Men’s Match Report – Page 10 – Hammersmith & Fulham RFC

Hammers ladies bested by a tough Sutton & Epsom side

20th April 2022/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

It was a lovely, if chilly, day for a double header on Sunday. The match against S&E had been a long time coming for the 1st XV with our match before Christmas postponed due to covid.

The game began fairly evenly with both sides carrying hard and putting pressure on the breakdown. The Hammers scrum soon proved dominant with S&E under pressure, even on their own ball. However, S&E rallied and used the broken play from turnovers to their advantage. Their backs distributed well before putting their quick winger speeding around the Hammers defensive line to score. S&E showed this was their main strength in attack a short while later with a similar score to make it 0-12. Hammers then put pressure back on S&E with penalties and the breakdown and from the scrum to carry us into their 22. Strong teamwork between the forwards and backs led to Alex stepping through the defence to score with Chloe J converting to make it 7-12. The rest of that half belonged to S&E unfortunately with their speedy backline gaining them two more trys before the end of the half. Half time score 7-25.

The second half started well for Hammers with strong pressure in the S&E 22 leading to Kaye crashing the ball over from the back of the scrum, 12-24. S&E hit back through their winger not long after though, to make it 12-31. Hammers kept working through the phases, continuing to put S&E under pressure at the set piece. S&E then infringed at the goal line drop out by having a player ahead of the kicker (we’ve been burnt by this before) and had the scrum upgraded to a penalty by arguing with the ref. Katherine, always keen for a quick tap and go, took it quickly before popping it off to Kaye for her to dive over the line and score, 17-31. With it starting to feel like the game was turning in the Hammers’ favour, we upped the intensity of our attack. Alex, having moved to fullback for the second half of the game, saw an attacking opportunity after a kick from S&E. A couple of steps and a kick ahead led to what I believe is our first 50:22 of the season.

It was a glorious thing to see. The forwards kept the possession from the lineout and the backline pulled the S&E defence across the pitch. Hard work from the forwards kept the S&E defence tight, which allowed the ball to be sent out to the wing for Ellie to dot it down in the corner to make it 22-31. Knowing there wasn’t long left, Hammers charged back into the S&E 22 with hard carries and penalties gaining us ground. Unfortunately the final score was not to be, with a knock on allowing S&E to regather the ball and throw it into touch. A frustrating end to the game, much like their seemingly endless supply of subs (there was a lot of injury time in this game).

Forward of the match: Emma for her rampaging carries and excellent work in the scrum

Back of the match: Ellie for great defence tackles and a well earnt try

Hammers secure 4th place on Old Hams Day!

12th April 2022/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

The Hammers turned up on a glorious spring morning know they had something to prove, coming off the back on a poor result away down at Horsham, a result that was in no way a reflection of how the season had gone. On their part, Cobham arrived at Fortress Hurlingham off the back of a strong victory at home to Medway and were placed 7^thcompared to the hosts 4th place. With a big crowd down for Old Hams day, the beers and food digesting into the veins of the apprehensive crowd, the Hammers started well with an eloquent kick return from Peter ‘fleet foot’ Morris who burst through the open space of the lacklustre defence to offload out the back to Henry Martin who managed to collect the pass and dot down in the corner after 10 minutes. 5-0 to the men in red.

Cobham came back hard and fast and after some patient work, managed to power over after 16 mins, with the fly half missing his conversion. 5-5. Almost immediately from the kick off, Joe ‘Caravan’ Carolan found himself out on the left wing in acres of space to cruise past the first man in third gear before putting on the afterburners and cutting inside in 5^th to make the score 10-5. Like a well-oiled machine, the Caravan knew he had to impress, with a fleet of Caravans down to watch on the far side with a few plus 1s, wanting to show them what he was all about.

After some back and forth territory jousting, the Hammers kicked a penalty into the corner, leading to a well-constructed catch and drive maul before flinging the ball out wide. Up popped Tom Proctor with a quick pick and go, landing over the try like a flying salmon. This time the Caravan found his built-in dashboard sat nav and the Hammers took a deserved 17-5 lead.

Another excellent kick return after a lovely angle bending switch from Peter ‘snakehips’ Morris and Tim ‘Honeybadger’ Russell ended with a ball out wide, Caravan again taking the ‘goal-hanging’ plaudits, cutting inside and out again, evading the recent wave of Cobham stomach bugs with precision to dot down in the corner, another successful touchline conversion making it 24-5.

Into the second half and with a bonus point secured, it was an opportunity for the home side to really lay down one final marker in the penultimate game of the season. However, after conceding some early penalties, Cobham managed to get their driving maul working effectively to score two well-constructed tries in quick succession. 24-15.

Back came the wave of red attacks, with Alex ‘Spice up your life’ Spicer carrying consistently well before the parting of the Cobham defence came, like Jesus parting the red sea, in the form of our very own man of God, Russell. Caravan with the conversion to take us to 31-15. Shortly after this, came a moment of madness by Prop Idol U16 candidate Jacob ‘One Blue’ Poulton, who gathered a spilled ball before launching it with his right boot towards the home fans, marginally avoiding a screaming baby. No surprises for the winner of the DOTD nomination.

Some fantastic breakdown work from a number of the Hammers men after a good Thursday night jackal session followed by a team social (but interrupted by an unnamed blond), and things were looking positive for a strong finish. Again, however, Cobham were only really interested in playing like that tight friend who never buys you a drink at the bar, and went over with another catch and drive maul, much to the disappointment of the fans who had come out on a lovely sunny spring day expecting some running rugby from both sides. 31-20.

More patient play from the men in red followed, before Matt ‘Knome’ Newman ran a lovely ‘Gregan’ line with the skipper extraordinaire who burst through the gap, carrying a couple of defenders with him before dotting down next to the posts. Another conversion taking the game to 38-20 and a very happy Caravan lady friend on the touchline. Some more nice play down the short side followed, again with Russell and Caravan combining before Newman received the offload and dotted down over the whitewash to take the score to 45-20.

The opposition then scored 14 unanswered points, but I think they were all from lineout mauls so not much further to add. A very good evening followed, as the touring blazers of HFRFC frequented a number of the local establishments until the early hours, with one member of the club posting on the club whatsapp group the following morning about a missing house mate. You’ll be pleased to hear Mr Howe, who teaches Year 7 Geography, was found without damage.

MOTM: Tim Russell

DOTD: Jacob Poulton

Hammers 2nd XV to play in the final!

12th April 2022/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

On a cold but bright Saturday morning Hammers 2^nd XV assembled at Hurlingham Park early, after a lot of players being taped together, Hammers launched their bid to make finals day and know Rosslyn Park out of the competition.

In front of an eager crowd, we received the kick-off, managed to apply plenty of pressure with a solid attacking phase and win a penalty. This was supposed to be sent up the pitch and into touch, however landed in the hands of the opposition fullback. After winning possession back a short while later a second penalty kick failed to make touch, this lead to dick of the day, Max Dugdale, being sacked as the kicker. The pressure from Hammers was starting to tell however, and finally we broke the defense with Ricky Drewitt crossing the line for his first of three. Rosslyn Park came back at Hammers with plenty of enthusiasm and the first half was played out as a tight contest that Hammers just had the edge going into half time.

After a rousing team talk by coach Alan ‘Nugget’ Jones which consisted of telling us to be better, the second half was started well with two answered tries in quick succession, but again Rosslyn Park weren’t done and fought their way back into the game but Hammers proved to classy in the end closing the game out with a final flurry of tries, special mention has to go to the forwards for a try off a lineout maul started outside the 22 and was moving at a pace some of the pack would normally struggle to achieve in open play. Also, the attacking prowess of Ed Hayes to sidestep pretty much the entire Rosslyn Park team, starting in one 5-meter channel and ending in the other and Man of the Match Emile Binse for demonstrating some of the flair the French are renown for and make some scything runs through the defensive line. Another mention for Max Dugdale sealing his DOD award by managing to miss the conversions you would expect him to get and slotting the more challenging effortlessly.

Try Scorers: Ricky Drewitt x3, Ed Hayes x2, Rufus Falkner-Lee, George Nellany, Dermot Wallace, Emile Binse

Conversions: Max Dugdale x 6

MoM: Emile Binse

DoD: Max Dugdale

Big win for the might Hammers ladies 1st XV!

12th April 2022/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

As league newcomers this season, none of us knew quite what to expect of a ‘home-based’ Hackney squad. Despite the entire 1st XV having to wake at the crack of dawn to travel beyond South West London (the horror) we arrived in East London to pleasantly discover that the grass could indeed be greener or at least softer outside of Fortress Hurlingham. The sun was out, the wind was low and Coach Andy wasn’t wearing shorts during the warm up. Already, we knew that today was going to be vastly different from the previous week’s match.

With the London Referee Society saving arguably the best referee we’ve had til the end of the season, Hammers infringements at the breakdown didn’t go unpunished and we spent the first 5 minutes backpedalling towards our tryline due to consistent penalties. With Hackney 5m away from a score, Hammers defence fully engaged and forced the turnover, allowing us to clear our lines and regain some control.

Hard carries from the forwards suckered in the oppo at one side of the pitch, giving Sirri the chance to spin the ball out wide. Deft hands from the backs safely delivered it out to Sasha on the wing. There was still a lot of ground to make up, but she made light work of this by goose-stepping her way around Hackney, across the pitch and over into the corner for a try. Game on.

Following a well-handled restart, the backs lit up the pitch with fine lines, accuracy and pace in attack. This led to Jess C smashing through the line, handing off several people in the face and powering through tackles to score near the posts. Support? Didn’t need it mate.
Chloe J added the extras and off we went again.

Hard work from everyone in defence forced a knock on for a Hammers scrum. The technical prowess of Hackney’s tight 5 meant that all scrums felt very much like we were running up a steep mountain in flip-flops.

Despite this, we secured the ball for as long as was needed to get quick ball out. Clever looping play got it towards the wing again, allowing Sasha to make another break. Tackled just metres short, a strong support line meant that Sophie T was perfectly placed to take the offload and dot down our third of the day.

With Hackney’s restart kick not quite making 10m we had a brief Mexican stand-off where neither side wanted to touch the ball. Time stood still. The crowd went silent. We all got a little more sunburnt. Fortunately for this match report, Hackney capitulated by touching the ball, allowing us to opt for a scrum on the halfway. Joy.

The brief rest clearly did everyone some good as we held the scrum and got the ball out, allowing Chloe E to run a clear straight line down the wing for our fourth. Boom.

HT score 22-0

It was great to be ahead but as the coaches noted, 40 mins is a long time in rugby. Nothing could be taken for granted. Time to kick things up a gear and secure the win.

With Hammers pressuring the Hackney attack, strong defensive work on the edges gave us a lineout just beyond the halfway line.

Ball secured, Sirri sent a well-aimed pass out to Tappers who smashed through the first defenders before popping off to Kaye who ran through the broken defensive line to score our fifth. Chloe J added the extras once again.

Good pressure from Lucy D from a Hackney lineout forced errors in open play. Another Tappers turnover got the ball out through the hands to Sasha for our sixth. Conversion nailed again by Chloe J

A break from the speedy Hackney winger got her deep into our half, but strong defence forced a knock on and a Hammers scrum on our 22. With the scrum moving backwards, Kaye momentarily forgot where she was on the pitch and picked and went. Through some miracle, tackles were evaded and following the slowest 100m dash in history, she crossed the line for our 7th try. Chloe J added the extras.

Securing the restart, the ball got to Tappers who (again) selflessly offloaded a cracking ball to fresh-off-the-bench Bukky who had a clear line to run in and score.
Chloe J got her points haul into double digits with another conversion.

With 10 mins to go, a beautiful catch from fullback Alex W had her weaving and dummying through the Hackney half. Drawing defenders in, she offloaded to Lily B who sprinted the final metres to score our ninth try of the day.

The closing minutes of the game saw a strong defensive effort as Hackney had no less than SEVEN attempts to get points on the board. We mauled, we rucked, Eve even threw her entire body under three Hackney players to stop a score. Final big effort from Tappers again who not only ripped the ball, but ran it almost 5 metres away from the line so we could safely kick into touch and end the game.

FT score 55-0

FOTM was Tappers for her try assists and superhuman defensive effort

BOTM was Sirri for her clever control of the backline and great decision-making

Tries x 9
Bukky x 1
Chloe E x 1
Jess C x 1
Kaye x 2
Lily x 1
Sasha x 2
Sophie T x 1

Conversions x 5
Chloe J x 5

Hammers Ladies get the double over the Old Enemy!

1st April 2022/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

Spared rain on Sunday, it was still a chilly day up at Hampstead Heath where the Hammers ladies took on their long term rivals Hampstead. Conditions weren’t ideal with a boggy pitch underfoot, but given concerns earlier in the week we were glad to have both pitch and referee available so we could get playing!

Hampstead have been opposition in our league for many years now so we know they are dangerous at home. They proved this in the first 20 minutes, taking advantage of handling errors to push their way towards our line. After ferocious defence from Hammers, Hampstead eventually dived over to score the first points of the day. They missed their conversion to make it 0-5. Hammers refocused under the posts and immediately put Hampstead under pressure in their half. Hard carries from the forwards pulled their pack in, before the backs got in on the action to send Maddie in to level the score. The rest of the first half remained attritional with neither team gaining the upper hand. Things stood all square at the half time whistle 5-5.

To keep the pressure on the scoreboard, Chloe J kicked a penalty early in the first half to give Hammers a 3 point lead, 8-5. Hampstead had the chance to even the score a few minutes later but their kick was slightly less accurate, allowing Hammers to clear the line. After that Hammers kept the pressure on with excellent strength in the scrum from the pack and probing kicks from Alex’s boot. A strong carry from Hannah in the Hampstead 22 set up a lovely phase of attack with a couple of hammer balls carrying us to within 5 metres of the line. A great line from Alex saw her held just underneath the posts, setting back the ball perfectly for Carola to leap (literally) over the line for our second try. Conversion was good from Monica, 15-5 It wasn’t long before we were scoring again, this time with Sophie stealing the ball from Hampstead on their own 5 metre line and sneaking over for the try. Again a great conversion from Monica, 22-5, and now Hammers were in the hunt for that extra bonus point try. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. The cold and wind leading to a few handling errors and strong defence from Hampstead, meant that we were denied that bonus point win we all wanted. Final score 22-5.

Forward of the match was Carola for her great work around the park, strength in the scrum and excellent try scoring

Back of the match was Ella for her strong carries and awesome work in defense

Hammers 1st XV Ladies show their utter class!

1st April 2022/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

What a glorious day of rugby!

The sun was shining down on Fortress Hurlingham yesterday when the teams arrived to warm up. A warm up which was extended when the ref’s arrival was slightly delayed. But this delay didn’t impact the Hammers’ preparation, the team remaining focused, knowing that we needed to bring the intensity from the first whistle. And bring it we did with Kaye smashing her way over the Wimbledon line within the first 5 minutes. A lovely conversion by Chloe J was followed up by an equally lovely penalty kick to keep the scoreboard pressure on Wimbledon at 10-0. Hammers didn’t let up there with sustained pressure on the Wimbledon defense (including what was definitely a try by Katherine) ending with Ella crossing the whitewash, converted by Chloe to make it 17-0. Chloe E was next to get in on the action with her fast feet dancing past the Wimbledon backs to give us a 24-0 lead with Chloe J’s conversion. Strong work from the Hammers scrum put Wimbledon under more pressure in their own half and getting the ball to within a metre of the line. Strong pick and go work from the forwards ended with Charlotte hammering the ball over for a lovely score to end the first half 31-0.

The second half began as the first half finished with Chloe J this time the one to make the score. Hammers kept piling the pressure on in the Wimbledon half with excellent scrums and strong work in the breakdown keeping our ball secure. This pressure told with Tappers launching across the line to score, more than making up for her denied try in our last match. A conversion from Chloe J making it 43-0. Our discipline started to fray slightly in the last 10 minutes of the game with Wimbledon getting several penalties in a row, allowing them to make ground into the Hammers 22. After an incredible defensive effort on the line, including a great Chloe E tackle that stopped a certain try, Wimbledon eventually managed to cross the line to score. Final score 43-5.

Forward(s) of the match – Fred and Candace for incredible work rates, strong carries and tackling

Back of the match – Chloe E for great kick chasing and follow up tackles to help keep the pressure on Wimbledon

Hammers Ladies secure come-from-behind win against Medway!

1st April 2022/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

Sunday started well for the 1s with the Eight Bells putting on bacon butties to provide energy for the coach ride to Medway. Once we arrived we were greeted with bright sunshine and what felt like the beginning of a hurricane. As usual we were relegated to the child size pitch on top of the hill so there was no protection from the gale. We won the toss and decided to play into the wind and uphill to begin with, knowing that this would give us a strong advantage in the second half.

Medway kicked to us to begin the game and immediately trapped us in our half. The strong wind made it difficult for Chloe J to clear our lines and their strong running 12 put our defensive line under pressure. This pressure eventually told as Medway crashed over our line to make it 5-0. We put Medway straight under pressure with the next kick off and hammered towards their try line, however we were unable to retain control of the ball and Medway put us on the back foot as they took advantage of the conditions to trap us back in our half. Once again the pressure told and Medway managed to score and convert to make it 12-0. Half time.

aThe half time chat was clear and focused. We knew we needed to step up and we knew we had all the advantages of the conditions to close the gap. Chloe J pinned Medway back in their half at every penalty and the Hammers forwards piled on the pressure in the scrum. A scrum on the 5 metre led to a Kaye pick and go. From there the forwards hammered the line before Emma smashed her way through to make it 12-5. Another penalty 15 minutes later saw a line out 5 metres out from the Medway line. Given the windy conditions a cancel ball was called that caught Medway by surprise. Georgie and Carola made ground in the channel before Kaye dived over for the score. 12-12 with an excellent conversion from Chloe J. It was tense on the field but we knew we had the momentum behind us. Sustained pressure from Hammers over the ball and at the set piece meant that we were soon pressuring the Medway line again. Great teamwork was finished off once again by Kaye to make it 12-17!

Feeling like we had the bonus point in our grasp, and knowing there was less than 10 minutes left, Hammers went straight back at Medway from the kick off. Our strong carries told and soon we were within metres of the try line. A strong carry from Tappers bounced off the referee and over the line with Medway players piling on top of her. Much to Hammers frustration the referee pointed out he got in the way of the defensive line and then blew the final whistle rather than allowing the usual restart from that position.

A frustrating end to a well earned win but we will carry that frustration and desire to keep scoring into our next match against Wimbledon in two weeks time.

Hammers yet again take Welsh all the way in a thriller!

22nd March 2022/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

After the previous weekend’s win over Battersea Ironsides, Hammersmith and Fulham looked to take on second-place London Welsh, themselves coming to the game having lost to a tough Medway. Walking into Old Deer Park on that Saturday afternoon with the sun shining and a gentle breeze, Hammersmith and Fulham had quiet confidence that they could come away with a big win, as it had all the marking for a great day for rugby.

Taking the pitch with both sets of fans roaring for their teams, Hammersmith received the ball in their half and exited well, making Welsh play from just inside their half. Welsh began to get in their attacking structure early, going through phases until an opportunity out-wide and a missed Hammers tackle let them in. The kick was good, giving Welsh a 7-0 lead.

The Hammers’ restart did not go well, – straight into touch. The resulting Welsh scrum on the halfway line led to Welsh looking to strike another blow but Hammersmith’s defence forced them to cough up the bal. Quickly, Ross Anderson stepped up and put a quick crossfield kick in for Rich Vaughan on the wing, who chased hard and caused his opposite number to knock it on. Recovered by Hammersmith, the boys looked to for width and ran hard. Close to the line, a well-timed switch by Ross led to a 2-on-1, only to see the Welsh fullback slap the ball down down 5 meters out. Promptly shown a big slice of cheddar (not the last slice to be given out today), Welsh’s luck held with a missed lineout from Hammersmith allowing them to exit.

Welsh looked to bring more pressure through their attack but the Hammers defence stood strong, forcing them back to their own half. A rushed box kick from the welsh 9 fell into Tim Russell’s hand, which allowed the back three to expose the broken Welsh line, moving the ball to the wing to find Captain Joe Carolan with eclectic feet and pace to beat all challenges and run in for Hammersmith’s first try. The kick? Missed – 7-5.

Welsh’s restart kicked long but Hammers won a penalty of the first phase allowing a nice exit. Welsh then stole the ball back and looked to make inroads into the Hammersmith defence again. A number of strong tackles from the Hammersmith line left the Welsh looking to go wide, only for the ball to catch Tim Russell’s hand – he is sent to the walking for a 10-minute break on the side-line as the ref shows his second yellow card. Following this now with a man down Hammersmith and Fulham showed so great defence until the numbers got too much and Welsh went in again on the outside. 14-5.

The game was really starting to heat up and it looked like it could be a game for the ages with strong coming attacks from both sides as well as dynamic running. A mid-field scrum allowed Hammersmith a platform to launch a try-scoring attack but the debutant Matt Killeen, could not pull in the last pass. Scrum to Welsh; the box went up landing in Tim’s hands, he quickly went upside-down as the Welsh player tip tackled him only to be subsequently sent off the pitch for 10 minutes with some cheddar of his own.

Welsh started giving away a flurry of penalties, but the Hammers could not break through and Welsh would keep smashing the ball as long as possible with the clearing kicks, answered by the Hammers back three of Tim, Rich, and Matt to put some pinpoint kicks in return.

With the first half coming to the close and with tired bodies on both sides, Welsh han an opportunity for one last score after a missed call by the Hammers backs saw the ball flying off over the dead ball line. The 5-meter scrum pushed over, the Welsh scored again, and the afters made it 21-5 going into the sheds.

The second half started with speed as Hammersmith looked to bounce back. a sharp line out on the welsh 22 allowed Rob Vaughan to galop his way into the corner with the Mullet in full flow and keeping the winger and fullback at bay! Try!! Carolan steps up from the sideline and slots the kick to make it 21-12.

With Hammersmith conceding a penalty at scrum time, welsh looks to go to the corner. The maul was met and stopped by Hammersmith, but after throwing as many bodies at it, that allowed the welsh winger to go over in the corner. The kick this time missed, making it 26-12

Moving into the last 20 minutes of the match Welsh started to pressure the Hammers try line but with some stoic defence, Welsh elected to take 3 points and make the score 29-12. From the kick-off is Hammersmith looked to start firing on all cylinders, push on the welsh line, and get a scrum 5 meters out. The scrum platform allowed Matt Killeen to go over in the corner after some sharp lines from Pete Bicknell and fast hands again from Joe Carolan ad Tim Russell. Kicked missed making it 29-17.

Straight off the kick-off, quick hands allowed Tim Russell to get loose and make vast amounts of ground and push deep into the Welsh half, with Angus “Honk” Brown adding his barrelling run. Hammersmith looked to capitalise as Welsh give away a penalty, with Ben Dugdale quickly tapping and going and putting us on the front foot. Alex Spicer and Tom Proctor threw their bodies into carries, then the ball flies outback and with a half break and an offload, Matt Killeen goes in again for his second, (should have been third). The kick is good 29-24. Can Hammersmith and Fulham pull this one back from the brink?

The boys certainly felt we could – the restart cames and again quick hands looking to make holes in the defence of Welsh, but better yet a penalty!!! A big kick gave us some good mid-field ball off a line. Another big carry from Pete Bicknell, like he had done all day. But a miss-targeted offload almost lead to another slap down but the welsh players came up with it. Time was up and with a kick to touch that was the game, 29-24

Hammers get the double on local rivals Ironsides!

15th March 2022/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

After a narrow lost to Chichester in the previous game, Hammersmith and Fulham 1XV were looking to come back strong in their local derby against Battersea Ironsides. It was a gloomy afternoon with the rain teasing us throughout the warm-up, looking like the skies would open at any moment. At least the pitch wasn’t waterlogged which made a change from the previous few weeks and there was good support on the touchline as the 2s game was cancelled.

Hammersmith and Fulham kicked off with the wind behind them and had a strong line-out drive nearing the opposition 22 but couldn’t quite hold on to the ball. A few scrums later, the Hammers started putting some phases together with good ball retention, culminating in high-flyer Tim Russell finishing off a well worked move in the corner. First blood to the Hammers! From the kick off, Hammersmith and Fulham were unable to exit and several phases of Battersea pressure enforced some strong defence to be applied. Eventually Adam Scaffardi was able to turn the ball over and we cleared our lines. From the next scrum, scrum half Ross Anderson struck a perfectly weighted kick into the opposition 5 metre line for a 50-22, giving us strong field position. A composed lineout and drive provided the platform for a well-executed backs move for Pete Bicknell to go break through the line and score.

The Hammers put their foot to the throttle and were able to score next. After a scrum on the half way line, captain Joe Carolan put a perfectly weighted kick through to allow Pete Bicknell to score his second try of the day; one try away from the bonus point after 20 minutes. Unfortunately, Battersea were next to score through a Hammersmith handling error just outside their 22 and they were able to go 60 metres under the post. Following the restart, after a sustained period of pressure, the boys were able to score a well worked lineout drive through second row Tom Proctor to secure the bonus point! For the remaining 10 minutes of the first half, Battersea were camped in our 22, with constant ‘pick and go’s’ from the ruck and after several penalties and strong defensive effort from Hammersmith and Fulham, they eventually were able to score.

Battersea commenced the second half and were able to sustain pressure in our 22 despite a few handling errors, but we weren’t able to exit fully. The first 20 minutes of the second half were mostly played in the Hammersmith half with possession switching hands regularly and no points scored. Then after quick ball for Hammersmith and Fulham, Joe Carolan put in a ‘small dink’ which winger Tim Russell was not only able to collect but also offload back to Joe and bring us 10 metres out from the Battersea try line. The lineout was lost, nevertheless Hammersmith and Fulham were still on their 22 and after another great backs move, Tim Russell pierced the gap and was able to step the full back and score in the corner. Battersea were able to stay in touch by responding with another try after putting together a few good phases through the middle. Hammersmith and Fulham continued to apply pressure and after a break from Pete Bicknell followed by quick hands, James Lo on his 150th Hammersmith and Fulham 1XV appearance was able to score a well-deserved try in the corner. Massive congrats to J Lo! The end to end match continued with Battersea scoring fairly soon after, this time in the corner.

In the final 5 minutes, Hammersmith and Fulham really turned up the heat. Another line break from Man of the Match Angus, who had carried well all game, set up Sean McMahon to score after a cheeky inside ball from a backs move. From the kick-off, Hammersmith decided to add some flair and play out of the 22. Marshall Macleod made a great break to give Tim Russell another hatrick, a try from 70 metres out and a great way to finish the game. You may have noticed I have not mentioned conversations throughout as there were not many that were made on the day due to the ‘windy conditions’…

The 1XV now look forward to a top of the table clash away at London Welsh on Saturday 12th March.

Tries;

Tim Russell X3

Pete Bicknell X2

Sean McMahon X1

James Lo X1

Tom Proctor X1

Conversions;

Joe Carolan X3

Last 20 minutes sees 2nd XV secure strong win

15th March 2022/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

On Saturday, Hammersmith and Fulham 2^nd XV hosted Chiswick 2^nd XV in the final league game of the year. With the competition standings still undecided, there was everything to play for.

Due to the number of changes to the 2s squad, since the London Welsh game, the conventional warm up was forgone and replaced with a classic “state your name” introductory school circle. Following the exchange of pleasantries, the standard preparation resumed, but it was clear that the team was struggling to find that final spark that would bring their game to life.

Nevertheless, the game kicked off, with Hammersmith playing into the blinding sun as well as against the tempestuous wind. It was clear that the boys were facing an uphill struggle as no more than five minutes into the game, Chiswick broke the white line following an interception from just within the Hammer’s half. The attrition of the game began to take its toll on the Hammersmith forwards as both Milo Storey and Oliver Whitnell were forced to leave the field early to enjoy the ambience of A&E. We are wishing them both a speedy recovery.

The difficulties to connect that the 2s felt pre-game, clearly had carried over into the game. Despite lots of possession within the Chiswick 22, Hammersmith and Fulham squandered numerous opportunities due to poor handling, silly penalties and an errant lineout throw from Hugh Symons that landed at the feet of Max Dugdale, our fly half, securing Hugh his award of DoTD. These struggles weighed heavy on the team entering half time, however, the spirited, positive interpersonal skills of Nugget and Cookie brought some wind back to the sails of the 2^nd XV.

Those sails were immediately torn as Chiswick capitalised on a Hammersmith yellow card, scoring under the posts and turning the screws on the 2^nd XV. The game remained physical and closely contested as the game ticked over to 60 minutes with the scoreboard showing 12-12 and as the season hung in the balance both teams fought hard to break the deadlock.

It is difficult to pinpoint the factor that turned the game in the Hammer’s favour. Some would suggest it was a lightning-fast hat-trick from MoM player Ed Hayes or well worked tries for Sam Nursery and Luke Kavanaugh. Most rugby critics would agree that it was the ability of impact substitute Dougie Maxwell to stand at the back of a maul and fall over the line to score the penultimate try. Who can say? In the final quarter of the game, the stars aligned and the team found its chemistry to pull five late tries out.

The score does not represent the game and credit must be given to Chiswick for a hard-fought game to the very end. As the final whistle heralded the end of the game, the Hammersmith crowd let out a sigh of relief as the 2^nd XV managed to secure the winning bonus point. The 2^nd XV now look forward to their cup and playoff campaigns.

MoM: Ed Hayes

DOTD: Hugh Symons