Men’s Match Report – Page 5 – Hammersmith & Fulham RFC

Hammers Women’s 1st XV razzle and dazzle against Medway

6th March 2023/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

The sun was shining down on us last Sunday as we welcomed Medway to Fortress Hurlingham. A beautiful day to be playing rugby (unless you’re in the front row).

Things got off to a flying start straight from kick off with Hammers receiving and setting up strong carries to take us out of our 22 immediately. The forwards went through their phases, driving Medway back and pulling the defence in. Alex W then unleashed the back line with quick hands setting Jess free to speed down the wing for the first try of the match 5-0. Hammers kept the pressure up, carrying hard into the Medway 22 and putting them under pressure at the set piece. A lovely cross-field kick from Alex W from a scrum on the Medway 5 metre caught their wingers napping and Jess dotted down her second in the corner 10-0. As Medway started to struggle with injuries, the tries kept coming for Hammers. Another wonderfully weighted kick from Alex put Jess under the posts again for an excellent hattrick 15–0. Chloe E was the next to get in on the scoring when a clearance kick from Medway went straight to Alex. Chloe E then put on the gas and outpaced the chasing Medway defence 22-0. The next score was also a lovely piece of backs play from a line out with hard lines fixing the Medway defence before a perfectly timed pass from Ellie H-P put Sally away to score under the posts 29-0. Finally a forward scored with Kaye bursting through the Medway defence and over the whitewash 36-0. Half-time.

With Medway rapidly losing players and having no replacements, it was agreed that we would play 10s for 20 minutes after halftime to take us to the 60 minute mark so the match would stand. Switching to 10s and the wonderful sunshine started to create a summer festival atmosphere – all that was missing was the beer instead of water breaks. Both teams took advantage of the extra space, scoring twice each to make the final 20 minutes a draw. Tara cut through the Medway defence with a lovely line and Amy D scored a classic 9 try with a quick tap and go from a penalty. 50-12 final score.

First a big thank you for Medway for coming down with 15 players and making a good game of it. A great performance for all involved – it was awesome to see so many players pulling on the 1s jersey for the first time this season and everyone made a great contribution to the match. It was a backs scoring day but it was a team performance with the hard work of the forwards creating that space out wide. All our hard work paying off, as the phases came together nicely this week. Let’s keep it up as we face up against Battersea this weekend.

Forward of the match – Georgie Colling

Back of the match – Jess Sass

Super Sub – Amy DufF

Hammers emerge victorious in local derby!

6th March 2023/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

Saturday afternoon was off to a confusing start in Hammersmith. Cries of “outrageous” were heard as Ian came to terms with warming up on a cone-less pitch; and rumor has it Alex Hart even turned up on time. Sadly, the VEO didn’t capture Ian’s warm-up withdrawal symptoms, but it did capture a beautiful kick for territory from Joe Carolan to start the game and set us up strongly in the opposition half.

Life is usually easier when you are playing in the opposition’s half of the pitch… but here at Hurlingham we don’t like an easy life. Hammers were doing their best to make life difficult. Quick successions of penalties and a lack of discipline had allowed Cornish to proceed down the field one chunk at a time.

It was back and forwards in the first half. Cornish were first to put points on the board, after an attritional period of mauling and forward carries eventually breaking the line. Hammersmith then swiftly answered back with the first of Joe Carolan’s tries, never underestimate the man who J Lo called “sneakily fast”. Hammersmith’s defense was once again tested with some strong direct carriers for Cornish’s second try. There was a suggestion that one of the Cornish players was blocking the tackler and accidentally offside. Having reviewed the VEO footage this was inconclusive…

Ross, who can usually be relied on for a kick up the metaphorical backside, was a little more subdued and quieter than usual. The colour had been drained from his, already Scottish, face by a terrible case of man-flu. Clearly the Haribo and Lucozade pre-match cocktail needed topping up. Some further pressure from the Hammers and some quick thinking and even quicker offloads put Joe back under the sticks for his second try.

At the risk of sounding too much like a football pundit, it was evidently a game of two halves. The passes that didn’t go to hand in the first half now did in the second. Those of you who have been subjected to a holiday in the sunny south-west probably know that Cornish pasties come out of the oven hot; but when they start cooling down they go cold quickly. The defensive line that faltered in the first half did not break in the second and Hammersmith showed the persistence that has earned them a top of the table spot.

Much was made of how Cornish had scrummed strongly against Old Priorian’s the prior week. The mid-week session studying the dark arts, taught by Professor Swainston, had clearly paid off. Iron sharpens iron and the Hammers pack were strong at set piece. The jury is still out on whether Pete Clarke’s new studs were the independent variable but at least we don’t have to set up a crowd-funding page for new boots anymore. The line out worked similarly efficiently; forcing a defensive turnover which Hammersmith converted into 7 points. Matt Killeen would not be denied, dragging three defenders with him, placing the ball down over the line with authority.

The gaps that had disappeared in the first half were now starting to open. Prime hunting ground for ‘snakehips’ Pete Morris waltzing through the Cornish defence for an 80m gallop. Ross, then capitalizing on this opportunity swapped his current flu for a case of white line fever, sneaking down a completely abandoned blindside secured another Hammers try.

Joe Carolan, who has now slipped to the country’s joint 5th top try scorer, is clearly on a mission to catch ‘Name Withheld’ from Valkryies ladies. He was not satisfied with only two tries for the day. Successive late strikes into the opposition half proved fruitful with a final trio of tries coming for Byrce, Ollie and eventually Carolan again. Three tries in one game is borderline excessive, but over the head offloads to Ollie Weaver are encouraged.

Hammers Women’s 1xv pull-off massive win!

6th March 2023/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

What a game. What a day. Read on for all the excitement.

It was a cold day in Southwest London as the 1XV turned up to face top of the table Battersea Ironsides. Due to poor weather in 2022, this was the first time the sides were facing each other this season so there was an element of the unknown for both teams. Hammers were feeling positive after the strong win against Medway but knew we needed to bring our best against the current best in the league.

The 1st half set the tone from kick off with hard carries and tackles bringing the intensity from both teams. The first 20 mins were a bit of an arm wrestle with Hammers firmly camped in the Battersea half but unable to convert and Battersea unable to make much progress. Eventually Battersea started to lose some composure and penalties allowed Hammers to make progress closer to the line.

Another penalty on the five metre allowed Georgie to make a classic front row try with a hard, low carry to land the ball ‘just’ on the line. Conversion from Alex made it 7-0. The rest of the first half remained tight with possession changing fairly frequently. The other dramatic moment of the half was Tappers managing to get herself Dick of the Day by attempting to clear the ball out of the Hammers 22 with a fairly dodgy kick, despite the fact that Alex was waiting behind to clear. Half time score 7-0.

Hammers came out aggressive again in the 2nd half, kicking off and chasing Battersea down. We kept them pinned in their half again and turned the ball over to give ourselves a great platform to attack. A strong scrum kept their forwards penned in so we could send the backs into space. Great ball distribution saw Miyen score in the corner in her first outing for the 1XV. Alex kicked an excellent conversion to make it 0-14. Battersea weren’t going to be kept out of the game for long however, and as a few mistakes creeped into the Hammers game, Battersea moved up the pitch. A couple of penalties gave them solid field position and despite a good defensive effort, their centre eventually cut through to score under the posts. 7-14.

Encouraged by this Battersea took it to Hammers, forcing Hammers to put on a epic defensive effort to hold them out and turn the ball over. Hammers went straight back at them – pulling the forwards in with multiple phases of hard carries before the backs looked to move it around. A couple of lovely cross-field kicks from Alex nearly paid off, before she decided to just go herself and stepped through the stretched Battersea defence to score. Converting her own kick made the final score 7-21.

Forward of the match – Ellie H-P

Back of the match – Alex W

DoD – Tappers

Close, but no cigar for the Hammers Women’s 2nd XV…

6th March 2023/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

Last Sunday Hammers 2XV took the short-ish trip to Chesham, playing a team that haven’t come up against a Hammers Women’s squad for a good few seasons. We’re adjacent in the table so we knew it was going to be a tight game, but as always the aim was to enjoy ourselves, playing good and competitive rugby.

Hammers started strong with early pressure and a penalty in an attacking position. Early surges forward resulted in a clear opportunity with an overlap created by some great forwards play. The backs lined up the grubber, which resulted in a gap opening up for Tara to sneak through under the posts. Successfully converted to make it 7-0.

We quickly learnt that Chesham weren’t going to let us run away with the game. Their carries were strong, they came onto the ball at pace and focused on their key carriers making ground. Despite a mammoth defensive effort that lasted for the majority of the rest of the first half, Chesham were able to flip the momentum and scored 3 tries (2 converted) in similar fashion. 7-21.

Hammers had their mental fortitude tested just before half time with a nasty injury to Krushi, who was having an outstanding game (we love you Krushi!). Never ones to back down, we came back out of the blocks in the second half with a renewed sense of focus and determination. Chesham didn’t relent, and another driving try took them to 7-26 ahead. Then came the resurgence of Hammers, we figured out how to break Chesham down – using our pace and agility to outrun them. A period of dominance from Hammers resulted in 3 tries – with Liv, Cloe and Lucy scoring. This took us into the lead, 28-26.

We unfortunately hadn’t quite got the measure of the Chesham attack, and two more tries in the last quarter of the game built their score to 28-38. Again, our resilience came through and Rachel touched down to bring us back within a score of drawing level/winning. 35-38.

Time was against us and the final whistle blew before we could mount a last attack, final score 35-38.

It was a massive effort from the whole squad to stay close in this game, especially as we were on the back foot for long periods of time. We’ve shown improvement every week and this week was no exception. We go again in 2 weeks time! TWOOSH.

Back of the match: Cloe Ragot

Forward of the match: Laurel Dunn

Blisters, Bonus Points & a Belter!

13th February 2023/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

Only 2 hours before beers were being drunk and a very out of tune rendition of Gerry Cinnamon’s ‘Belter’ poured out of changing room 6, there was a huge task ahead of the men in red at Fortress Hurlingham.

On a slightly warmer Saturday, 2 weeks after a 1-point loss to Old Priorians, Hammers were up against a very tough London Irish opposition who had only recently beaten Old Priorians by 1 point themselves. A late change to the line-up saw Ash Mitchell replace Pete Clark at 6 due to illness and Pete Morris back in the starting line-up at 10 after a knee injury in September. London Irish kicked off and very early on earned a penalty which got the scoreboard underway – 3-0 Irish. Hammers knew they needed a response and after a scrappy first 10 minutes, it was Bryce Morgan on the end of some slick hands and some good pace to touchdown in the corner. 5-3 Hammers.

Soon after however, Irish earned themselves another penalty in the Hammers half and pulled themselves back ahead thanks to the boot of Henry Fuller. 6-5 Irish. Another response needed by the Hammers and that was what they got. The frantic start to the game began to turn into control and maturity, which after some good build up play and strong carrying, Josh Smith crossed the whitewash for his 7^th try of the season (watch out Joe Carolan). It wasn’t long though before some more ill discipline saw Fuller put the ball through the uprights to pull the scoreboard back to within 3 points. HT 12-9 Hammers.

Both teams stayed out on the field for half time and after a handful of Haribo’s the second half was underway. The ironically named pick & go call of ‘NAILS!’ from Irish Hammered the Hammers defence. Some more steady build up play led to Bryce Morgan limping over the line for his second try due to blisters from his new boots. 17-9 Hammers. The momentum was with Fulham and after a brilliant turnover from Pete Morris, they made good use of some more possession as Man of the Match Ross Anderson touched down to make it 24-9 Hammers. Irish then awoke and came right back with some heavy carrying to make it 24-16. Game back on.

This is when the Tuesday night fitness sessions started to show though, men in green limped off but Hammers did not take their foot off the gas. It wouldn’t be a Saturday without a try from Joe Carolan and he got what he deserved after some good footwork and a moan of disappointment from Irish, the scoreboard looked a little healthier again. 31-16 Hammers. An AC joint injury to Will Donegan saw the return of Zak Underwood to the front row, and the Irish scrum was going backwards. However, some more ill-discipline gave Irish 3 points to add to their tally and they were back to within 2 scores. 31-19 Hammers. A smart penalty kick of our own soon took the gap to 15 points again with 5 mins to play. 34-19 Hammers.

In a frantic final few minutes, Irish pulled a try back making it 34-26. The kick-off was put deep into the Irish half and some nervy phases were well attached & defended by both teams. A turnover meant Hammers had possession 15m out from the Irish line – both wingers Tim Russell & Matt Killeen screaming for the ball to come wide, which meant it had to pass through the hands of 106 cap man Andrew Rogan. It seemed he had ideas of his own however, charging forward before changing his mind last second and managing to free the ball to Matt Killeen who made his way through 2 defenders to seal the 5 points for Hammersmith & Fulham. Full Time 41-26 Hammers.

Two clubs, both alike in league…

13th February 2023/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

Two clubs, both alike in league,
In fair West London, where we play our scene,
From an ancient Hammers home win break to new mutiny,
Where OPs big hits made quick Hammers hands unclean.
From forth the line speed of these two foes
A pair of star-cross’d centres take their tries;
Those misadventured lineout overthrows
Do with their length bring their coaches’ strife.
The fearful passage of the Hammer’s near-mark’d breaks,
And the continuance of their opponents’ rage,
Which, but the Ref’s whistle end, nought could remove,
Is now the one hour twenty traffic of our veo replay;
The which if you with eagle eyes attend,
What most shall miss, our write up shall strive to mend…

1^st Half. Old Priorians RFC. 1^st Team Pitch. – 04:23 minutes in

Hammersmith and Fulham kicked off to Old Priorians, 1^st and 2^nd place respectively in Regional Thames 1, armed with feet and flair.

Old Priorians – 12:36 minutes in

After an opening 8 minutes of back and forth with both sides showing potential but meeting stern defence the OPs gained a chance at a 45m penalty kick, which was well taken by their 10.

OPs 3 – 0 Hammers

Old Priorians – 27:17 minutes in

After further ping and pong, Déjà vu emerged as another long penalty chance was presented for the OPs 10 around 40 metres out. This time missed, the Hammers recognised the need for caution in our own half.

OPs 3 – 0 Hammers

Old Priorians – 35:29 minutes in

Straight off an innocuous scrum a neat offload through the Hammers tackle let OPs centres join up and evade cover to make 30 metres to the line. The first lapse in the Hammers defence, and the pressure mounted. Some saving grace as the OPs 10 again faltered in the wide conversation.

OPs 8 – 0 Hammers

Hammers – 53:30 minutes in

After much more a muchness the Hammers made a push in the final act of the first 40. Two breaks in under a minute showed the danger the Hammers could pose, with the line twice tantalisingly close. But OPs dug in and covered well, forcing a spill and the close of the half.

Teams exit for halftime

OPs 8 – 0 Hammers

2^nd Half begins – 60:57 minutes in

After a halftime talk Henry V would be proud of, the Hammers came out intent make amends for the frustrations and near-misses of the first half.

Old Priorians kick off to Hammersmith and Fulham with an 8 point lead and 40 minutes to play.

Hammers – 68:09 minutes in

Capitalising on a scrum in good field position 10 metres from the OPs line the backs generated quick ball from the resulting ruck. Hart, the Hammers most eligible second row/back row/centre then made it wide to take the pass from Doctor Steve, apply the acceleration, and make it over the line in the corner just ahead of OPs covering party.

Despite lining up with the corner flag Captain Caravan fired a corker between the posts to bring Hammers just one point behind OPs.

OPs 8 – Hammers 7

Hammers – 77:00 minutes in

With the game finely balanced after OPs quelled the Hammers’ post half-time momentum drama erupted as OPs capitalised on a loose ball to break from the halfway into the Hammer’s 22. A good chase led to a turnover and a moment of opportunity missed by Hammers as OPs piled into the ruck. The Hammers usual vision missed the mismatch as six fast players lined up against tree of the OPs front five across 50 metres of space. Unfortunately, orthodoxy prevailed and hammers box-kicked marginally clear leaving hindsight to rue what could have been. OPs then took another shot at the Hammers line but were held out before play returned to more neutral ground.

Hammers – 100:20 minutes in

As the final whistle closed in the Hammers eventually got the break they’d been working for with a penalty 40 minutes out in front of the posts. Caravan stepped up again and claimed the 3 points, pushing Hammers ahead with just under 10 minutes to play.

OPs 8 – Hammers 10

Old Priorians – 102:03 minutes in

Alas, the Hammers lead was short lived. OPs kicked off and Hammers gathered but got caught napping as the catcher got caught and isolated with the OPs 7 forcing a penalty for holding on in front of the posts. This time the OPs 10 didn’t miss, and returned the lead to the home team.

OPs 11 – Hammers 10

The Final Whistle – 109:44

With everything on the line the final minutes passed slowly, but unfortunately for the Hammers were all too reflective of the game as a whole. Each side cancelled the other out, OPs kick chase playing for field position and Hammers inaccuracies limited their ability to beat the defensive line on the return despite extended possession.

Hammers lost the ball in contact a final time and OPs kicked it clear for the ref to blow the full-time whistle.

Final Score OPs 11 – Hammers 10

Prologue:

Despite being setback by another 1-point loss, Hammers still have the league title in their sight. With three home games in a row following the final break week of the year the boys will be ready to make amends.

Hammers 4s give Wasps a sting!

13th February 2023/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

The date is 14th January and the mighty 4’s took a trip west to face a fierce (and ageing?) Wasps side who had a lot more to offer than anticipated. Hopes in the team were high following on from last weekends win over a strong Belsize Park team. We were lucky to find out that we would be playing on the 4G pitch because al the other pitches had been turned into swimming pools.

The game started with a strong outfit who were tested in defence. For the first 25 minutes of the game, the Hammers saw little of the ball, with some hard carries from the Wasps pack. Despite a constant onslaught, the Hammers defence proved impenetrable with some super shots going in from Rory and many others to deny Wasps 2 tries early on. However some penalties allowed them to take an early 3-0 lead. Turns out that sidelined captain Seb Moneys prediction that “the crusty old c*nts in their back line would offer us nothing” turned out not to be 100% true. After this first possession-less stint, the 4’s soon got some ball and the points started to roll in, with some super assists from Heapsy and company to put the Hammers 3 tries up in the first half.

Half Time score Hammers 21-Wasps 3

In the second half it was a similar story with rolling subs occurring and a tenacious Wasps attacking display rewarding them with a try late on in the half. Particular second half shout outs go to Will Gibbs for managing to channel his inner Haskell and run into the post instead of scoring, and to Joe Pearce for an excellent propping debut surviving a total of 1 scrum before being subbed off again due to a lack of practice. Two late tries and a late attack from Wasps gave them a final consolation score.

The game ended a well deserved 35-13 win to the Hammers – uppa 4’s!

Hammers Women’s 1st XV travel far to come up short against Hackney

13th February 2023/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

It was another wonderfully cold and windy day for rugby when the Hammers made their way across London to face Hackney. It had been a tight victory to the Hammers when Hackney visited Hurlingham so we knew we were in for a tough battle. That was true straight from the off. Hard carries and hits disrupted the structure of both teams with many (many) scrums needed. It was a tight arm wrestle in the forwards up front with neither side wanting to concede an inch. However, eventually Hackney managed to break the deadlock with a break on the outside to score. 5-0. Hammers came straight back, camping out in the Hackney 22 for the rest of the first half to put pressure on the hosts but were unable to convert pressure into points.

After regrouping at half time Hammers took it straight to Hackney. Ill-discipline from the hosts allowed Hammers into the 22 and tight pod work drew the forwards in. Quick ball out to the backs allowed a strong carry from Kaye to crash over the line. The conversion was unsuccessful keeping the score level at 5-5. Hackney weren’t deterred by this and continued to bring the intensity. After possession changed hands multiple times, Hackney made their way back into the Hammers 22. Quick ball from their 10 and sharp offloading put their winger into space and over the line once again 12-5. Hammers attempted to rally but a rising penalty count led to a team yellow card for Chloe J. After another penalty confusion allowed Hackney to take a quick tap giving them the space to cut through the retreating Hammers defence and score 17-5. While Hammers continued to fight through to the last minute, it wasn’t to be.

A disappointing day but we go again this weekend against Wimbledon at home. See you there.

Hammers Women’s 2nd XV toil hard against class Barnes side

13th February 2023/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

The 2s trip to Barnes this week was sure to be a tough game, facing an oppo who are challenging for the top of the table this year (and who’s 2s we played only 2 seasons ago in NC3!).

As anticipated, Barnes came at us from kick off with early pressure. Their speed and physicality made it tough for Hammers to build any consistent offence to match. Despite some strong carries, and lovely backs moves with fast hands, Barnes’ pressure eventually told and they broke the deadlock.

Every single Hammer put in a shift that would make the club proud, doing their best to compete with a team that wouldn’t look out of place in Champ 2 (and probably will be next year!). The vibes throughout the team were immaculate, with heads held high throughout our toughest match to date. We know what we’re aiming for, and will learn from games like this.

Onwards to London Welsh, a key battle for the 2s with the club coming together to support! We move #TWOOSH.

A Glorified Game of Stuck in the Mud

19th January 2023/in Men's Match Report, Senior News

Hammersmith & Fulham made the trip up to Watford this weekend to what can only be described as a fierce London derby against Fullerians. The home side have proven themselves as strong opponents this season with notable victories against Old Priorians and Belsize Park. With this in mind, the boys from West London prepared themselves for what would be a major test in the club’s journey to success this season, and a possible turning point to re-igniting the teams early form in the league.

On arrival, the gravity of the situation hit the boys as hard as a Tuesday night fitness session from Ian Burbedge. Soon after arrival, the squad were quickly made aware that all pitches were flooded except for one… this was not what Hammers wanted to hear given their fairly unproblematic and successful performance in the league so far, number 5 second row looked especially worried as he pulled out his molds ready for a day of scrummaging in the mud.

As predicted, Fullerians came out pumped up for a battle and set the tone with some strong early carries into a stern opposing line, this was followed by some kick tennis, ending with a line out for Hammers in enemy territory. Tommy Proctor licked his lips with anticipation as he began to dream up the fabulous line out to follow, which was executed perfectly. However, the following maul set up went straight to ground, referee awarding the first of many scrums, and such began the long game of stuck in the mud.

Hammers were first to draw blood in the game early after 13 mins following a great steal challenging the Fullerians disorganised line out. They quickly shifted the ball to the edge attacking with great pace in the backs and then quickly turned inwards punching holes through the Fullerians back line until Jacob Poulton carried the ball (and two or three defenders) across the line with him to put the reds up by 5. Joe Carolan followed up with the conversion, which unbeknownst to him at the time, gave the best conversion rate so far this season at 100%, and we can only wish this continues.

However the home side didn’t wait long to respond and the clean sheet for Hammers was dirtied only minutes after their own score. Fullerians struck initially through their strong scrum pushing Hammers back into their own 22. Following some strong defense from the away team, Fullerians eventually attacked the blind side and scored through a fabulous offload opening up the space for their winger to finish on the touchline. Luckily the conversion didn’t go over, leaving the score at 5-7, which it remained until the final whistle.

Following the score from the home side, the weather worsened leading to poor handling from both sides. Along with some turnstile defense from the away team the home side were able to continue pushing forward and exerting their strength in the scrums. Hammers subsequently made a change to the front row to attempt to combat the Fullerian dominance in the scrum with the strength and experience of Andrew Rogan, at the sprightly age of 41 and 100 caps for the club… He was subsequently yellow carded 5mins later.

More exhilarating scrummaging continued after half time on the ever-deteriorating pitch with plenty of errors in attack from both sides. Returning winger Matt Killeen took great pleasure in dishing out his signature chat to his opposite number and hunted the next of 6 tries that would get him back to top dog in tries for the season, however it just wasn’t meant to be.

Late in the day Fullerians earned themselves a penalty 30 meters out with the chance to take the lead but couldn’t convert and some determined defense and control on the ball got Hammersmith & Fulham through to the final whistle and four points to put them 12 up at the top of the league.

This week H&F are at the fortress of Hurlingham Park facing Aylesbury hoping to emulate their away victory of 53-24 over the side back in October.

Man of the Match – Bryce Morgan

Nause of the Match – Rogan