14 December 2008
An injury crisis for the home side, an inexperienced referee, a late yellow card, incomprehensible decisions and non-decisions against both sides, a suspicion of shenanigans: this game had everything except some decent rugby.
Medway had just about scraped 15 players together by kick off. With two players absent and four more seriously injured the home side were down to bare bones. Sidcup, meanwhile, had arrived with 18 or so players, but apparently only three of these could play front row and one of those was injured. They expected scrums to be uncontested at some point. Sure enough, after a scrum or two the Sidcup prop was declared unable to scrummage and a major part of Medway's game was negated. This did not prevent this prop playing a vigorous part in the match, however. The Medway crowd watched with interest as he crashed at top speed into the home defence, got dumped at the bottom of rucks, was mauled around the field and made numerous tackles, but contesting scrums was obviously out of the question for this player.
Medway had the better of the first 15 minutes, playing almost entirely in Sidcup's half but lacking the penetration and composure to score. However, when Sidcup were penalised 20 metres out, Stewart Stockford put the penalty over to take the lead.
As so often though, a score for one side results in a fractional loss of concentration that lets the other side in. Straight from the restart Medway were penalised for not releasing and the penalty was kicked to level the scores. The rest of the half was evenly matched with both sides enjoying some possession and territory but, apart from a missed penalty from Sidcup, neither side looked like scoring.
The second half started as the first ended. Medway's backs were misfiring, with some wild passes being thrown around. A penalty chance came after 10 minutes though and with Stockford temporarily injured James Davies stepped up and kicked long and straight for Medway to regain the lead 6 - 3.
Sidcup then put some sustained pressure on the Medway defence until finally their flanker was able to find a gap and go through under the posts for a converted try.
At 6 - 10, Medway had to strike back immediately. From the restart a determined chase by prop George Dyer regained the ball, and from the ruck Tom Barnes went blindside to feed Jamie Chapman on the wing. A trademark jinking run at high speed beat four defenders and Chapman went in for an unconverted try to give Medway a one-point lead.
A few minutes later Sidcup conceded a penalty in the Medway half and were then marched a surprisingly long 10 metres for dissent. From the tap the ball was moved right across the field to where Chapman lurked and another twisty crackerjack run through a multitude of helpless defenders put him over the line. Stockford converted and Medway were two scores ahead at 18 - 10.
Just as well. As the long second half reached its final ten minutes, Medway were dealt a double blow. Aaron Dimmick had to retire hurt after playing most of the match with an existing injury, and then prop George Dyer's caustic opinion of the standard of officiating was taken amiss by said official and Medway had to play the last ten minutes with thirteen men.
For a long time it looked like Medway would hold back the tide, but with the last play of the match, and in a final irony that wasn't lost on the Medway players or supporters, the mortally wounded prop who couldn't scrummage dived recklessly full length into the corner to score an unconverted try.
After the supreme team effort that beat Old Elthamians two weeks ago, Medway reverted to looking like a group of individuals. The rugby wasn't good, but it was a win nevertheless.
