SBOB senior XV made the best possible start to the season with an emphatic home win against the visitors from Somerset. The game, featuring some fantastic individual performances as well as a demonstration of great fifteen-man rugby, ended 43-0, with seven of the team crossing to score tries.

After a rigorous and at times punishing pre-season training schedule, morale amongst the players was high when they arrived at Coombe Dingle over an hour before the game to complete an extensive warm up and preparation. With numbers hovering around 20, the lads spent the valuable time before the opposition arrived warming up for all aspects of the impending game.

Morganians arrived a little short of time, having gotten a bit lost on the way, and so kick off was delayed by the referee to 15.15. When the visitors did run out from the changing room, SBOB noted that they looked like a very big set of forwards and some sprightly looking backs. The lads got their game heads on and captain ‘Big Ben’ Carter, standing in for the injured (but still very vocal) Luke Hartley, gave a great talk in the circle. A win was so important to prove that the pre-season had not all been for nothing. The team, and the impressive number of supporters, would not be disappointed.

Anthony Kolanko started the game with a great hanging kick for the forwards to chase, and we were off! A period of sustained pressure in the visitors’ 22 then ensued, with several massive shoves from the Saints’ front row in the opening scrums putting the wind up the Somerset boys. Debutantes Martin Chandler (tighthead) and Mike ‘Spendo’ Spendlove (hooker) teamed up with veteran campaigner Warren Fear (loosehead) to wreak absolute havoc on the Morganians scrum. However, SBOB were frustrated at the last play, and several times the visitors escaped at the last gasp. Their defence was finally breached after 15 minutes, although it came from the backs. A scrappy line out was rescued by scrum-half Jimmy Fry, who span it out to fly-half Anthony ‘Curly’ Kolanko. Some clever steps later, Ant had drawn his man and created a hole in the defence. A neat pop to inside centre Anthony ‘Taff’ Powell, who had run a superb line just outside the 12 channel, led to a fantastic opening score under the posts. Curly converted to put the boys 7-0 up.

Ten minutes later, and the Saints found themselves in a promising attacking position with a 5-metre scrum. (Minutes earlier, Martin had had to retire from the game having sustained a deep cut just above his eye. Although this was a great loss, given how dominant our front row had been, all was not lost as Big Ben stepped up to the plate to play prop for the remainder of the game. There can’t be many teams in the country that can call on a 6’5’’ 18 stoner as a reserve prop!) Number 8 Dan Ford opted to pick and go on the blindside (a tactic he would use to devastating effect throughout the game), and although the defence were able to shut him down he was able to pop the ball up to Jimmy Fry for him to cross in the corner. Curly pulled a brilliant conversion kick out of the bag from a really difficult angle, and the home side went 14-0 up.

Five minutes before half-time, Jimmy Fry made a great break down the centre of the park, and threw a brilliant lobbed pass to winger Ian Mussell, who stepped on the gas and crossed in the corner to complete an impressive individual first half. Curly narrowly missed the conversion, and SBOB stopped for the break with a 19-0 lead.

It was important that the lads didn’t start the second half lazily, as has happened so often in the past, and they didn’t disappoint. More attacking pressure paid off ten minutes into the half when flanker and Man-of-the-Match Dave Watkins ran a superb line onto Curly’s simple pop pass to dissect the visitors’ defence and score a great looking try, which when converted took the boys to 26 unanswered points.

Twenty minutes into the second half, and Dan Ford again showed why he is one of the best Number 8s in the league. Even the powerful Morganians back row could not stop Fordy’s rampaging pick and go off the back of a 5-metre scrum, and he crossed in the corner to take the score to 31-0.

By this point SBOB were cruising, but we didn’t get complacent. We were going for the big win, and that’s exactly what we got. The trademark move of the Saints pack, the catch and drive, was employed to devastating effect with ten minutes of the game left. The pack drove forward with practiced ease, and debutante Will Driver, who’s come to us from league rivals Wotton, peeled off the back of the rolling maul to score. Curly put the ball through the posts to take us to 38-0.

The dying moments of the game saw a superb piece of handling from the back line. Gaining quick ball from a breakdown, Jimmy started the move with a pass to Curly. The ball went through the hands of the running backs, who by this point were thoroughly enjoying themselves, and ended up with Rob Hawkridge on the left wing. There aren’t many who can keep pace with this flyer, but one person who can is James Honeyfield, who’d come on at 12 to replace Taff. Rob drew his man and popped the ball back inside to James, who put the final nail in the visitors’ coffin.

A truly epic performance from all involved, and a great start to the season.

Luke Hartley