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Photos: Adam Green
Alcuin took third place in the College Rugby Competition after a dominant second half performance saw them beat James 19 points to 10.
James started the first half strongly, but were foiled by a costly string of knock-ons and handling errors which gave Alcuin possession and the chance to clear their lines.
Alcuin nearly crossed for an early lead just after ten minutes when captain Muzzy Foley touched down in the corner after a great run down the right wing, but he was called back after the referee deemed he had placed a foot into touch.
The following lineout saw James piling pressure on Alcuin, working their way up the field with great work from the forwards. A lack of composure gave a penalty to Alcuin, who missed touch with the kick but a great chase saw them quickly turn it over and send Will Sharpe sprinting down the left wing to score beneath the posts, leaving James’ defence far behind him. Tom Chadwick converted, putting Alcuin ahead 7 points to nil.
Alcuin almost broke through again minutes later, but a great tackle from Matt Collins gave James time to sort out their defensive line. Alcuin spilled the ball trying to break out of their own half and quick hands from James saw the ball go out wide and a well timed pass from Ollie Woodward sent Hugo Watson over for James’ first try. The conversion was missed leaving the half time score 7-5 to Alcuin.
The second half saw Alcuin ramp up the pressure on James, aided by a few wild kicks from James. Alcuin nearly struck again early in the second half by winning a line out after a James penalty failed to make much distance. They were thwarted by an attempt to dart down the blind side instead of passing it out wide.
James were struggling to get out of their own half when an Alcuin infringement allowed Phil Scott to break out down the wing following a quick tap, setting up Hugo Watson for his second of the match. Another missed conversion left the score 7 – 10 to James.
Their lead wasn’t to last. James entered the ruck from the side, and Alcuin worked well from their lineout. Frasier Kirkley charged down the centre, sucking in James’ defence. The ball was spread wide and Joe Cooper crossed the line on the 30 minute mark, putting Alcuin 12-10 up with 10 minutes to play.
Alcuin proceeded to dominate the last ten minutes, keeping most of the play in the opposing half and piling pressure on James’ defence and Muzzy Foley was once again denied a chance in the corner. A minute later Alcuin stole a James lineout on 5m from the try line, and a great offload from Sam Asfahani sent Fraser Kirkley over, after stealing a James lineout. Another Chadwick conversion put Alcuin 19-10 ahead with only 90 seconds left on the clock.
Alcuin nearly crossed for a final time in the 20th minute after a beautiful piece of play between Adam Gaskell and Foley saw Gaskell through the defensive line, but he was just brought down and the game was done.
Steve Mann, the James captain, commented on the great rugby they played, but pointed to a lack of cohesion which in the end let them down. Alcuin captain Muzzy Foley described the game as a difficult “bruising encounter”, praising his teams ability to maintain their endurance, stamina and will to win.