1st XV
Matches
Sat 14 Sep 2019  ·  London 3 South East
Park House
29
32
Old Dunstonian RFC
1st XV
Ubee kick starts OD league campaign

Ubee kick starts OD league campaign

Colin Sinclair15 Sep 2019 - 16:56
Share via
FacebookTwitter
https://www.odrfc.co.uk/teams/

With Mike Ubee’s kicking game firmly in the groove, the decision to scorn a penalty kick in front of the posts to put OD’s two scores ahead after just ten minutes looked rash at the time and even more so as Park House come back strongly.

In the meantime, Dunstonians had made a similar decision in the second half to raise more touchline eyebrows as the gritty Park House pack looked to be retrieving the game for the home side.
In the glorious sunshine at Barnet Wood Road, conditions seemed perfect for the OD backs to pick up where they left off in April and produce some scintillating running rugby. In fact, the opening period of the match flattered to deceive as the visitors, rather typically, were unable to consolidate their halftime lead and exploit a clear advantage out wide.
OD’s started confidently enough with a smartly taken try from Jamal Gobir, who constantly posed a threat on the right wing which clearly indicated early on how the game could comfortably be won. Josh Methven’s clinical break on the halfway line set up quick ball for Tom McNamarra and Fran Pannacchia to showcase some sharp handling to allow the winger’s footwork and pace to register an excellent first try which Ubee converted. Park House options with the ball looked pretty limited and Dunstonians seemed able initially to cope with their opponents’ obsession with the inside pass. Indeed the visitors gave their hosts a taste of their own medicine when loose head prop, Austin Raleigh forced his way over on the short side of a ruck to post a second score, putting the OD’s 12-0 ahead and seemingly set fair. The declined penalty kick moments earlier seemed a distant memory but would come back to haunt a side that, in tight situations, has to learn to take points when they are on offer.
Sure enough, the bruising Park House eight began to reassert themselves with some typical close quarter play which, combined with an effective off-loading game, began to puncture the thin blue line of OD defenders. A resulting converted try put the home side right back in the game at 12-7. Gobir then ran in his second in familiar style, this time showing strength and balance as part of his impressive repertoire. However, a late Park House penalty before the interval confirmed that the OD lead would take some protecting, uphill in the second half
Familiar OD foibles at the breakdown saw a stream of penalties given away that were preventing the old boys side from settling into any rhythm and gradually handing the initiative back to their opponents. A couple of yellow cards further disrupted the OD forward effort and the second half began to tell a very different story to the first. A Park House revival was looking more and more likely when they scored early in the second half from a quickly taken penalty. While OD forwards were beginning to lose concentration and possession, the OD backs conjured a defence-splitting try straight off the training ground that put new recruit George Richardson unchallenged under the posts. The easy conversion from Ubee once again gave his side a healthy lead but that still didn’t look enough as Park House subsequently camped firmly in the opposition 22. The OD scrum and line out was secure enough to keep the homeside at bay, but the breakdown continued to give cause for concern as OD’s consistently infringed and conceded territory. Add another yellow card offence that again reduced OD’s to 14 men at this crucial stage and they could only blame themselves for giving the game away.
Sure enough, the OD lead was overhauled with an unlikely counterattack after OD’s had spilled the ball and a predictable short distance effort from the Park House pack, both converted to give them a 29-26 lead with just 10 minutes to play. Just when OD energy and ambition looked spent, a loose kick from Park House was collected deep in his own half by debutant Mike Burgess, a late call up on the left wing. With few options, Burgess speculatively kicked the ball back into the Park House half and led the charge to put pressure on his opposite number. Park House were penalised for obstruction to allow Mike Ubee to sweetly strike an equalising penalty – a scoreline that OD’s would have gladly taken given their disappointing second half performance. It was, however, to get even better when Park House contrived to concede another penalty that gave Ubee a final kick to win the game. Great composure and technique from the fly half saw the ball sail through the uprights and secure a victory that, though ultimately deserved, had looked pretty unlikely 10 minutes earlier
Tries: Gobir (2), A.Raleigh, Richardson
Coversions: Ubee (3)
Penalties: Ubee (2)
Man of the Match: Mike Ubee – calm personified.

Match details

Match date

Sat 14 Sep 2019

Kickoff

15:00

Meet time

13:30

Instructions

Meet at Park House for 13:30. Any problems let Paul know.

Competition

London 3 South East

League position

5
Old Dunstonians
8
Park House
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Seniors Sponsor - Stadium Support Services
Seniors Sponsor - Speargold