Sils Get Luck Of The Draw

Rugby simply doesn’t get any better than that. An immense effort. A classic. Outstanding. Gargantuan.

Not my words. Just a sprinkling of the social media fallout to Saturday’s epic, nail-biting Intermediate Cup encounter at Spartans. Sils have had their fair share of drama already this season – the late resurgence at home to Rugby Lions and the smash-and-grab at Berkswell & Balsall. Saturday made those look like walkovers. The game had everything and it was Sils, just, who edged it after normal time, extra time, tries, conversions (and just about anything else you could choose to try and separate them), progressing to the Midlands Final as the away side.

The match was well-poised. Sils were comfortable victors at Copt Heath in November, but this was away on a bitterly cold, wet January afternoon on a boggy, sloping pitch. And this was a Cup Semi-Final. The match began evenly, both sides making some early forays but without success. Tom Lee had a shot at goal which missed on 17 minutes, and it was the home side who eventually broke the deadlock, slotting from in front of the posts after the first of many Sils offences. 3-0.

Cue the response. Sils have a knack of scoring opportunistic tries, but it’s as much down to defensive pressure as it is opposition error and when they get a chance, it’s usually taken. They weren’t behind for long as Tim Trace charged down a clearance kick inside the Spartans 22 and beat the winger to touch down. Tom Lee converted.

A rare moment of flair soon followed (I told you this game had everything), as Harry Pick kicked ahead and Hobbs regained, then unloaded back to Pick and on to Matt Lee to burn his opposite man – and both calves – for a score in the corner. Tom Lee had converted both and there was a little breathing space at 14-3. But from the subsequent kick-off, the totemic Tom Manise was lost to a nasty-looking back injury as he collided with two Spartans gathering the loose ball. James ‘Jimmer’ Hibbard took his place and, little did he know it, may have written his name in rugby history as the only man to come on as a substitute and play 80 minutes…

Anyway, Sils’ incursions gave rise to a Spartan backlash, and the last 10 minutes of the half were spent defending the line as they desperately tried to carry their 11-point lead into the break. The first bout of heroic defence was put on show, as Spartans piled in from the scrum, lineout and Sils’ clearance kicks, but were repeatedly denied. The discipline, admittedly, had gone off a cliff and Tom Lee was deservedly yellowed for blatantly killing the ball. But more importantly, Sils survived the onslaught, just as they did against Earlsdon last week.

It’s fair to say that Sils were never comfortable, especially with the slope to contend with in the second half and Tom Lee’s sin bin straddling the break. He stated his re-arrival by knocking over another penalty to take the score to 17-3, but ten minutes later he was gone for good after another ruck offence. 14 men, 14 points, a big hill and some Spartans coming down it. Here we go then.

Sils wheeled out the defence again before Spartans finally found their way over wide on the left – 17-8. But as the momentum seemed to be swinging, Sils produced another moment of class, as a kick return came good through the hands of Harry Pick and Olly Beech to send Matt Lee over for his second. Crowe narrowly missed the conversion. 22-8.

Unfortunately by now Sils were serial offenders at the ruck, and continued to make life difficult for themselves as Ollie Trace was also dismissed to the bin. 13 against 15 proved too much to ask, and Spartans quickly capitalised with a converted score on 73 minutes. As Sils desperately tried to rally, a wave of black rolled down the slope again and, on the stroke of full-time, levelled it at 22-22. Extra time beckoned. Unthinkable.

Character. This team has it by the shovel-load. Still a man down and with Spartans in the ascendency, many teams would have caved. But in the brutal 20-minute slog that followed, Sils dug as deep as it goes. As both the wearying teams booted their way out of potential danger the plentiful, vocal, and by now severely cold Silhillian supporters urged their team on. Sils continued to hurl themselves at Spartan attacks, the immense Fred Howard making one extraordinary cover tackle to stop an almost certain score. Spartans edged ahead at the turn as yet more Sils indiscipline led to a kickable penalty. In the second half, Sils were awarded their own about 40 metres out. With Tom Lee off the field, the duty fell to Ben Crowe. 3 steps back, 2 to the right, a couple of deep breaths. Never in doubt. 25-25.

In the last 5 minutes, Spartans threw the kitchen sink, bar, tables and chairs at Sils but not before the visitors' hatches were firmly battened down. Totally exhausted, they continued to stagger around, drunk on defence, flying into their equally despairing opponents. In the dying seconds, Spartans won a penalty just outside kickable range so ran the ball, but in their panicked phases conceded a knock-on, and it was over.

A special mention to the swathes of followers who made the journey to Spartans on Saturday. This time, your support was literally the difference.

It’s two long months before Sils face Rugby Lions in the Midlands Final. This weekend, league action returns with a trip to Leamington. And…breathe.