When the sun shines and pitches dry its a TRY explosion for the 2's

Epping UCRFC 2nd XV 92 – 19 Writtle 2nd XV

The up and coming Epping 2nd XV showed their worth against Writtle’s 2nd XV on Saturday 7th March.

With the usual faces that make up this young Epping 2nd team and their momentum from last week’s win against Southend this looked like it could be, if the side kept their composure, a good win. The Epping side were straight out of the blocks and first on to the score sheet with tries from Scott Stalley and Nick Trower, back from injury and looking on form again.

The more experienced and larger Writtle pack gave their side a great platform from the set pieces and this resulted in a converted try for Writtle. Game on.

The Epping lads reacted well to this, some real intelligence was shown as they ensured that the ball was moved away from the large Writtle pack and was given to the swift backs. The rest of the first half saw 6 more tries for EUCRFC’s back line. Scott Stalley picked up two more tries for his hat-trick via his usual route-1 crash method, Harry Barker scored 2 tries in his standard ‘slippery’ style by eluding several defenders, Nick Trower picked up one more try with a great show of pace and Ross Stalley joined the score sheet with a great solo try from the fly half position.

Writtle’s forwards showed their strength and amidst the Epping try-fest managed to pick up one more try, this time unconverted.
All 8 of the Epping tries were converted by Harry Barker (or at least I think this is correct – my track record isn’t good on kickers) putting the half time score at 56 – 12.

Someone from the away side must have said something inspiring during the half time talk which resulted in a very eager and potent Writtle side crashing over the line for their third try of the game. 56 – 19.

The Epping lads soon gained possession and switched back on. They got back into rhythm and continued to play their usual rugby. The likes of Alfie Reynolds and George O’Grady commanding some great line-outs resulted in tries for Ross Stalley and Harry Barker respectively. Liam Rogers and Adam Ayres with some big carries and solid defensive work allowed for Lindsey Dobbin and Scott Stalley to both also pick up tries.

The Epping forwards felt as though it was their time to score (and the backs felt sorry for them) so with an almighty 5 yard dash/tumble Adam Power got himself on the score sheet with his first try of all time. Ever.

Liam Rogers picked up one last try in the last play of the game by making contact with as many of the opposition players as possible.
With 1 converted try from Writtle and 6 tries from EUCRFC, 3 of which were converted, in the second half the final score was 92-19.

The score-line does not reflect how well and hard the Writtle side played; they worked hard throughout and, at times, looked very threatening to the Epping side.

Try Scorers (Alphabetical)
Adam Power x 1
Harry Barker x 3
Liam Rogers x 1
Lindsey Dobbin x 1
Nick Trower x 2
Ross Stalley x 2
Scott Stalley x 4

Ed