Sils Sidestep April Fools In Squeaky Butts Time

Barkers took confidence from last week’s away victory at league leaders Rugby Lions to start the game positively, with a fast tempo stretching the Sils defence and forcing some mistakes at the breakdown which led to an early penalty in front of the Sils posts. A bad start got worse for the Sils as within 5 minutes they were 10 points down after a well worked try had left the defence stranded.

From the restart things went from worse to even worse as hooker Fred Howard was yellow carded for tackling the Barkers catcher before the ball had even left Ben Crowe’s boot. This meant a reshuffle in the pack as Alex Roper replaced Joe Pick for scrums which were under great pressure from the Barkers pack. Sils did manage to nab a penalty through the boot of Ben Crowe, this week’s designated kicker, but the relief was short lived as Barkers managed to cross the whitewash twice more without reply. With half an hour gone the score stood at 20-3 and Sils were facing another tough afternoon in Coventry.

A shift in tactics saw Ben Crowe move to scrum half and Tom Lee replaced by Stuart Clarke. Captain Tom Manise used the break in play to rally the troops, and the Barkers riot was halted through a Jack Hobbs interception near the Sils try line. The Hobbwarts Express looked certain to run the ball all the way in, but seemed to hit patch of either Velcro or superglue as he was caught by the Barkers centre. Some foul play however brought an attacking lineout for Sils and a chance to pull back the lead to a flattering 10 points. The forwards drove just short of the line for the ball to be recycled ready for Harry Pick to waltz in under the posts. Ben Crowe’s conversion meant the first half ended 20-10.

A stern word from coach Taylor at half time changed the mindset of the Sils, and they came out for the second half with a mountain to climb but a slope to attack down. Sils immediately started playing patterns and building phases through the forwards, with strong carrying from the might of the iconic Shed (Ed Atkins) and the meaty Nick Elliot. Jack Hobbs continued his great scoring form with a try from a scrum which was on the back foot. The score at 20-15, game on.

Enforced changes saw Tom Barnfield and Alex Roper coming into the forwards and Tom Manise being ‘promoted’ to prop (against his will). The subs reinforced a dramatically improved defensive effort from the Sils, who managed to shut their opponents out in the 2nd half with little trouble. Despite the increasing ascendency of the away side, Barkers clung to their lead like a Stanley vice and refused to budge. However, the Copt Heath Crew dug deep once again to produce a stunning comeback. The forwards hit 5th gear and drove through the middle of the Barkers defence, before recycling and flipping the ball blind to be held up just short of the line. As a penalty advantage was being played, the backline took over; the midfield managed to find the holes in the Barkers defence and it was that man Jack Hobbs who again crossed the line with only two minutes to play. The conversion was slotted by Ben Crowe to make it 20-22 as Sils sealed the victory by running the clock down in the final moments.

Another week gone, another test approaches fast with Berkswell and Balsall visiting Copt Heath on Saturday afternoon. The home side will continue to build with a strong focus on the 15th April and the visit of West Leeds for the RFU Intermediate Cup Semi-Final.