Hornets hurting after poor first half performance

Farnham welcomed Old Mid-Whitgiftians to Monkton Lane on warmer December day. This was in marked contrast to the extremely cold weather of the past week that saw limited training on frozen ground.

The warm-up before the game was lacklustre and the Hornets perhaps lacked some focus. The game started and opening exchanges were mixed. Farnham started well in open play but found it difficult at the set-piece.

The Hornets played well in the forwards in open play, with good carrying from Craig Macey and Richard Philips. OMWG were more inclined to rely on the pace of their backline, and early mistakes masked a strong attack. Henry Milas played well in midfield, tackling all day long, including one crunching hit that left his opposite man briefly dazed.

Either through counter-attacking or fast hands from ruck situations, the ball found it’s way to the OMWG centres and wings who ran hard at the backline. Slick offloads and running lines ruptured Farnham’s defence and despite some robust cover talking by Will Cameron-Lewis and Rob Brown, the Hornets conceded a raft of tries in the first half.

The introduction of Sid Cranstone solidified the scrum and tipped the balance in Farnham’s favour. Seb Murray came on in the second half and made the lineout his own, as well as running well with the ball in hand.

Greg Mungall, out of position on the wing, played particularly well catching numerous kicks and running them back into the heart of the defence. On one occasion he absorbed a big hit in midfield, but to his credit he got up immediately and scored on the next occasion that he received the ball. This try was a well worked move by Farnham, drawing defenders to the right with powerful forward play, before distributing all the way along the line to score in the far left corner.

Ollie Brown attempted to cover a kick through, but as is the case with rugby balls, it bounces awkwardly and into the arms of the opposition who put down the ball for a score.

The tenacity the Hornets showed in the second half was embodied by hooker Dan Ross, and his marauding try, late in the game. He powered through multiple tackles, stopping just short of the line and setting up a ruck. A few blunted carries later, he picked up again and grounded the ball over the whitewash through sheer force of will if nothing else.

Overall the second half was very strong and Farnham should reflect on the first half of the season that they have the skill and character that can make them unbeatable when we use both at the same time.

The final score was 36-18 to Old Mid-Whitgiftians.

Written by Oli Richford