Datchworth celebrate their (belated) 50th in style

Datchworth RFC got to celebrate their 50th birthday on Saturday evening albeit two years later than scheduled. Their first team, however, had the small matter of getting their first win of the season which wasn’t going to be easy against a tough Enfield side.

There was an obvious edge to Datchworth’s warm-up as the players were clearly frustrated with recent results. Although they had played well in parts in the first four games, they had also been very sloppy and were looking for much more consistency. The messages from Andy Riley before kick-off were simple: defend with passion, attack with purpose and be disciplined. For the most part, the men in green did this however there were still too many unforced errors which would have frustrated the coaches.

Emotions were running high from the start as Enfield kicked off in conditions perfect for running rugby. The first 10-15 minutes were fairly even with both teams trying to get into their patterns and looking to move the ball wide at every opportunity. Datchworth then started to apply pressure through territory and possession with strong carries from their forwards- in particular Will Williams, Connor Harris and Dom Negri. If it wasn’t for their faltering lineout, they would have been able to turn the screw a little more than they did. The first try always felt like it was coming. Franco Caroleo, who was a constant thorn in Enfield’s side, kept attacking the line and making half breaks. With some good support lines from the likes of John Simons, it took Datch up to the 5m line and they stayed there until Stuart Young spotted a gap around the fringes and dived under the posts. Tom Wood added the extras for a deserved 7-0 lead.

Datchworth, however, shot themselves in the foot by not dealing with the subsequent kick-off. From the resulting scrum, Enfield moved the ball well from first phase bringing in their blindside winger and full back (who caused a number of problems all afternoon) and created an overlap which they executed well. The difficult conversion out wide was missed which kept Datchworth’s noses in front 7-5.
For the rest of the half, Datchworth were in the ascendancy. Geoff Clapp went close in the corner after quick-thinking from Wood and then moments later should have been put in but for some poor execution. Enfield were just about hanging on through some good last-ditch defending and giving away a number of penalties which they were eventually warned for. From one of these penalties, points were taken to nudge Datch further ahead.

Datchworth would have been pleased with their first-half performance and the fact they were 10-5 ahead however the game was far from over and they’d have been disappointed the scoreline didn’t reflect their dominance.
Enfield came out firing in the second half, playing down the slight slope. It was Datchworth’s turn to front up in defence- in particular the introduction of James Hankin in the back row who made tackle after tackle.

Enfield’s big forward runners got them close a number of times but Datch’s goal-line defence repelled them, forcing turnovers at crucial moments. They knew they had to get the next points to put them two scores ahead. After some great work from Connor Mitchell, picking a great line and busting through, Datchworth were presented with the opportunity of three points however Wood pushed his penalty wide. This didn’t dampen their spirits though and they continued to play some good rugby. Tom Johnson picked a great supporting line off Young and made his way into Enfield’s 22. From the next phase, Ollie Barnes ghosted into a gap and over the line for a well-deserved try; the youngster has made a huge impression so far this season. Unfortunately, the extras couldn’t be added but Datch could breathe easier now they had taken a 15-5 lead with 20 minutes remaining.

The remainder of the match belonged to Enfield, for the most part, although Datch were beginning to get on top of their line out and make important turnovers. With 10 minutes to go, Enfield built an attack up to the halfway line. The ball was shifted to their centre who showed excellent footwork and an impressive turn of pace to go under the posts. 15-12 and a nervy ending ensued.
Enfield threw everything at Datchworth even though they were down to 14 men due to being forced into uncontested scrums. It was backs to the wall stuff from the men in green and some last-ditch scramble defence just about saw out the match much to the relief of all players, coaches and supporters- they could then go and celebrate in style!