After their best half of rugby so far this season, Old Dunstonians gave supporters a fright as a rejuvenated Eastbourne side totally turned the tables against the south Londoners who seemed to slip into soporific submission for the whole of an anxious second period. It was an extraordinary contrast after OD’s had raced to an impressive 27 point lead with some great first half plays and four excellently taken tries. Little did spectators realise how significant Eastbourne’s first half penalty miss in front of the posts was going to be by the end of a pulsating match which only neutrals could have enjoyed.
That simple kick in the first 10 minutes would have rewarded the Sussex side and might easily have muted a rampant OD start, which saw Peter Jefferys force his way over for the opening score. Instead, Eastbourne’s woe was compounded as OD’s immediately took play back into the opposition half and enjoyed a sustained period of superiority that has not been seen in recent weeks. At last, the composure and accuracy demanded in the changing room was being seen on the pitch. This rosy period was rewarded by a well executed try on the narrow side by young gun Rhys Bozier, who capitalised on driving forward play to show off some fleet of foot and deft handling skills. Equally impressive was the OD defensive effort, led by the tireless James Oddy, which looked organised, coordinated and more than capable of withstanding a limited Eastbourne game plan, that at this point in the match, called for more brain and less brawn. It got even better for Dunstonians on the half hour when the ball was thrown wide to release Jamal Gobir on a mazy, trademark run that saw the young winger beat three defenders to touch down under the posts. With Linval Antonio safe under the high ball and launching a series of counter attacks from full back, confidence surged through the OD team and the towering oak that is Tom McNamara powered over from short range for his second try in consecutive games. Even when down to 14 men with Jack Sanchez off the field, they defiantly denied Eastbourne a score just before half time. Mike Ubee had previously added a penalty and two conversions to build a score that was seemingly out of reach – Eastbourne were surely down and out?
However, some familiar OD gremlins began to reappear soon after the resumption and the tinted glasses that were viewing victory in the first half suddenly slipped off OD noses. Missed tackles, passing errors and a mounting penalty count brought the visitors right back into the game and their first try came soon enough after the break, with Sanchez still on the touchline. OD possession became a distant memory and a spate of penalties time and again propelled Eastbourne deep into OD territory – unable to wrest back control, almost inevitably, the blue and white floodgates opened. The game was transformed as the Eastbourne forwards repeatedly served up quality ball for their backs to play with a renewed purpose, speed and intensity that the OD’s could not match. As the result balanced on a knife edge, a rare visit into the Eastbourne half brought a penalty opportunity for the home side to alleviate the pressure and vitally stretch a precarious 5 point lead. There was audible relief as Mike Ubee’s kick ricocheted off the left hand post to take OD’s two scores ahead. Which was just as well as Eastbourne crossed the OD line again to score a bonus point try, but the welcome final whistle meant that the home side had indeed done just enough to secure the win.
Seldom has a game of two halves resonated so accurately in the post-match analysis and a shiny home win was slightly tarnished by a faltering second half performance, in which fitness and temperament were sorely tested.
Congratulations to Alex Norcliffe who replaced the injured George Hart at hooker to make his debut Ist XV appearance
Man of the Match: Tom McNamara who was in the thick of most that was good in the first half, supplying a try scoring pass one minute and scoring one himself the next – a good weekend for the Irish.