RLC Round Ten - St Albans 40 -v- 22 Ipswich Rhinos 28.06.08
Left: Cents defence proved just as strong as their attack in their victory over the Ipswich Rhinos.
England International Oli Fountain was the star of the show, scoring four tries and kicking four goals, as St. Albans Centurions returned to winning ways to brush aside Ipswich Rhinos at Colney Heath on Saturday.
The Cents were in pulsating form in a first half that saw them rack up thirty points and virtually ensure victory before they took their foot off the accelerator in the second period. The last few weeks have been difficult ones for the Centurions, losing key players to injury, international duty and retirement and playing youngsters in the first team sometimes before they were ready, but Saturday’s performance was one to savour. The opening exchanges were fairly even with Adam Cook, the Ipswich hooker, always looking dangerous but after ten minutes good work from Lewis Padmore, Miles Dempsey and Chris True set up a scrum five metres out from the Ipswich line. After a couple of battering rams from Miles Dempsey and Jamie Molloy, Richard Smith, always distributing the ball well from dummy half, sent out a long pass wide and the ball went left along the line for Jacques Steynberg to touch down in the corner.
The Rhinos hit back when scrum half Dan Kerr jinked over the line to touch down under the posts but for the rest of the first half it was one way traffic. Joe Vassie, playing his best match of the season, powered his way through the Ipswich defence before passing to Angus Simpson who set up Oli Fountain on the right wing for his first try of the game. Five minutes later excellent ball handling involving Fountain, Molloy, Jonno Elvin and Owen Doyle ended with Doyle slipping the ball inside for Richard Smith to grab four more points.
The Cents were now looking full of confidence and playing some excellent rugby and it wasn’t long before the next try came along, a second for Fountain, who latched on to the ball and with a marvellous step and run raced for the line after a good break from Shane Rampling. Fountain added the extra two points. On thirty five minutes, from the base of the scrum Angus Simpson passed to stand off Shane Rampling who jinked through and fed Fountain. The partnership down the right was working superbly again as Oli Fountain raced in, mesmerising the Ipswich defence to touch down for his hat trick.
Encouragingly, when Ipswich did threaten briefly the St. Albans side showed some good defence with everyone working well in the defensive line. Then just before half time, after an exciting run from Owen Doyle, back from injury for his first match of the season, centre Dan Hensby gathered an audacious kick from scrum half Angus Simpson, celebrating his eighteenth birthday, to score on the left. With Fountain adding the extra two points the Cents had swept into a 30 - 6 lead.
The second period saw the Ipswich Rhinos moving up a gear as the Cents seem to relax slightly with hooker Adam Cook nipping in for a try converted by Pete Le Marquand. But yet again the ubiquitous Fountain was on hand racing down the right flank to touch down for try number four after a clever back door pass from second row forward, Jamie Molloy. Adam Cook was on hand again to score his second try of the game on the hour mark but though the Rhinos were having the better of the half, they had left it too late. The Cents made sure they snuffed out any real fightback when, with five minutes remaining, Oli Fountain, Richard Smith and Miles Dempsey combined to sweep the ball downfield and set up Shane Rampling for a fine try on the left.
A late consolation try from Ipswich’s Darryl Walters did nothing to curb player/coach Rampling’s enthusiasm. “That was a great win,” he said. “It’s taken four or five weeks but the wins will start to come now. Finally our young boys quickened a gear. Things started to come together in the second half last week and in the first forty today. We need patience and to stick to a simple game plan and we’ll move up the table. There were twenty four points from Oli Fountain. And the youngsters are growing in stature each week. Joe Vassie and Jonno Elvin were outstanding today.”
On Saturday July 5th St. Albans Centurions are at home to the unbeaten West London Sharks. Kick off at the Recreation Ground, Colney Heath is at 2.30pm.
Team: True; Fountain (4 tries, 4 goals); Doyle; Hensby (try); Steynberg (try); Rampling (try); Simpson; Weldon; Smith (try); Padmore; Molloy; Elvin; M. Dempsey; Wadsley; Vassie; M. Chapman; P. Chapman.
