Report courtesy of Simon Barker - Newent RFC

Much was expected of this game between the teams first and second in the league and it didn’t disappoint. A compelling contest was edged by Newent, who had the better of the second half after the teams turned round level pegging, but Shipston (aka the Rams) were in the game to the end and will count themselves unlucky to take nothing from it in terms of league points.

Newent fielded an unchanged back line but there were changes in the pack, with Jack Devries unavailable and Ethan Allen not having recovered from the injury he picked up at Stratford. Fortunately, James Marshall and Alfie Larcombe were available again and formed the second-row partnership, with Thai Hayward moving to the back row.

The first quarter of the game was played at a fast and furious pace, with neither side able to establish much cohesion in the face of fierce defending which forced frequent handling errors – exacerbated by a pitch made greasy by the recent heavy rain, although the game itself was played in warm sunshine. Shipston were penalised at the first scrum of the game - the scrums were keenly contested but all too often ended with collapses, to the point where by the end of the game the referee ordered them to be uncontested- but Tom Webb’s kick at goal was off target, whilst the Rams failed to take advantage of a couple of entries into the Newent 22 as their lineouts went awry.

The scoreless first quarter was soon forgotten as each side scored two tit for tat tries in twelve breathless minutes. Newent were the first on the scoresheet, with a well worked try from a line out 20m from the Shipston line. The ball was spun wide where Ben Vincent and Doug Long made key incisions to create the space for Adrian Connelly to finish well on the left wing. Tom Webb converted for 7-0. The Rams responded from the restart. When Newent were penalised for a high tackle the referee allowed them to play an advantage. A kick-chase was won by their scrum half Connor Hutchison and some neat offloading saw full back Ollie Windebank cross for the try. Fly half Tate O’Donovan’s conversion attempt bounced back off the far upright.

Tom Webb long restart kick was touched down behind the Shipston line, forcing a goal-line dropout which was fielded by Webb himself. He sent the ball infield where more slick handling created the space for Adrian Connelly -fast establishing himself as a prolific try scorer- to finish again on the left wing. There was a rare miss from Tom Webb’s conversion.

Shipston’s restart didn’t go 10m, but at the scrum on halfway Connor Hutchison forced a turnover to launch a period of pressure by the visitors. Newent looked to have ridden the storm when they held up a catch and drive by Shipston and then won a penalty, but were undone by a dropped ball in midfield. Tate O’Donovan was quickest to react and raced away to touchdown under the posts, before converting his try to draw the scores level at 12-12.

Newent had an opportunity to re-establish their lead on the stroke of half-time, after Connor Hutchison was penalised and yellow carded for an offence at the breakdown and Shipston coughed up another 10m for something said out of turn, but for the one and only time in the game their lineout malfunctioned 15m out, so the half-time score remained Newent 12 Shipston on Stour 12.

Adrian Connelly had picked up a knock so didn’t appear for the second half, being replaced by George Clair who went to fly half with Nathan Brooks moving to the left wing. In the early minutes of the half James Marshall had to leave the field, being replaced by Jim Hartland who went to the back row with Thai Hayward moving to the second row.

Shipston took the lead for the first time in the match six minutes into the half, after Newent were penalised at a scrum on their own put-in and Tate O’Donovan slotted the three points. Soon afterwards the Rams were restored to full strength when Connor Hutchison rejoined the fray, the score during his absence being Newent 0 Shipston 3. The hosts were quickly back on level terms, however. Their attack from a penalty lineout 5m out was well defended by Shipston, who forced a knock-on. The resultant scrum saw the Newent pack disrupt Shipston’s ball with a mighty shove, the only time in the game that either side managed to go forward at a set piece, to win a penalty in front of the posts. Tom Webb kicked it to tie the score at 15-15.

Shipton’s long restart went beyond the dead ball line, giving Newent a scrum back on halfway. This time it provided the basis for an attack, Kyle Towers making a powerful run down the right wing before popping up on the opposite wing to take Nathan Brooks’ offload
but was tackled into touch just short of the line. Newent kept up the pressure and Shipston were penalised again 23m out and tight to the right touchline. Tom Webb kicked the goal to put Newent back in front with the game into its final quarter.

A superb 50:22 gave Shipston a lineout 15m out. They secured the ball and spun it wide, but couldn’t break down the Newent defence who forced a knock-on to win the scrum put-in. Ben Vincent picked up from the base and fed George Clair who made good ground before finding Kyle Towers in support. The right winger was tackled on the 22, but the ball was recycled quickly and sent left where there was an overlap for Nathan Brooks to finish in the left-hand corner. Shipston protested that he had been tackled into touch just before doing so, but the referee was in hot pursuit of play and awarded the try. Tom Webb’s conversion into the wind was judged perfectly and put the hosts ten points ahead with the game into its last ten minutes.

The visitors were in no mood to concede and a multi-phased attack culminated in a line break from big outside centre Ben Harris, who found replacement Tobi Faulkner in the clear wide on the right. Newent’s full back Doug Long has caught the eye with his attacking prowess in recent games, but he showed his defensive qualities by tackling Faulkner into touch 5m out to save a certain try.

Newent cleared their lines and spent the closing minutes of the game in Shipston territory, but more sterling defence from the visitors denied them the bonus point try. Given the intensity of the contest, this was one of those games where the victors were more than happy to settle for the win without worrying about the icing on the cake of a try bonus.

Final score: Newent 25 Shipston on Stour 15

Shipston provided the toughest test which the Green Army have encountered so far this season and they had to produce some of their best rugby in attack and defence to come through it. Once again, all eighteen of the match day squad made significant contributions to the win as a strong bench was called into action earlier than might have been planned for. Newent’s discipline -traditionally not their strongest suit- was an important factor separating the sides, as they conceded half the number of penalties as their visitors. Both sides deserve a lot of credit for producing an absorbing game, enjoyed by a large crowd at the Rec including a good number who had made the journey from the north Cotswolds.

With a number of standout performances from the visitors, including excellent work up front by the likes of Bertie Taylor and Fergus Smithers, the MOTM award was a tough one to decide, but it was given this week to Tate O'Donovan who picked up a try to add to his goal kicking exploits and controlled the game excellently from fly half.

The Rams' next encounter is a home match against Malvern RFC, where they'll be looking to bounce straight back into winning ways.

Newent: D Long; K Towers, W Hartland, T Webb, A Connelly; N Brooks, J Preston; M Emery,
W Tanner, E White; A Larcombe, J Marshall; T Hayward, L Oakey, B Vincent (capt.).
Replacements: T Woodman, J Hartland, G Clair.
Newent scorers:
Tries: A Connelly (2), N Brooks.
Con: T Webb (2).
Pen: T Webb (2).
Shipston-on-Stour scorers:
Tries: O Windebank, T O’Donovan.
Con: T O’Donovan.
Pen: T O’Donovan.