Southwell v Mellish 44-3

Off the back of a rather laboured display in their win against Moderns, Southwell had the opportunity to further impose their mark in the league, against a physical Mellish side. An opportunity that was well and truly taken.

Preparations to the game started strongly, as Jose got the team fired up for the big clash. The team sweets were also on point. Luckily Rich Derham managed to hold himself back on the squashies, leaving some sugar for the rest of the squad. The warm up was also sharp; Machin even managed to co-ordinate his arms through the shoulder exercises.

After a quick photo with the team’s sponsors, the game was set. Only one key change in the team from last week, which saw Captain Barker slot into Midfield to add some bulk to the flair already present.

An early penalty was slotted early on by the left footed Frettingham, taking over from the trusted Wilson boot. Mellish’s own Jonny Bairstow had a penalty of their own, taking the score to 3-3 in the first 5 minutes.

Southwell went on to build some good phase play, which was rewarded by an Ortiz try in the corner, set up by the elusive runner in Simon “Our Vegan” Barber. “Handy” Frett failed to add the extras on this occasion.

Southwell continued to retain possession in the middle of the park, which created some space for Saywell who managed to burst through the defence on the half way line, before weaving his way past circa 5 Mellish players to score a 50 metre try, an excellent individual moment. The sides went into half time at 18-3, the game nicely poised for some free flowing Southwellesque rugby in the second half.

The game broke up in the second half as Mellish struggled to handle the “tip ons” from Southwell’s pack, who secured great ball for playmaker Musgrove. This front foot ball eventually paid dividends as Southwell’s wingers bagged 3 further tries. Tom “the dancer” Broughton and Stefano Ortiz bagged a pair each. A try was also taken through a Frettingham Intercept, a credit to the home side’s line speed.

Mellish responded with a resilient 10 minutes of their own in the second half, who penned Southwell back in their own 22. The defence held, which followed by a decision to play the remainder of the game in Mellish’s half; being happy to kick the ball away in good areas and then rely on solid defence.

The game finished in a popular area of the pitch on Mellish’s line before Handy Frett threw a loose pass into touch, ironically his only loose pass in the game.

The score finished 44-3. A big performance against a strong side. Front foot ball created by the pack, releasing a quick and agile backline. Still plenty to work on with Josh and Coach Hunt in the Week, a few points left out on the field. Our bid to the top of the league continues against Belper away next week.