Grosvenor RFC Notes: I XVII 6 v Lisburn RFC I XVII 3 REPORT

In an unremarkable match played in dreadful conditions on a slippery muddy pitch Grosvenor came out 6-3 winners to leapfrog Lisburn in the league table. Lisburn went ahead after only one minute when Matt Graham slotted over a penalty awarded for not releasing the ball. Both teams did their best to play rugby but neither was able to conquer the conditions and as a result the game became a stop, start battle of attrition, played between the respective 22 metre lines. Grosvenor’s Peter Davidson narrowly missed with a penalty after 20 minutes but followed this with a successful kick from 30 metres on the half hour.  Ben Coard illuminated the gloom with a scything break and scored what looked like a great try but the referee called play back for a forward pass. Half-time 3-3.

  Grosvenor scrum-half Neil Adams secures sloppy ball

The second half followed the same pattern with both teams battling to gain ground but neither able to get close to the other’s line. As the match entered the final quarter Graham narrowly missed a penalty opportunity for Lisburn while Davidson converted a penalty to extend Grosvenor’s lead. Grosvenor, who had the upper hand in the scrums all day, then pushed Lisburn off their ball fifteen metres out and were surging towards the line but the referee adjudgeed that they then deliberately collapsed the scrum. Strange. Peter Davison then made a terrific break on half-way and made twenty metres of ground but the support could not keep the move alive and the chance was gone. The conditions underfoot continued to deteriorate but Grosvenor clung on for a narrow victory.

 The Grosvenor front-row prepares for another scrum

Grosvenor stuck manfully to the task at hand today and were rewarded with their third league victory on the trot. The early season form is beginning to return and the boys can look foward with confidence to the second half of the season.

Referee Patrick Rea had a fine game