Vanbrugh recorded their second win of the season this afternoon, beating Alcuin 32-0 in a hard-fought match on 22 Acres. The conditions were perfect; glorious blue skies coupled with no wind allowed both teams to play a fluid style of rugby in what proved to be an entertaining encounter.
In the opening few minutes, Alcuin looked like the stronger side as they retained possession well and starved Vanbrugh of the ball. After a knock-on by Alcuin, Vanbrugh were awarded a scrum just inside the Alcuin half.
The Vanbrugh forwards dominated the first scrum, and this set the trend for a great day of scrummaging for the men in purple. From the scrum, Vanbrugh went wide through full-back Julian Wickert, who picked a great line and sliced through the Alcuin defence.
Vanbrugh, now well inside the opposition 22, recycled the ball quickly through pods of forwards. Five metres out, Tom Frost broke away down the blind-side and finished superbly, touching down in the corner. With a difficult kick from the touchline, Frost was unable to convert his own score.
From the restart, Vanbrugh prop David Greenfield gathered the ball well and barrelled into the Alcuin defence. A scrappy ten minutes ensued, with the breakdown becoming messy and neither side really being able to stamp their authority on the game. Alcuin used their forwards to good effect, with their strong runners regularly getting their hands on the ball.
In the lineout, both teams won their own ball in what proved to be a good day for both hookers. Vanbrugh often looked to maul from the lineout but Alcuin quickly cottoned onto this tactic and managed to nullify this threat.
In what appeared to be an inconspicuous ruck near the touchline, Vanbrugh prop Ollie Meakin emerged with the ball somewhere near the halfway line. With the pitch open in front of him, Meakin showed excellent pace and ran in for a try to make the score 10-0 to Vanbrugh.
In the closing minutes of the half, Alcuin applied some pressure to the Vanbrugh try line. The Alcuin fly-half chipped the ball over the Vanbrugh defence and chased his own kick. He managed to beat the Vanbrugh defenders to the ball but unfortunately was unable to gather the ball for what would have been a certain try.
At halftime, Vanbrugh made some changes, altering the backline to try players out in different positions. Alcuin, who were unfortunately depleted, didn’t have the same luxury and as the half wore on some of their team began to tire.
Vanbrugh began the second half brightly, exerting pressure on Alcuin from the off. The link-up play between the Vanbrugh forwards was excellent, with the backrow of Frost, Oscar Coyle and Henry Hall linking up well in attack. Second rows Matt Roberts and Jordan Perkins also showed deft hands, keeping the ball alive well in the contact area.
Deep inside Alcuin’s half, Vanbrugh were awarded a penalty for a breakdown infringement from the men in red. Quick-thinking scrum half Toby Dyke spun the ball out to Brian Cunningham, who showed electric footwork to evade the Alcuin defenders and dot down under the posts. Frost duly converted to make the score 17-0 to Vanbrugh.
Alcuin soon lost a couple of players to injury, resulting in Vanbrugh lending their opponents two forwards for the remainder of the game. Vanbrugh spent the rest of the match camped in the Alcuin half, displaying their superiority in the scrum. Hooker Curtis Hodgson had a fine game, taking several scrums against the head.
After Vanbrugh won one of these such scrums, the ball went wide through the backs with centre Danny Mills, impressive once again, being hauled down short by a great covering tackle. Dyke switched play back inside, utilising his forwards well. After a couple more phases, Alex Millar found a yard of space and darted over from close range to score.
After the restart, Vanbrugh once more found themselves with the ball just outside the Alcuin 22. The ball was moved through the hands quickly, with Vanbrugh winger Rey Bayerlein sprinting down the right touchline. Bayerlein headed for the corner, only to be denied a try by a fantastic covering tackle by the Alcuin winger.
After several phases of dogged play, with both teams turning the ball over, Vanbrugh secured possession ten metres from the Alcuin line. Greenfield and Roberts both carried strongly, ably supported by flankers Hall and Coyle, but were brought down a couple of metres short. The ball was shipped to Millar, who dummied the pass and ran in for a try under the posts.
In the final minutes of the match, Vanbrugh were once more camped inside the Alcuin half. After good passing from the backline, winger Tom Bennett looked to be away in the corner only to be hauled down metres short by the Alcuin full back.
In the final play of the match, Vanbrugh were awarded a scrum ten metres out with a big blindside. Number eight Frost picked right and showed his strength to charge over for his second try of the match.
Alcuin, who were ravaged by injury before and during the match, played well until fatigue got the better of them. If they can nurse their players back from injury, they’ll be a strong outfit who can challenge any team in the league.
Vanbrugh, who have now secured back-to-back victories, are looking stronger and stronger as the season wears on. Their final match of the season is against James in a fortnights time and this promises to be a thrilling encounter.
Vanbrugh scorers: Frost x2, Millar x2, Cunningham, Meakin.