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Sat 13 Jan 2018 · London 3 South East
1st XVFolkestone
65
12
No Stone left unturned as Old Boys pile up the points
Colin Sinclair18 Jan 2018 - 15:53
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East Kent raiders repelled in some style
Old Dunstonians maintained their impressive home run and scored ten tries to record their biggest win of the season against an out of sorts Folkestone fifteen. Eventually quite a one sided affair, the match required Dunstonians to maintain a focus and intensity for eighty minutes to turn superiority into points that augurs well for the future. Once again, victory was founded on a good set piece to win the ball, complemented by strong defensive commitment, both at the breakdown and out wide, to win it back. While the side’s hallmark attacking verve was clearly in evidence, what was particularly impressive was the high pressure defending that took its toll on the opposition, who could not establish any consistency in the face of the blue and white onslaught. While most of the OD forwards had their moments, it was the sustained back row performance that created a platform for victory, led by Phil Grayson who caught the eye with his relentless tackling and direct running.
From Rory Palmer’s scything run from the halfway within the first five minutes, it looked like the Langley Park side was in the mood to play rugby. A clean break and a smart change of direction took the all-action centre over the line far out on the right, proving too difficult to convert in dry but blustery conditions. However it was not long before winger Jamal Gobir pounced on a Folkestone fumble to add another five points. The OD pack had quickly hit its straps and was giving half backs Andy Booth and Mike Ubee every opportunity to dictate field position and provide good continuity between forwards and backs. Folkestone seemed unable to break out of their own half until an infringement allowed them to kick deep into OD territory. The visitors drove a maul from the resulting lineout to register seven points and sharply remind their hosts that this was still a contest.
As it turned out, it was the last time that Folkestone threatened the OD line until the end of the game, showing just how far the Old Boys have come since losing at the New Burlington ground back in September. A Ubee penalty steadied the ship and Gobir got a clear run to the line after some good work from centres Rob Deane and replacement Luke Jebb created the overlap. The fluent and elusive Deane himself got into the act either side of half time and the boisterous Jamie Pecorella calmly buffeted some reluctant defenders to claim his first league try of the season as the score rattled up to 39-7, with Ubee converting all three. Folkestone tackling was losing its bite and it was proving a difficult day for them with injuries and a mounting error count. However, there was no mistaking OD’s next try as an outstanding piece of virtuoso play that showed decision making and interpassing skills at their Barbarian best. Regardless of training ground routines, nothing will match the rugby player’s counter-attacking intuition to wrongfoot an opponent and pass the ball at the right time to support players who have picked the right lines to carry the ball forward. When this finishes with a scoring pass, euphoria descends. Just such a sequence was started by Mike Ubee on the halfway line which saw the ball transfer through four or five pairs of hands to ultimately give Diarmuid Raleigh the opportunity to outrun the cover defence and score under the posts for the best seven points seen at Langley Park this season.
From then on, OD’s tightened the screw. If the floodgates didn’t quite open, they remained firmly ajar. Luke Jebb, on again as replacement, added another try from an audacious long pass by skipper Peter Jefferys, who capped a fine individual performance at the heart of the forward effort, and prop Josh Ajiboye, showing his strength and footwork in equal measure, obliged with two more, both converted, to take the OD tally to 65 points.
To their credit, Folkestone summoned a final forward trundle to add 5 points to their score but it was a meagre return from a day when they found Old Dunstonians in irrepressible form. Doubtless tougher games lie ahead but let’s see this victory for what it is: not only as progress in the continuing development of a young and increasingly confident side, but also, as a memorable display of running rugby that will long be remembered by those who watched their team's coming of age.
Scorers
Tries: Gobir (2) Deane (2) Ajiboye (2) Palmer Raleigh Jebb Pecorella
Conversions: Ubee (6)
Penalties: Ubee (1)
MoM: Phil Grayson – a masterclass at no.7, showing the perfect blend of experience, skill and physicality. Leading from the front, he shows no sign of slowing down.
From Rory Palmer’s scything run from the halfway within the first five minutes, it looked like the Langley Park side was in the mood to play rugby. A clean break and a smart change of direction took the all-action centre over the line far out on the right, proving too difficult to convert in dry but blustery conditions. However it was not long before winger Jamal Gobir pounced on a Folkestone fumble to add another five points. The OD pack had quickly hit its straps and was giving half backs Andy Booth and Mike Ubee every opportunity to dictate field position and provide good continuity between forwards and backs. Folkestone seemed unable to break out of their own half until an infringement allowed them to kick deep into OD territory. The visitors drove a maul from the resulting lineout to register seven points and sharply remind their hosts that this was still a contest.
As it turned out, it was the last time that Folkestone threatened the OD line until the end of the game, showing just how far the Old Boys have come since losing at the New Burlington ground back in September. A Ubee penalty steadied the ship and Gobir got a clear run to the line after some good work from centres Rob Deane and replacement Luke Jebb created the overlap. The fluent and elusive Deane himself got into the act either side of half time and the boisterous Jamie Pecorella calmly buffeted some reluctant defenders to claim his first league try of the season as the score rattled up to 39-7, with Ubee converting all three. Folkestone tackling was losing its bite and it was proving a difficult day for them with injuries and a mounting error count. However, there was no mistaking OD’s next try as an outstanding piece of virtuoso play that showed decision making and interpassing skills at their Barbarian best. Regardless of training ground routines, nothing will match the rugby player’s counter-attacking intuition to wrongfoot an opponent and pass the ball at the right time to support players who have picked the right lines to carry the ball forward. When this finishes with a scoring pass, euphoria descends. Just such a sequence was started by Mike Ubee on the halfway line which saw the ball transfer through four or five pairs of hands to ultimately give Diarmuid Raleigh the opportunity to outrun the cover defence and score under the posts for the best seven points seen at Langley Park this season.
From then on, OD’s tightened the screw. If the floodgates didn’t quite open, they remained firmly ajar. Luke Jebb, on again as replacement, added another try from an audacious long pass by skipper Peter Jefferys, who capped a fine individual performance at the heart of the forward effort, and prop Josh Ajiboye, showing his strength and footwork in equal measure, obliged with two more, both converted, to take the OD tally to 65 points.
To their credit, Folkestone summoned a final forward trundle to add 5 points to their score but it was a meagre return from a day when they found Old Dunstonians in irrepressible form. Doubtless tougher games lie ahead but let’s see this victory for what it is: not only as progress in the continuing development of a young and increasingly confident side, but also, as a memorable display of running rugby that will long be remembered by those who watched their team's coming of age.
Scorers
Tries: Gobir (2) Deane (2) Ajiboye (2) Palmer Raleigh Jebb Pecorella
Conversions: Ubee (6)
Penalties: Ubee (1)
MoM: Phil Grayson – a masterclass at no.7, showing the perfect blend of experience, skill and physicality. Leading from the front, he shows no sign of slowing down.
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