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Match report: Relief as late try earns Colchester first win
Doug Boulton18 Nov - 09:45
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By Edward Marriage
A dramatic late try secured Colchester a first win of the season, sparking celebrations on and off the pitch as The Blacks beat Sevenoaks 23-28 to move off the bottom of the National 2 East table.
Trailing by two points with three minutes to go, Colchester seemed to have blown their chances for a second successive week.
But the team’s new midfield combination is really starting to tick. Scott Lloyd found fellow centre Tom Hoppe, who belted down the right wing. He passed to Gabe Jones in plenty of space, the flyhalf scorching over to cap a fine performance.
Jones’s conversion took his match tally to 13 points as Colchester headed home with a maximum five points.
“The word ‘relief’ comes to mind,” said captain Danny Whiteman. “We’ve worked so hard and finally to get that win it feels like it’s the start of our season. We’re going to kick on, starting with next week.
“I don’t think we played particularly well but we dug deep.”
For once, Colchester started fast, Faysal Olabooye and Fin Creighton setting up Jonah Varela for the opening try inside three minutes.
However, Colchester failed to deal with the restart, Barney Stone gathering to score a converted try.
Colchester went ahead again on 10 minutes as Whiteman crossed from a dominant scrum. Jones converted, and while the visitors were comfortably on top for the first half hour, they failed to turn their superiority into further points.
Corey Button came on for Fin Creighton (dead leg) and on the half hour the Jeffery brothers replaced props Leroy O’Neil and Alex Mitchell. It meant that both teams now had twin brothers in their front rows.
Sevenoaks gradually came back into the game and levelled through Stone’s second try making it 14-14 at the break.
Alex Grey made a welcome return to action off the bench, 10 weeks after injuring his knee in the first match of the season.
Sevenoaks were now in the ascendancy, edging ahead through two long-range penalties as Francois Rossouw replaced Dan Brennan.
On the hour, Colchester missed out on a run-in, a try going begging thanks to a knock-on from a wayward pass.
With 65 minutes on the clock and Colchester trailing 20-14, a slick move saw the visitors go ahead. Lloyd and Hoppe combined in midfield, Varela’s pinpoint kick putting Button in the clear to gallop over.
Jones converted to make it 20-21, but Colchester were reduced to 14 as Grey saw yellow for a mistimed tackle and from the resulting penalty Sevenoaks led 23-21.
The late try won it for Colchester, but it still took Grey, back from the bin, to avert a final Sevenoaks attack, affecting the turnover as the referee called time.
The result takes Colchester above Worthing, who are the next opponents at Raven Park on Saturday (3pm).
“To win any game away from home is really hard, to get five points is awesome,” said interim head coach Mike Haywood. “It wasn’t our cleanest game but it’s good to have things to work on. It was a great effort.”
The player-of-the-match gong went to Tom Hoppe.
The Ravens picked up a bonus point in a 19-12 defeat at Saffron Walden while the 3s beat Braintree 2s 52-21. The Vets lost 51-12 to Woodbridge.
Trailing by two points with three minutes to go, Colchester seemed to have blown their chances for a second successive week.
But the team’s new midfield combination is really starting to tick. Scott Lloyd found fellow centre Tom Hoppe, who belted down the right wing. He passed to Gabe Jones in plenty of space, the flyhalf scorching over to cap a fine performance.
Jones’s conversion took his match tally to 13 points as Colchester headed home with a maximum five points.
“The word ‘relief’ comes to mind,” said captain Danny Whiteman. “We’ve worked so hard and finally to get that win it feels like it’s the start of our season. We’re going to kick on, starting with next week.
“I don’t think we played particularly well but we dug deep.”
For once, Colchester started fast, Faysal Olabooye and Fin Creighton setting up Jonah Varela for the opening try inside three minutes.
However, Colchester failed to deal with the restart, Barney Stone gathering to score a converted try.
Colchester went ahead again on 10 minutes as Whiteman crossed from a dominant scrum. Jones converted, and while the visitors were comfortably on top for the first half hour, they failed to turn their superiority into further points.
Corey Button came on for Fin Creighton (dead leg) and on the half hour the Jeffery brothers replaced props Leroy O’Neil and Alex Mitchell. It meant that both teams now had twin brothers in their front rows.
Sevenoaks gradually came back into the game and levelled through Stone’s second try making it 14-14 at the break.
Alex Grey made a welcome return to action off the bench, 10 weeks after injuring his knee in the first match of the season.
Sevenoaks were now in the ascendancy, edging ahead through two long-range penalties as Francois Rossouw replaced Dan Brennan.
On the hour, Colchester missed out on a run-in, a try going begging thanks to a knock-on from a wayward pass.
With 65 minutes on the clock and Colchester trailing 20-14, a slick move saw the visitors go ahead. Lloyd and Hoppe combined in midfield, Varela’s pinpoint kick putting Button in the clear to gallop over.
Jones converted to make it 20-21, but Colchester were reduced to 14 as Grey saw yellow for a mistimed tackle and from the resulting penalty Sevenoaks led 23-21.
The late try won it for Colchester, but it still took Grey, back from the bin, to avert a final Sevenoaks attack, affecting the turnover as the referee called time.
The result takes Colchester above Worthing, who are the next opponents at Raven Park on Saturday (3pm).
“To win any game away from home is really hard, to get five points is awesome,” said interim head coach Mike Haywood. “It wasn’t our cleanest game but it’s good to have things to work on. It was a great effort.”
The player-of-the-match gong went to Tom Hoppe.
The Ravens picked up a bonus point in a 19-12 defeat at Saffron Walden while the 3s beat Braintree 2s 52-21. The Vets lost 51-12 to Woodbridge.
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