Sat 10 Dec 2016
Tribute Somerset Premier
Bristol Harlequins Weston United
The United travelled to the far side of Bristol (easy little journey for me!!) to bottom of the table Bristol Harlequins, on a very wet and dreary day. Expectations were high, but clearly Sat Nav’s weren’t quite working again were they Sam Light?! I’m sure Bristol Saracens wondered what was going on when you rocked up…!
Clearly the weather had traffic implications and delayed warm up set a bit of a tone for the day. But fair play to Harlequins, they gave everything in a match where they could easily have snuck a draw at the end!
Their captain (one of Adam Godfrey’s “work friends”) informed me after the game that this was the strongest team they’d put out all season… and it was quite hard to see how they were winless with the team on display.
The lovely red mud of Harlequins wasn’t too bad considering the level of rain, but both sides locked in an arm wrestle of a first half which resulted in Harlequins being 3-0 to the good courtesy of a decent penalty kick.
The United seemingly weren’t learning that body height into contact needed to be lower, with the strong Harlequins forwards holding a number of balls up to force a turnover. It was quite an uneventful half of rugby, apart from numerous refereeing decisions that left both sides baffled.
The second half started more brightly… and the rain even stopped for about 5 minutes I think! Weston started to string some phases together, and looked more like the team in 2nd spot playing the team that were bottom.
However, good Harlequins defence and a repeat of the turnovers from the first half prevented a score. That was until a scrum 10m out from their line. A very simple backs move with Marcus Nel fixing 2 defenders and giving Nauris Berzins (good to have you back Chuck) a short pop ball, after Chuck had cut a great line to glide through and score.
George Chapman added the extras. Twenty minutes left to play and a glimmer of a 4-try bonus point in sight…!
Weston then got back within 5m of the Harlequins line after some strong carries by Ramaz Rukhadze, Dave Bird and Rich Ford. Awarded a penalty the decision was made to kick, and Chappers duly stepped up and slotted the 3 points.
The rest of the match was a bit of a non-event for the United. However, Harlequins went close on a couple of occasions, with only strong defence and reorganisation preventing a score.
All in all, not the greatest performance by any stretch… but a win is a win and that’s the first half of the season done. And the best half of a season the United has had since I’ve been back for the past 7 years.
Defensively the lads have been phenomenal conceding on average 11 points a game. Attacking wise we have been great from first phase, but at times have been guilty of a glory seeking during phase play. So, pat yourselves on the backs lads for a job well done so far…
Next week we entertain Gordano at The Rec, with Messrs Burge and Hurd returning to their old stomping ground. Looking forward to a pint (or eight) after the game, but a more clinical and polished performance is needed to go into the Christmas break feeling content.
Weston United scorers - tries: Nauris Berzins; con: George Chapman; pen: George Chapman
