OPs win against Ruislip

On Saturday 28th September, the OPs welcomed local friends from Ruislip RFC to Perivale with both sides thus far unable to gain a win from their first three games. Having shared a joint training session at the start of the month, it provided an opportunity for the two clubs to test themselves against each other in league competition. For the home side there were some pleasing returnees - David Howe, Ben Ridley, Damien O'Dwyer, Tom Wells, Conor Dolan, James Booth and Aristide Goualin all returned having missed the previous game whilst Fred Tucker made his first start of the season at full back having shown so much promise last season before moving away for work. Morgan Lumby also took his place on the bench for his first appearance of the season having performed well in preseason matches before a busy month of work.

The home side started quickly, very quickly. The first score cme after just 50 seconds. The OPs kicked off and Ruislip gathered the ball before clearing their lines. A poor kick didn't make touch and the OPs ran it back from half way, unleashing Chris East on the opposite wing for a 30m break. A couple of phases later and Damien O'Dwyer crashed over from short range to give OPs a 5-0 lead. The OPs kept up pressure in the following minutes, stretching the Ruislip defence and gaining penalties. Having taken one quickly and pressing the try line, another penalty was awarded which the OPs chose to kick with James Booth successful. 8-0 after 7mins.

Ruislip had a brief period with the ball around half way but the OP defence looked comfortable and they chose to kick through. Fred Tucker fielded it well and hoofed the ball up field where the OPs were able to apply pressure again in the Ruislip 22, an area they struggled to escape from for a few minutes. The OPs worked the ball wide after 20mins and Joe Wellings thought he was in at the corner but the linesman judged his foot to have been in touch as he grounded the ball. A monster scrum by the home side provided yet another penalty, followed up by another. Ben Ridley eventually scored from the back of a rolling maul to extend the OP lead. 15-0 after 27mins. The OPs swiftly found themselves back in the Ruislip 22 where another penalty followed, kicked again by James Booth for an 18-0 lead after 30mins.

Ruislip just couldn't keep the ball or maintain any possession, hindered by the OP defence and their propensity to give away penalties. Just two minutes later the OPs had a lineout at half way. Following two quick phases the OP backs carved through the Ruislip defence, with Aristide Goualin taking a wonderful outside line to beat the first defender, holding the ball to draw in the full back and wing before a one handed pass freed Chris East to maintain his impressive scoring record since re-joining the club in the Summer. Booth nudged the conversion for a 25-0 lead after 33mins and into HT.

The second half was a scrappy stop-start affair with the OPs very much in control and as the clock ticked on, both sides knew the game was done. The home side provided some highlight reel moments, however, scoring some excellent tries. The first was Guy Djedje, showing again that he must be one of the most mobile props in the league. A dropped Ruislip ball was picked up and offloaded by Conor Dolan for Guy to race in from 40m, beating three defenders before stepping the full back. Joe Wellings scored two, his second coming from the back of a rolling maul where he set off on his own, basically handing off six defenders to score at the far post in an impressive display of dynamism. Another crowd favourite try was scored with ten minutes left. Pressure on the Ruislip 22 led to a turnover which was swiftly moved into space by Ridley to Conor Dolan. Having spotted full back Fred Tucker start his run from 30m away, Conor delayed and delayed the pass before Tucker angled in on an outstanding line to burst through the defence untouched for an excellent transition try.

Ruislip scored with a couple of minutes remaining to reward their efforts for the afternoon. The OPs will be pleased to get their first win of the season and showing in patches what they are capable of, but in truth Ruislip were poor on the day. Whilst their work rate and endeavour was good, they were unable to apply any meaningful pressure in the OPs half. The OPs controlled the game well and didn't look back from a fast start.

Damo Langley Award: Tom Wells
Joe Codrington Award: Fred Tucker