Essex Cup Semi Final

In fairly cold and very muddy, slippery conditions, Rochford hosted Harlow in the Essex Cup semi-final, the winner going through to the 1st Final on 28th April.

Harlow started, a low kick that was picked up by Billy-Joe who started back towards the Harlow half. A couple of passes were made before one was missed resulting in a rick. Rochford knocked the ball forward and Harlow had the put in at the scrum. The scrum had to be reset and the following few minutes saw penalties exchanged which culminated in the ball being kicked out over the top of the clubhouse.
Immediately after the Harlow line out, a ruck formed in which Kane almost managed to turn the ball over. A Harlow scrum was followed by a penalty that Harlow opted to tap and go. The opposition attack managed to break away and race down the pitch before being stopped by Rochford with a well-timed tackle. The Harlow scrum passed the ball out and they continued to make some ground until running in to Louis who was fantastic in holding the ball up. The hard fought maul resulted in a turnover ball to Rochford, who then made ground down the right hand side of the pitch. From a scrum, Rochford passed the ball out to Nathan R. Despite another scrum to Harlow, the Rochford lads managed to gain possession and Billy-Joe powered over the line to score the first try of the match that was converted by Ben C.

Rochford had their tails up and after the restart, Sam G worked his magic and managed to steal the ball from Harlow. A strong maul formed, Rochford driving forwards. Whilst everyone was focussed on the maul, Ollie T span off and broke away, sprinting for the line whilst a surprised opposition chased in vain, Ollie going over the line in the corner for try two. A great effort from Ben C just missed adding another 2 points to the home side’s tally.

The match restarted with pressure from the visitors, play moving into the Rochford half. An offside infringement gave a penalty to Harlow and a basic error of not getting back quickly enough led to the home team losing another ten yards. However, Rochford re-grouped and the action raced from one side of the pitch to the other. Pushing down the pitch into the Harlow half, Rochford won a line out and passed the ball out to JJ who nipped over the line to take the half time score to 17-0.

Rochford started the second half as they had finished the first, pouncing on a wayward pass by Harlow but losing the ball to a tackle that ended in touch. Kane was everywhere, tackling like a demon and would certainly meet Eddie Jones’ requirement of getting back up and into play inside 3 seconds! The visitors were pushing hard and, mauling hard, managed to turn the ball over. They continued to press but in the wet and muddy conditions spilled the ball. The ball wound its way to Ben C who charged from the opposition 22 towards the Rochford try line. Despite a valiant effort, Harlow were unable to quite catch him as Ben kept his nerve and placed the ball between the posts – making his conversion a much simpler task!

Harlow stayed engaged and were rewarded with a try in the right hand corner. Unfortunately, the difficult conversion was missed, but it was great to see their efforts rewarded. The teams traded lineouts in the centre of the field but possession passed to Rochford with Jack H making a very astute kick down the pitch. Charlie pounced on the ball and the support crew arrived, passing the ball out of the ruck. Jack H had chased the ball and once he had it in hand once again, he charged for the line, scoring Rochford’s fifth try. Again, a tricky conversion attempt from Ben drifted just wide of the posts, not helped by the wind and fine rain that was swirling around.

Harlow were not finished yet and continued to dig in, defending against a persistent Rochford team. Their tenaciousness was rewarded when they were able to deliver the ball over the Rochford line for their second try. Both teams showed their stamina in cold, wet and muddy conditions. They continued to tackle hard, engaging in rucks with commitment and both striving for an advantage. In the end, it was Rochford that gained the final upper hand, with JJ breaking away and running hard for the line, diving under the posts for Rochford’s sixth. Ben was able to slot the ball through the posts to convert the try and score the final points of the match.

Final Score - Rochford Hundred 36 – 10 Harlow

Despite the conditions, from a spectator’s viewpoint, it was a great match to watch. Both teams played with heart, commitment and great spirit. There was some great play from Rochford, with some intelligent decisions from Toby B amongst others, providing some really lovely rugby. Harlow kept their heads up and stayed engaged in the game throughout the match, some great runs only curtailed by some good defensive tackles.

However, the final result was a decisive and deserved win for Rochford……a fantastic result reflecting the efforts of the team throughout the season so far. They are rewarded with a place in the Essex Cup First Final to be played against Woodford at Thurrock towards the end of April. Congratulations to the whole team!