Confidence boost win on the road

Seven tries ensure first away win for 1st XV
"We controlled the game and played some fantastic rugby and you could see the enjoyment in the players’ faces at the end.”
EDDIE GOOBY
East London’s 1st XV scored seven tries on Saturday (Oct 23) as they enjoyed their first win of the season on the road with a 15-46 victory over Braintree.

The win jumps the maroon and blues four places in London 3 Essex to seventh position with 11 points from five games, overtaking Braintree in the process.

Head Coach Eddie Gooby was delighted with the performance. He said: “The players deserve great credit because Braintree is never an easy place to get a result. We controlled the game and played some fantastic rugby and you could see the enjoyment in the players’ faces at the end.”

Braintree began the game brightly and went ahead with an early penalty (3-0). The lead didn’t last long as second row Angus Tidey scored his debut try for the senior team. The conversion was missed (3-5) but Braintree soon regained the initiative with an unconverted score (8-5).

A sustained spell of pressure by the visitors was rewarded when openside flanker and skipper Nick Parrott scored and Billinghurst converted (8-12). Billinghurst added a penalty before the break (8-15).

A hat-trick of tries in the first 15 minutes of the second-half gave the visitors an unassailable lead. Tidey scored his second try with the conversion missed (8-20). Full back Kevin O’Donoghue added to the total which Billinghurst converted (8-27) before outside centre Alex Nolan also scored his debut try which was again converted by Billinghurst (8-34).

Braintree looked to make the score respectable with a converted try (15-34) but East London responded when replacement Will Emery became the third player to get their first try for the 1st XV. Billinghurst converted (15-41) and O’Donoghue completed the scoring close to the end (15-46).

Coach Gooby added: “The score reflected the hard work in training. With so many new faces it was always going to take time to gel. For various reasons we have already had to use 35 players, but more and more are now understanding our systems, which means we have strength in depth. Unfortunately, the injury list is getting longer and we are becoming stretched with another big challenge to come on Saturday.”

East London’s second team the Wyverns were due to be in action at the Memorial Ground in West Ham but opponents Chingford 3s were unable to raise a team and conceded the Shepherd Neame Essex Merit Table Division 2 match with a 39-0 home walkover score recorded.

East London’s 3rd XV put in a spirited performance at Dagenham 3s in Shepherd Neame Essex Merit Table Division 6 West but lost by 50-19. Prop Sam Corbett scored East London’s first try which scrum-half Joe Kelly converted. Inside centre Sam Cassidy added a second in the first-half with fly-half Wally Scott adding a third after the break which Kelly converted.

On Sunday East London’s ladies’ team, the Vixens, also recorded a home walkover in Women’s National Challenge 1 South East (North) when opponents Rosslyn Park Ladies couldn’t raise a team.

East London’s 1st XV is next in action on Saturday (Oct 30) at the Memorial Ground against Old Cooperians. The 2nd XV travel to Dagenham 2s.

East London 1st XV vs Braintree: 1. Stephen Beattie; 2. Lewis Bourke; 3. Frazer Wilson; 4. Angus Tidey; 5. Chris Brown; 6. Will Sheridan; 7. Nick Parrott; 8. Dan Bracken; 9. Will Brown; 10. Ryan Billinghurst; 11. Ben Davis; 12. Karim Russell-Ketfi; 13. Alex Nolan; 14. Bill Brown; 15. Kevin O’Donoghue. Replacements: 16. Dave Gibson; 17. Paul Bortnowski; 18. Will Emery.

East London 3rd XV squad vs Dagenham 3s: Sam Corbett; Ben Hogan; John Salthouse; Mo Mohamed; Roberto Finelli; Thomas Melieres-Frost; Jack Harrington; Michael Greig; Joe Kelly; Wally Scott; Flavio Rossetti; Sam Cassidy; Thomas Rochette; Luis Herrera Royes.

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