After winning the last two games without even playing, it was nice to get a game under our belts. Local derbies are always tricky and we are the team at the minute everyone wants to beat.
Why is it you either have a team where you have more forwards than you need or a team where you have backs coming out of your ears, you hardly ever have both, such is 2nd team rugby.
Yesterday we had 9 backs and only 6 forwards, what we also had was Dan Jenner and Tom Redfearn, two lads who will play anywhere and everywhere if that's what's needed, team players par excellence. Indeed they formed part of a back row that was absolutely everywhere, tackled, carried, harassed, and generally made a nuisance of themselves, they even contributed 3 tries between them.
We fielded yesterday a backline that have all played first team this season and this was a telling factor as they shared 8 tries between them, Ben Tagg helping himself to a hat trick. Joe Loxham returned from injury and got 40 minutes under his belt, showing why he's been a 1st team regular this season.
We started the game quickly and Matt Doolan helped himself to a try in the 2nd minute, we continued like this throughout the first half and led 36 - 6 at the break.
The 2nd half, turned out to be a different story as Prenton finally realised we didn't have a pack, indeed our 20 stone 2nd row (that's both of them together) weren't the heaviest. Catch and drive became the Prenton game plan for the first 20 minutes, the lads competed well sacking mauls before they started, stealing line outs and turning ball over, they sucked the life out of a much bigger Prenton team. This was a dour 20 minutes without a point being scored.
Not to concede a try had been the message driven home at the break and the lads did this brilliantly, indeed the last 20 minutes was where fitness told and the boys ran in another 5 tries.
Ollie Loveday was Duck of the Day, organising, playing the game in the right areas, marshalling his backs in attack and defence, and making a massive hit to save a try on our own line.
Diffy Duck, now there's a dilemma, did it go to the man that robbed a year 7s kit in the morning and turned up to prop with size 2 boots or the man who has warmed up for 70 minutes, mithering the life out of me and his dad to get him on, whose first contribution is to drop a ball and knock it on. Connor and Calamity James shared it.
Next weeks game will possibly go a long way to deciding who will get promoted at the end of the season, two unbeaten sides, 1st against 2nd in the division. Let's get down to training again this week, it can only benefit you.
Mother Duck.