East London made it back to back bonus point wins with a four-try victory over Norwich at Memorial Park in front of an expectant crowd of distinguished guests from the chairman’s pre-match lunch which included England legend Martin Johnson.

The home side set about the match in fine style but a couple of early chances went begging as East London tried to force one too many passes rather than recycling the ball and starting over. But they soon had the opening try that their early dominance deserved...

The ball was transferred quickly through the East London back division before it found its way into the arms of prop Steven Dezso. Dezso, not a player renowned for subtlety, crashed through the Norwich midfield and had the strength to hold off the covering defenders to touch down on the wide left. 5-0 to the home team.

Having made his mark, Dezso unfortunately had to be replaced soon afterwards due to a shoulder injury but his replacement, Mark Drury, together with front-row colleagues Eoin Smaill and Gary Pearmain, had an excellent afternoon, dominating the breakdown and making their presence felt in defence.

The rest of the first half saw Norwich begin to gain a foothold in the game, using their heavier pack to try and punch holes in the stubborn East London defence. However it was the home side who had the last word of the half. A clever kick through from man-of-the-match Scott Sarsons was weighted perfectly for flying winger George Sanders to beat his opposite number to the ball before evading the cover defenders for a try in the right corner. A deserved 10-0 lead at half-time for East London.

It wouldn’t last however. The first ten minutes of the second half was a disaster for the hosts. First, Bill Clayton was sin-binned somewhat harshly for a first offence in the middle of the pitch. Then from the ensuing penalty, the visitors were able to force their way over from close range after a series of catch and drives from lineouts. With the conversion added, the visitors were suddenly within three points of their hosts and they soon had the lead...

A sustained period of pressure brought space out wide for Norwich and they used it well, eventually sending their centre over wide on the left. 12-10 to Norwich.

At this point, Norwich were certainly in the ascendency and were favourites to take the game. But East London re-grouped well. Michael Anderson, Ben Bridger and substitute Will Masters all made telling contributions at the ruck, forcing Norwich to commit men to winning the ball and creating space for East London to attack.

Eventually, the pressure was made to count and centre Connor Power was able to pick his way through the Norwich defence following a well-timed pass from his captain Ali Gonse and some excellent lineout ball provide by Bridger and Sarsons. 15-12.

This score gave East London a three point lead but also a nervy last 10 minutes to negotiate. Both sides spurned chances at vital times and the game could have gone either way. As it turned out, it was that man Sarsons who settled East London nerves as he pounced on a loose ball in midfield and showed an impressive turn of speed to race away from the Norwich defence and touch down beneath the posts to secure the win and the four-try bonus point for his side, much to the delight of the East London faithful. Final Score 22-12.

A fantastic day for East London RFC was rounded-off with the personal congratulations of Martin Johnson on a great performance and fantastic result.

Next week East London make the long-trip to table-topping Holt as they look to continue this rich vein of form...