21/04/07 - Merit Cup Final Watford 2nd XV 10 - 27 Hertford XV


Watford welcomed back skipper Chris Thompson back to scrum half for his first game in several months and commenced the game in vigorous fashion, being first to the loose ball and generally tackling and running more purposefully than their opposite numbers. Even playing against a heavier Hertford 8, they managed to secure their own ball steal some of the opposition throws and played the game camped in the Hertford half. However the pressure led to few clear cut opportunities until Paul Wilson burst powerfully off his left wing through four or five tacklers to score after about twenty minutes. The conversion was not added.

Watford RFC

As they were continuing to dominate, disaster struck for Watford as they moved the ball ponderously down the line, one of the Hertford centres intercepted and with the full back in the line ran unopposed all the way from his own half to beneath the posts. The conversion was added to make the score 7-5 to Hertford and the score remained the same at the interval.

At the start of the second half centre, Danny Johnson made a great break from inside his own half and almost scored in the right hand corner though was bundled in touch just in time by the scrambling Hertford defence. Though the Watford outside backs were continuing to look threatening, they began to be starved of ball as the Hertford pack began to turn the screw in the set pieces. Their dominance began to also become territorial and they began to maul wherever possible, resulting in two close range pushover tries which took the score to 17-5 to Hertford. Watford's number 8, Ainslie and scrum half Thompson, also had to leave the fray early in the second half, Ainslie in particular was missed as he had done some great lineout work in the first half which included stealing several opposition throws.

As the second half wore on Hertford played a tight game, suiting them much more than Watford and cleverly kicked deep down the slope to the Watford left. The accuracy denied Watford the chance to run the ball back and also had the effect of slowing the game down. Further Watford were trying to do too much with the scraps of posession that they were getting often resulting in dropped ball and simple mistakes. With about fifteen minutes remaining Hertford scored a further two close range tries taking their lead to a now sizable 27-5 over Watford.

Perhaps fittingly, possibly the best try of the game was left till last. Gary Bridge took a tap penalty deep in his own half and the ball was moved cleverly down the line for speedy winger Simon Tucker to steam over into the corner making the final score 27-10 to Hertford.

Watford had failed at the Merit Cup final for the second year in a row, however skipper Thompson preferred to look positively and referred to the way the team had developed and improved during the second half of the season. Everybody played their part in a committed performance it just wasn't destined to be Watford's day though to a man they resolved to return and complete the unfinished business next season.

For statisticians and historian out there, three sets of brothers played in the final which may or may not have been a first. (There were also three Danny's, three Andy's and two Gary's in the side.)

Watford - Vincent, Hicks, (Gary) Wilson, (Andy) Lee, (Martin) Lee, Hassett, Bridge, Ainslie (sub Andre 45), Thompson (c) (sub Hickey 60), (Tom) Kiely, (Paul) Wilson, (Andy) Kiely, Gillies (sub Johnson 40), Tucker, Frankish.

Tries - Paul Wilson, SimonTucker
Man of the Match - Tom Kiely
 
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