1st XV match Report

Having lost 23-3 to Saracens back in October, the 1st XV had a chance to set the record straight and to put some space between themselves and the bottom sides. It was clear that conditions would not be conducive to flowing rugby – the snow had stopped by kick-off but it remained bitterly cold and the pitch, already boggy from recent downpours, quickly deteriorated due to the large amount of scrums and lineout mauls. The 1st XV were buoyed by the return of former captain Mike Healy for his first game of the season, giving the home pack a steelier edge against an opposition who had outplayed the Barnet forwards at the breakdown in the corresponding fixture.

For the first game in a while, Barnet started strongly and put pressure on Saracens straight from the kick-off. The early exchanges were fairly even, with both back lines trying to find territory via the boot. It was obvious from the early stages that territory would be crucial and the side that conceded fewer penalties and made fewer mistakes would probably come out on top. In case any further proof was needed, when Barnet gave away a penalty in a seemingly “safe” area of the field around 40m out, the Saracens fly-half slotted the kick with ease, giving the visitors an early lead. However, the 1st XV responded almost immediately as Robbie Cameron kicked a penalty from around 30m out.

Saracens arguably had the better of the remainder of the first-half and made several skirmishes into the Barnet 22m, mainly through penalties kicked into the corner. However, as we have often seen this season, the Barnet defenders swarmed around anything in a red shirt and the forwards put their bodies on the line to counteract the visitors’ potent lineout drive. The solidity of the Barnet defence seemed to take the wind out of the sails of the Saracens forwards and by the end of the half, the 1st XV were beginning to gain the upper hand in the scrums, with Dan Taylor, playing his first game of the season at hooker, taking a couple of scrums against the head, and started to demonstrate that they had a lineout drive of their own. A Saracens forward was yellow carded for an illegal attempt to stop one such drive and that gave the Barnet forwards a numerical advantage to go with the psychological edge.

The second-half remained a closely fought affair as the back lines continued to probe for territory. The first scoring opportunity came 15 minutes into second-half as Cameron once again stepped up to put Barnet in the lead, 6-3. The bulk of the remaining 25 minutes were played well inside Saracens territory as the Barnet forwards continued to grind down their opponents. The 1st XV were unlucky not to score just after the hour mark when a series of 5m scrums put the Saracens pack under serious pressure but the referee adjudged that the scrums had been disrupted legally and the chance was lost. The home side continued to apply pressure but were unable to get over the line as, on several occasions, the final pass did not quite go to hand.

With around 5 minutes to play, Barnet finally took their opportunity. Following a kick deep into the Saracens 22m, the visitors illegally prevented the Barnet maul from advancing over the line. The referee deemed this to be cynical play and brandished his yellow card for the second time in the game. Barnet again opted for the lineout and this time, Saracens had no answer as the Barnet pack crashed over, with Matt Greenwood in control of the ball. With only 2 minutes to play, the players knew that Barnet had probably secured the win but would have to hold out to starve Saracens of a losing bonus point. Although Saracens regained possession from the kick-off, the Barnet defence held strong and forced a knock-on. The referee blew for full-time and the home side celebrated.

A special mention goes to the entire front row – Louca, Taylor and Healy – for a dominant scrummaging display; and to Harry Eade and Adam Theobald for winning the kicking battle. The only dampener on the day was a nasty finger break for Robbie Cameron which will rule him out for the season.

Thank you to all those who braved the freezing temperatures to support their club. This was a crucial win but there is still a lot of rugby to be played this season and your continuing support is greatly appreciated.

Team: Louca, Taylor, Healy, Oram (c), Cameron A, Pangratiou, McArdle, Williams L, Harris C, Eade, Cameron R, Davies, Gardiner, Cassidy, Theobald. Subs: Scrutton, Greenwood, Neusten