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Photos: Jack Western
Derwent beat James 60-5 in an excellent game of rugby on 22 Acres. The conditions were ideal for running rugby and both teams made the most of this, resulting in an entertaining match.
The opening minutes of the game were tight, with neither side dominating the other. James captain Charlie Burton looked sharp, distributing the ball well to his powerful backline.
Strong running from the Derwent backs meant they had possession deep in James’ half. Scrum half Cameron Strange, sensing a gap, went on a sniping run from a ruck. The Derwent skipper showed great pace and touched down under the posts. Fly half Kristian Elgheim, who was impressive throughout, converted to make the score 7-0 to Derwent.
James responded immediately though, and put Derwent under pressure from the restart. James fly half Burton kicked over the Derwent defensive line, and they regathered possession quickly.
The ball came to Burton who sent a long pass wide to centre Alex Renwick. Renwick straightened his line and sent a deft pass wide to winger Harry Bullock. Bullock showed great pace and strength to shrug off the Derwent tackles and finish smartly in the corner.
The game was then dominated by forward play, with Derwent forwards Tom Brent and Nick Wright both carrying strongly. Five metres out, Derwent caught their own lineout set up a maul. The forwards rumbled over and hooker Will Orchard scored the try in the corner.
At 12-5, the game was poised in the balance, with James matching Derwent in both intensity and physicality. James flanker Matt Stehrenberger was influential at the breakdown, disrupting Derwent’s possession and slowing down their ball.
It took a moment of magic from Derwent full back Hugo Marino to swing the game in Derwent’s favour.
Marino gathered a loose kick on the halfway line and embarked on a mazy run. On route to the try line, Marino evaded five James tackles before dotting down under the sticks. Elgheim converted the score to make it 19-5 to Derwent.
Derwent now began to control the game as James tired as the half wore on. A powerful pick-and-go try deep inside the James 22 resulted in Orchard barrelling over for his second of the game. This try took the score to 26-5 with only two minutes left until half-time.
This, however, proved to be enough time for Marino to score his second. Derwent centre Alex Cochrane-Dyet timed his inside pass to perfection, and Marino took the ball at pace. He outsprinted the covering James defence ensuring that Derwent went into halftime leading 33-5.
The second half carried on where the first half finished. The partnership of Strange and Elgheim was key to Derwent’s success as they looked to move the ball wide after a couple of phases through the forwards.
The Derwent backline then combined well once more, showing soft hands, releasing Marino who outpaced the James defence to seal his hattrick. James then embarked on a good spell in the game, retaining possession well.
James fullback Nicol had a superb game in both defence and attack. After a kick from skipper Burton, Nicol gathered the ball on the left wing and raced for the corner. He was denied a try only by an outstanding covering tackle from Derwent’s Strange, who forced the knock on and relieved the pressure.
At this point, Derwent utilised their substitutes bench, making several changes in both the pack and the backline. James, who were ravaged by injury and had no remaining subs, did not have the same luxury and they began to tire in the closing twenty minutes.
Soon after, the floodgates began to open as the tiring James team couldn’t match the renewed intensity the Derwent subs provided. Elgheim timed a flat pass beautifully, sending Cochrane-Dyet through a gap. The centre capped his fine performance with a deserved try.
The next try was arguably the pick of the bunch, with winger James Pilkington finishing an excellent team try which saw forwards and backs combining with good passing. Elgheim scored a try shortly after, darting over from ten metres after a quick penalty.
James, however, refused to give in as their defensive line repelled Derwent repeatedly in the closing stages of the game.
In the closing minutes of the game, the match was soured by a red card for a James player who was dismissed for an attempted punch. From the resulting penalty, Marino scored his fourth try after gliding through a gap in the James defence. Elgheim converted this last try, making the final score Derwent 60 – 5 James.
After the game, James captain Burton said “Obviously we’re disappointed with the loss but I’m hugely proud of the boys. We put in a great shift with only sixteen players. We had two periods of good play but unfortunately we couldn’t maintain it for the whole match.”
Derwent captain Strange praised James for their performance; “It was a very competitive game in the opening twenty-five minutes. Our strength in depth really showed though, and our support play bettered as the game went on. We’re really pleased with that performance, especially ahead of our final game against Halifax on Wednesday.”
For the opening twenty-five minutes James matched Derwent, with the score locked at 7-5 for a substantial period of the first half. Derwent, though, sustained this intensity for the duration of the match and the depleted James squad couldn’t match them.
The last week of fixtures serves up some mouth-watering clashes between the colleges. Derwent take on Halifax in the title-decider on Wednesday 20th whilst James and Vanbrugh battle it out for third place on the following Wednesday.
With the league being competitive down to the final week, College Rugby seems to be at an all-time high. If this continutes into the Spring term, the rugby matches at the College Varsity against Durham promise to be must-see fixtures.