Rumpson runs and kicks to defeat local rivals

It was a cold afternoon with the occasional snow flurry, however with no 1st team game on, there were plenty of scarfed and gloved spectators down to watch.

Farnham were supposed to be playing the Camberley 3s after the previously organised opposition, Dorking, were unable to field a side. However upon arrival it was clear that Camberley had some familiar faces from the 2nd XV team that Farnham have frequently faced over the years.

Farnham received the kick-off and for the first 10 minutes of the game found themselves under pressure from a strong Camberley pack. Both at the scrum and in driving mauls Camberley got the upper-hand early on, but Farnham absorbed the pressure without conceding.

Once the Hornets were able to get the ball in hand, the forwards set up a good platform with strong carrying from Paddy Vasey and Richard Philips. The ball was moved wide and centre James Corlett battled through multiple tackles making good ground for the team, before being brought down wide. Frequently Farnham made breaks but were unable to get the offload or pass away to support, to finish a move with points.

Further determined forward carrying from Dan Ross and Matt Kelleher put the Hornets on the front foot again and this allowed Paddy Vasey to dive over after a rolling maul could not be stopped by the Camberley defenders. Connor Rumpson was unable to convert the conversion, but quickly added a penalty to take the score to 8-0.

Before long Rumpson had the ball again and was causing a smorgasbord of problems for the Camberley defence. Scrambling back to cover, the opposition gave up a penalty close to the line, which Rumpson took quickly, diving through a gap to score. A successful conversion took the score to 15-0. Second rower Dan Greene made a nuisance of himself in the Camberley rucks and mauls, stalling their attacks, and starting them Farnham with strong ball carrying.

The Camberley attack was fairly one dimensional in the backs, with a switch to the inside centre seemingly their only move off a set piece. The centre was a large individual with momentum in his favour, but he kept running straight into the Farnham forwards where he was taken down every time. On the occasion that he did run at the centres, Rob Brown made a crunching tackle to confirm that Camberley were no better off attacking in that area either.

Running with intent, Connor Rumpson, found further gaps in the Camberley defence and before long was able to scythe through to add to the teams total. The conversion was successful again and the score was now taken to 22-0. As the half came to a close, another powerful run from Corlett set-up winger Mark Baines to dive over in the corner. Rumpson was unable to convert taking the score to 27-0 at half time.

After several changes the team kicked off and the new players got involved immediately. Winger Taryke Van Rensburg raced after the high arcing kick and slotted the catcher with a well-timed tackle. Following this the Camberley defence continued to struggle with the Farnham back line. The forward line consistently created a great platform to work from, with well-drilled set pieces and excellent rucking. A mention should go to prop Matt Kelleher who was always close at hand when team mates were tackled, often putting any would-be ball-stealers on their backsides as he rucked over.

The ball was kicked through by fullback John Weldon and it bounced perfectly into the hands of Van Rensburg who wasn’t going to be caught by the flat-footed defenders. Another try was scored out on the opposite flank of the pitch when a break with excellent running lines and support play by Henry Milas amongst others, allowed Rob Brown to get dive over the whitewash. Another difficult wide kick attempt was missed by Rumpson, but the score was now an unassailable 37-0 to Farnham.

Van Rensburg was not finished with one try, and after a darting break by Rob Brown, he received the ball and went down the line to add another try to his tally. Winger Sam Greensitt found himself in the ten channel on another attack and to the surprise of everyone watching attempted to a long cross-field kick. Taryke Van Rensburg sprinted ahead to collect the falling ball but was unable to hold on to it. If he had caught it, it would have been spectacular, and almost certainly lead to another try.

In defence, Greensitt found himself under pressure after a long bouncing kick got behind the line and rolled into the 22. He managed to avoid the first man, but was unable to get away from the second chaser. Despite the Hornets winning a penalty, they were unable to get out of their 22 for a long period and eventually Camberley got a consolation try for their efforts.

Pete Simmons made an appearance at prop, and seemed to enjoy the battle with his less experienced opposite man at scrum time. Throughout the game tenacious defence from scrum half Tom March put the Hornets on the front foot, even when they didn’t have the ball. The final score on a cold afternoon was 42-5 to Farnham.

“I was very proud to lead such a great bunch of lads today, a great win in a very local derby,” beamed Dan Ross, hooker and Captain. Coach Ollie Richford added “Another excellent result shows how much talent we have in this side and the momentum we are building ahead of fixtures in the league”.

Overall a great result for the mighty Hornets which keeps this winning run rolling forward. The performance from Connor Rumpson, who scored 17 points, bodes well for the future. The Hornet’s next game is against Bec Old Boys away in the league on the 2nd of March.

By Oli Richford