Irish show their colours on the Paddock

So a short trip up the M3 and then a very long walk past several Rugby (and Gaelic Football?) pitches into another field (the “Paddock”) possibly closer to Bracknell RFC, than the London Irish clubhouse, and we found ourselves on a brand-spanking new pitch, of which any Premier League football groundsmen would have been proud.

A slight muddle over the timings of the game was overcome, and the clash of colours was ignored (at least until half time) as London Irish had a slightly subtler shade of green to that of the Bracknell team, and we were off!

Irish immediately showed what a well drilled side they were, with great work at the breakdown, and a smart willingness to run the ball at every opportunity. They were also very determined in defence and whilst disrupting the Bracknell ball at the breakdowns, they also put increased pressure onto the Bracknell runners in the midfield and out wide.

3 minutes into the game and the home side opened the scoring, with a very clever high ball kicked wide into space within the Bracknell 22m, the vagaries of a bouncing rugby ball did the rest and the chasing Irishman gathered and scored smartly out wide.

In what was to become a little bit of a theme for the team, Theo injured his shoulder in attempting to cover, and had to retire (from the first half).

Bracknell battled hard to get back into the game, and initially the home Fly-Half chose to probe the open spaces behind the Bracknell line, but on a couple of occasions found James W lurking to hoover up the ball and return with strong runs.

Up front, the home team also had some big runners and the likes of Alex, Adam, Lewis and Frazer put in a number of strong tackles to hold the attackers at bay.

Josh at Fly-half had a couple of half chances and nearly broke the line, whilst wider out Ewan and Toby found the home defence all too efficient, when they managed to get some ball. The best opportunities for advancement tended to come from the forwards and there were some strong carries from props Sam and Charlie in particular, with Sam seeming be a magnet for the loose ball on a number of occasions.

Despite the competition, Irish added a second try, when Bracknell simply ran out of tacklers after 10 minutes, adding the conversion, for a 12-0 lead that they took to half time.

The second half saw Irish turn themselves inside out and appear white, in order to assist the referees ailing eyesight, and almost immediately scored again. Good ball won by Bracknell was spilled in midfield and the onrushing opposition hacked the ball forward and scored under the posts, for a 19-0 lead.

At half time, amongst many matters arising was the issue of passing, and the use of quick ball to the flanks had been suggested, so it was with some relief that a try was recovered from doing exactly that. Possibly for the first time, a string of good passes ensued along the Bracknell three-quarter line, with Matt and Toby drawing their defenders in, and combining to give Zach a slither of space on the outside. After pulling away from two would-be tacklers he proceeded to motor down the sideline from well inside his own half and score in the corner, without any fanfare, his first try for the club. Lewis, kicking from the sideline advises that the conversion was “close”. 19-5.

Unfortunately that was to be the last time that Bracknell bothered the scorers, and with injuries and subsequent replacements further disrupting the Greens (now that we could distinguish), the Whites added two more scores for a final of 31 to 5.

London Irish are a good side, and provided a stern test for the boys this week, and certainly in the most challenging game this season, they may consider themselves outplayed in many facets of the game. It would be quite wrong however to leave it there, as the scoreline was possibly a little harsh, as the bouncing ball, and constant injuries causing much positional rotation did not help the visitors cause. It was however a good spectacle as the second half in particular was full on commitment and intent from both sides, and special mention should also be made to Kyle and Alex, for their adaptability again, and some barnstorming carries, Ed for “locking” the scrum for the whole game and giving his usual full commitment, and also to James E for his hard work in the back row.

Best wishes to our walking wounded; Theo, Adam, Josh, Tim, Matt, Charlie and Kyle.