The match began with Westcliff chasing down their kick and immediately putting pressure on the Rochford line. However the boys were more than a match for the Westcliff attack and pushed them back into their own half.

Another attack by Westcliff saw the play reach the Rochford line but Jack Chandler had the determination and presence of mind to win the ball and touch down for a five metre scrum. The scrum continued its domination and pushed the Westcliff pack further towards the halfway line. The midfield battle continued right up to the half time whistle and the boys went into the break with the match scoreless.

Half time - Westcliff 0, Rochford 0

The second half began with the play tilting in favour of Rochford and they began to lay siege to the Westcliff line. One attack saw Corey Lazell break through two tackles and then pirouette like Rudolf Nureyev giving him the space to reach the line and touch down.

After the restart the ball disappeared underneath a large pile of bodies and as usual Christopher Martin was at the bottom of it. He shook off the knock to the leg and in the next play made a break up the wing, exchanging passes with James Berry but then was tackled into touch and received an accidental knock to his throat.

Time for a reshuffle. Tyler Scott stepped up to prop with Jack Chandler moving into the second row and Harry O'Malley taking the slot at centre. This didn’t make any difference to the play as the Rochford scrum was still dominant. Another play and this time it was James Berry on the floor after a heavy knock to the shoulder, so Christopher Martin came back on at scrum half.

A break by Brandon Smith on the left wing was stopped short of the line but there was just time to pass inside to Joe Mitchell, Harry Knight and on to Jacob Lipscombe. Brandon then made the overlap and received the ball back and sprinted for the right corner to score our second try.

Westcliff knew that time was running out but their attempts to break through the Rochford line were met with solid defence and crunching tackles. All the boys were keen to get involved but, to their credit, didn’t let it stop them maintaining their formation. Too many times this season have the boys all rushed to make the next tackle and been beaten by a side passing the ball out wide. This was disciplined and so much better.

One last attack by Westcliff saw them rip the ball from Rochford hands and sprint for the line to pull one back. Despite camping in the Westcliff half for the rest of the match Rochford were unable to restore their two try cushion.

Full time – Westcliff 5, Rochford 10

Two really good performances from all the boys, and even with regular rolling subs which saw many of them in a few different positions, they never looked anything other than comfortable winners. The scrum was dominant, the boys were turning in the tackle and mauling to great effect and the passing was a joy to watch. Well done.

Rochford Hundred Rugby Club

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