is the resounding feeling thus far, 0-0.

The next 10 minutes is a foray of erratic lineouts, knock ons, and seemingly basic errors from both sides on a day that had presented conditions so far from last weekend, you would think both sides would be more accurate and there would be a more flowing game of ruggers, but there have been more lineouts and scrums than passes completed in the first half hour. Another knock on, this time from Guildford after they strung several promising phases together, albeit fairly lateral.

Farnham set a good platform from the scrum with the front row of Azevedo, Vincent, & Franzell looking on top. This launches a well-executed backs move with blind side winger Wigmore joining to receive the ball out the back and he jinks and fends his way deep into the Guildford half, before superbly finding the supporting flyer Ben Stevens who rounds the trailing defenders with easy to dot down. Finally, a score! Difficult extras missed and its 5-0.

The opening score galvanises Farnham who launch a string of classy, well-orchestrated attacks and are peppering the Guildford line, who to their credit, refuse to abide to the surge of carries from the Farnham pack, eventually Farnham knock it on with the try line begging.

Guildford exit up to halfway and Farnham produce a near perfect move with forwards and backs inter-linking, everyone knowing their roll, timing of runs and delays of pass are all impeccable. Fly half Ollie Brown beautifully releases Stevens into space who dinks the ball ahead and in hot pursuit, Toby Simmons gathers and appears to look to offload back to Stevens to complete the move with a score but is agonisingly brought down and Farnham end up losing the ball.

Another lineout, another counter from Farnham and another knock-on. Both sides begging for the half time whistle so they can regroup and apply some glue to the hands.

Quietly, the impressive young Farnham Academy graduate, Joe Brockman, is producing a defensive masterclass in tackling and thwarting any Guildford gain line success. One of these textbook tackles enables Oscar Henderson to win an excellent breakdown jackal and Farnham have a penalty. The home side break the mould and sod the set piece in favour of the “tap and go”, which releases the ridiculously dense, coffee table sized, but equally ridiculously talented, Shawa Rai, who breaks about seven tackles and refuses to go down, taking Farnham deep into the Guildford half. The ball is recycled well, and Wigmore is off on a run, popping the ball inside for the galloping horse that doesn’t quit in Henderson who steamrolls through and slips a pass to Harry West to dive over. A superb, almost coast-to-coast try, but the final pass is adjudged forward by the referee and that is the half. 5-0 to Farnham.

A promising last 10 minutes for Farnham but overall, with more ups and downs than a toaster in an elevator, this was not a good advert for rugby on a dry day with minimal breeze. Expectations high from a home crowd in the cold who anticipate more and want to see their side play to their full potential.



The second half means the welcomed sunshine is in Farnham’s faces and they have made some changes with the fresh legs of Max Williams, Adam Pickett, and Harrison Horner entering the fray. Farnham kick off and immediately put Guildford under pressure, disrupting their lineout and stealing the ball to begin a series of attacks in the visitor’s 22. Good structure and patience, keeping tight and ultimately it is the vivacious Vincent who finds a hole and goes in under the sticks. Easy conversion, 12-0 and much better from Farnham.

From the restart, Henderson is off on another gallop and is breaking away from everyone, unfortunately that includes his fellow teammates, and he is eventually brought down, with no support around him and is turned over.

Farnham managed to steal the ball back from Guildford and win a penalty, which Salmon steps up to put between the uprights from 30m out, 15-0.

Yet another lineout is messy and another knock on occurs, although the referee seems to believe anything that isn’t caught cleanly, regardless of whether it goes backwards thereafter is a knock on, but then again, we don’t have a game without the adjudicator, so stifle those groans. Farnham have a penalty and kick to touch and successfully execute a lineout! Multiple phases in the Guildford 22 and the visitors look to be tiring, having to make a plethora of tackles, one after the other, but a promising passage of play is abruptly halted due to an injury. Unfortunately, it is Adam Pickett who has a nasty cut on his ear, with plenty of claret decorating his angelic boat race and blonde barnet. A Farnham scrum restarts proceedings and Farnham run a move which the Guildford defence read perfectly and clatter Salmon, who is on the receiving end of a very much “man and ball” tackle and stays down momentarily to catch all the breath that was expunged from his lungs. Harrison makes a typically monstrous carry, but Farnham knock it on in the next phase of play on the Guildford 5m line.



Guildford have some respite and exit into Farnham’s half, who have a chance to counter, but mess around with some static lateral phases before Simmons finally spots the space that most of the Farnham balcony have been shouting and pointing at, and he puts in an excellent probing kick. Farnham chase brilliantly and force a turnover, but Guildford fail to retreat ten metres and are shown a yellow card. Farnham opt for the scrum and a training ground set-up results in Max Williams piercing through a hole to go under the posts for Farnham’s 3rd try. Another easy 2 points and Farnham lead 22-0.

Guildford coming roaring back and make decent inroads into the Farnham half and win a succession of penalties, although only two, the referee feels the need to even things up and shows Franzell a yellow card. Guildford are camped on the Farnham 5m line and some resolute defence from the likes of Rai, Watson, Azevedo and most of the pack, manage to keep Guildford at bay, who ultimately knock it on. Pride in your try line, even when the game is already won, is very powerful value that a lot of teams fail to recognise, credit to Farnham there.



Farnham exit well and Harry West finds a good touch, his kicking was excellent all afternoon and another disrupted lineout leads to Henderson on the charge again, with Azevedo in support who makes a brilliant break and takes Farnham back deep into the Guildford half. Farnham continue the phases and again Azevedo with a huge carry, bouncing a would-be defender back into primary school. Ollie Brown puts in a lovely cross-field kick that Stevens fly-hacks on and just needs to kick ahead a couple of metres to dot down, but instead he tries a speculative, risky, no-odds-in-your-favour one handed pick up and knocks it on, another chance gone.

Still down a man, Farnham continue to pressure the Guildford defence and make excellent gains into the Guildford red zone. Multiple phases, keeping it tight, showing brilliant patience, with no glory hunters, Farnham punch and jab, but Guildford hang on, desperate defence, last-ditch tackles galore, surely the pressure with tell? Eventually it does and Farnham are in for the bonus point score through that man again Azevedo who shows superb dexterity to step and a good turn of pace for a front row forward to dive in under the posts for a popular score. Easy two points added, 29-0 and 5 points secured with less than five minutes to go. Azevedo back to his best with his best performance of the season.



Both sides trade blows in the middle of the park with some familiar knock ons from promising passages of play, with Guildford getting a penalty and kicking to the corner, one last chance to leave with some points on the board? Not to be as Farnham steal the lineout and hoof the ball into row Z to bring the game to a tame end. 

A first half to forget for both sides, strewn with errors and inaccuracies, but Farnham found their mojo in the second period with some sublime structure, excellent game management from the half backs West and Brown, and terrific patience to score three unanswered tries and four overall, securing the valuable five points desired. Farnham remain atop of Regional 2 South Central, seven points clear of Tottonians, who have a game in hand. Farnham will need to be at the races from the outset against Winchester away next week, who pinched a draw at the death in the home fixture, which remains the one blemish on the unbeaten record for Farnham this season.





Podium:

Jonny Vincent – 3

Marco Azevedo– 2

Harry West – 1