TABARD 18 – Thurrock 18 London 2 North

Tabard needed a win from this tense home game but despite all their efforts they finally had to settle for the draw.

Tabard seized an early lead when a spell of territorial advantage forced Thurrock to concede a penalty which Jack Reilly duly converted. This lead was short lived as Thurrock threatened from the restart and a penalty levelled the scores.

Tabard attacked from the restart but various moves all floundered as Thurrock defended frantically. Just as it seemed that Tabard were making progress a wayward pass allowed a Thurrock interception and they scored a converted try to take a seven point lead against the run of play.

The remainder of the first half saw tremendous endeavour from Tabard and they spent most of this twenty minutes camped in the Thurrock half. Several moves looked as if they would produce the long awaited score but each time the critical pass just failed to go to hand and the opportunity was lost.

The start of the second half continued in the same vein as the end of the first with Tabard constantly on the attack but just unable to convert this pressure into points.

The frustration caused by this inability to score finally bubbled over after Thurrock were awarded a relieving penalty which allowed them to clear their lines. Two further penalties resulted in Thurrock moving from their own lines to a lineout just five metres from the Tabard line. A catch and drive from this lineout gave Thurrock their second try which they converted to take a healthy nine point lead.

This lead lasted just eight minutes as Tabard gathered themselves for yet another series of attacks on the Thurrock try line. Tabard were awarded their own five metre lineout and after a fine catch by Scott Stoba and drive by the pack the ball was recycled several times before Neil Hopcroft wrong footed the Thurrock defence as he came into the line at speed. Reilly’s pass was inch-perfect and Hopcroft sailed through the gap to score. Reilly added the conversion and Tabard were now just two points adrift with twenty minutes to go.

The next fifteen minutes were unsatisfactory for both sides as they struggled to gain any superiority but just five minutes to go Thurrock scored from a penalty to extend their slim lead.

Tabard proved their mettle in the last few minutes as they threw everything into attack and their reward came when Ed Orchard broke through the defence and scored the final try to level the scores. With the conversion dropping just wide of the posts Tabard had to settle for the draw.

Team: Orchard, Hopcroft, Thomas, Woodard, Fleuren(Ashcroft 57m), Reilly, Karstel, Baker, Gates, Davey, O’Connor, Long, Matheson, Montague(Robertson 57m) and Stoba.

Tabard’s next league game is away to Bury St Edmunds on 1 March with a 3 pm kick-off.