Hammersmith & Fulham 21 – 29 Marlborough
The first team faced their first London club on Saturday when they headed to Hammersmith & Fulham for their match in the Regional 1 South Central division. Even though it was cloudy, it was still warm for the last day of September, and the neighbourhood parakeets were singing happily. Even with train strikes and transport limitations, the coach had made a decent time, but it still felt a little taxing.
The warmup went well, despite a couple of players not arriving at the Hammer’s as early as the rest of the team. As a result, it was hoped that Marlborough would get off to a better start than they have in recent weeks, which they did. Sadly, they made some silly mistakes early on, allowing the home side to score first with a converted try on the 14th minute from a line-out maul following a third penalty in quick succession.
The boys kept applying pressure while also handing up a handful of penalties. However, in the 20th minute, Lemeki Moala crashed over the line from a five-metre penalty, which was sadly left unconverted.
Marlborough’s next try was rather impressive, with a cross-field kick from outside half. Vili Hakalo was tapped back on the touch line by full-back Will Reeve into the hands of a flying Jonasa Tabua (Tabs) to score in the corner, converted by the initiator himself, Vili.
Marlborough appeared to have the upper hand, only to have it undermined by a poor offload on the halfway line, allowing the Hammers to score under the posts with the final play of the first half and convert.
Half-Time: Hammersmith & Fulham 14 – Marlborough 12
The coaching staff gave an inspiring half-time speech, which was further supported by very pertinent views from skipper Ollie Spanswick and senior players James Farrell and Will Reeve.
The fire in the Marlborough belly had been lit, and the boys seemed to respond well to the coaches’ wise remarks. When the second-half whistle came, Marlborough jumped right back into the game. After a maul set up from a line out, scrum-half James Farrell made an impressive 30-metre burst, defeating three defenders. James was tackled five metres short of scoring, but he was well supported. There were three more phases before the new cap; number 8 Maikolo Manu crashed under the posts, which Vili converted.
The Hammers set up a maul from an offensive line out, just passing the ball along the line and exposing Marlborough’s defensive frailties and scored in the corner in the 55th minute.
As the game progressed, Marlborough’s forwards began to dominate, particularly at the scrums. Marlborough chose a scrum for a 5-metre penalty. Viliame Kotobalavu (Koto junior), another new signing, picked up the ball from the base of the scrum to score, but there was no icing on the cake as the try was left unconverted.
Marlborough scored their fifth try of the day just before full time, following a fantastic line break by loose head prop and ‘Man of the Match’ Save Tuimatanisaqa, (sponsored by Greensky Contract services) then two quick ruck balls from new scrum half Hugo Robathan along the line to winger Jonasa Tubua (Tabs) to score in the corner, but this remained unconverted.
Final Score: Hammersmith & Fulham 21 – Marlborough 29
The boys are quite skilled at making games considerably more difficult than they need to be, which is not good for the hearts of the Marlborough faithful. However, there are some promising signs that individuals are beginning to shine. A win is a win, especially when it comes with a bonus point.
As is the norm, the awesome foursome who hold the front row positions did their stuff, and especially the young prop Save Tuimatanisaqa got his chance to be in the starting lineup.
Team Manager David Pittams was pleased with the “new caps; Maikolo Manu and Viliame Kotobalavu both had very good debuts.” Dave was also delighted that “in the back row, James Marshall had his best game since his long journey back to fitness from a twice-broken jaw. The on-field leadership by captain Ollie Spanswick and senior players James Farrell and Will Reeve was first class, as was the steady head at 10 shown by Vili Hakalo.”
The boys now have some downtime before hosting London Welsh on the Common on Saturday, October 14th. The Dragons are now third in the league after winning four games and losing one. Marlborough has moved up to seventh place. There is a lot of interest surrounding this game because it is not often that teams get to play past championship sides, and we will see if the “dragons are fire made of flesh” come true.
The 2nd XV also had another excellent day at the office when they beat Chippenham II 35 points to 10 on the Common. The seconds also now have a break until October 21, when they are away to Sutton Benger. Benger currently lies in third place within the County 2 Tribute D&W North League, and Marlborough II is at the top.
The Big Town Read with Robert Harris at Marlborough LitFest 2023
