Plymouth University 17
AECC RFC 3
A battered and bruised AECC bowed out of the BUCS Western Conference Cup with a hugely creditable display against a fine Plymouth University 1st XV.
With the Chiros missing Guns Tottle and Dean Matthews through educational duties (well, Deano failed his GCC exam) and with Iaiaiaiain Cromsy and Baby Le Roux carrying knocks, the odds were stacked against them. Plymouth, coached by ex-Plymouth Albion captain Danny Thomas, sit two leagues above AECC and a 3-hour minibus trip away (and it's cramped in there, water bottles or no water bottles).
Three hours doesn't seem so long, though, when you have the Southampton University Netball team to amuse you. The boys clearly amused them too, to the point that they somehow managed to miss their exit as club casanova Jonny Collier chatted them up on the phone.
I digress. After thumping Bournemouth University 1st team 37-7 two weeks ago, Plymouth must have wondered what hit them when "Bournemouth University 2nd XV" stormed into their half, with consistent pressure keeping them on the back foot. Plymouth were able to clear their lines and after a transgression in midfield, kicked to the corner. The Chiros were left to rue their previous missed chances as Plymouth crossed with a rolling maul on their first visit to the AECC 22. However the rest of the half consisted of good Chiro pressure and hard hits in defence, Jonny Collier kicking the rarest of goals to give the boys scant reward for their good work. Halftime 5-3 to Plymouth.
The injuries were now beginning to mount up for the AECC, with Jonny Collier leaving the field at half time, exposing the lack of kicking options and all but nullifying the benefits of the wind advantage that was theirs in the second half. This meant Ieaun Cromsy moving to full-back.
This must have rattled Plymouth somewhat, as their on-field banter was of an exceedingly poor quality. With Joseph-Athow Frost being accused of having "s*** socks", Callum "The Enforcer" Forrest being called " jessie", Jonny Collier subjected to shouts of "you're a lemon mate" and the completely unfathomable "leave him alone, he's my housemate", the AECC boys were left scratching their heads at such shockingly bad attempts at sledging. Though it may have been a clever "ruse to confuse", as Plymouth crossed again, a simple move not being picked up by the now baffled Chiro defence. At 10-3 though, the game was not out of reach.
Not out of reach, but certainly a levelling try looked unlikely, given the Chiros' efforts to break into the Plymouth half were largely fruitless in the second stanza. With a theme beginning to emerge, more injuries forced more changes Ieaiuaiun Cromsy's afternoon was cut annoyingly short as he succumbed to injury. Damian Le Roux also capitulated after bravely playing through what he described as "bare agony blud innit" before laughing inappropriately loudly. Even courageous player-coach Joseph-Athow Frost III played 30 minutes with a broken hand, but what does he want, a medal?
With players out of position everywhere, the boys literally never stopped fighting, though Plymouth deliivered a telling blow as their number 8 picked from the back of a ruck, brushing off two Chiro defenders to saunter under the posts. 17-3 and that was all she wrote as the boys tasted defeat for the first time this season.
We caught up with AECC coach Joseph-Athow Frost after the game, when asked about the defeat, he said:
"Yeah of course the boys are obviously disappointed with the loss but at the end of the day, it's a game of two halves and on any given wednesday you're either gonna win or you're gonna lose. On the other hand, it's not over till the fat lady sings and I think we've proved that today, the boys played their hearts out and you can't ask for more than that. Rugby, like life, is a game of inches and unfortunately we came up a few yards short today. Ultimately though I don't think the boys will let it keep them down. Why? Because in the words of the one and only Antoine Bru, win or lose, we always booze."
Big hands this week go to Snakey Ed Crawford for stepping in, Cheggers Pegna for baing called Cheggers, Ian Cromsy for breaking himself in the name of AECC, Callum Forrest (he knows why!) and of course, the man of the match, the one and only, your captain fantastic, the indefatigableMatthew Bateman
AECC RFC: Not bad for a team that's not coached by an ex-Plymouth Albion player ... oh wait
AECC RFC 3
A battered and bruised AECC bowed out of the BUCS Western Conference Cup with a hugely creditable display against a fine Plymouth University 1st XV.
With the Chiros missing Guns Tottle and Dean Matthews through educational duties (well, Deano failed his GCC exam) and with Iaiaiaiain Cromsy and Baby Le Roux carrying knocks, the odds were stacked against them. Plymouth, coached by ex-Plymouth Albion captain Danny Thomas, sit two leagues above AECC and a 3-hour minibus trip away (and it's cramped in there, water bottles or no water bottles).
Three hours doesn't seem so long, though, when you have the Southampton University Netball team to amuse you. The boys clearly amused them too, to the point that they somehow managed to miss their exit as club casanova Jonny Collier chatted them up on the phone.
I digress. After thumping Bournemouth University 1st team 37-7 two weeks ago, Plymouth must have wondered what hit them when "Bournemouth University 2nd XV" stormed into their half, with consistent pressure keeping them on the back foot. Plymouth were able to clear their lines and after a transgression in midfield, kicked to the corner. The Chiros were left to rue their previous missed chances as Plymouth crossed with a rolling maul on their first visit to the AECC 22. However the rest of the half consisted of good Chiro pressure and hard hits in defence, Jonny Collier kicking the rarest of goals to give the boys scant reward for their good work. Halftime 5-3 to Plymouth.
The injuries were now beginning to mount up for the AECC, with Jonny Collier leaving the field at half time, exposing the lack of kicking options and all but nullifying the benefits of the wind advantage that was theirs in the second half. This meant Ieaun Cromsy moving to full-back.
This must have rattled Plymouth somewhat, as their on-field banter was of an exceedingly poor quality. With Joseph-Athow Frost being accused of having "s*** socks", Callum "The Enforcer" Forrest being called " jessie", Jonny Collier subjected to shouts of "you're a lemon mate" and the completely unfathomable "leave him alone, he's my housemate", the AECC boys were left scratching their heads at such shockingly bad attempts at sledging. Though it may have been a clever "ruse to confuse", as Plymouth crossed again, a simple move not being picked up by the now baffled Chiro defence. At 10-3 though, the game was not out of reach.
Not out of reach, but certainly a levelling try looked unlikely, given the Chiros' efforts to break into the Plymouth half were largely fruitless in the second stanza. With a theme beginning to emerge, more injuries forced more changes Ieaiuaiun Cromsy's afternoon was cut annoyingly short as he succumbed to injury. Damian Le Roux also capitulated after bravely playing through what he described as "bare agony blud innit" before laughing inappropriately loudly. Even courageous player-coach Joseph-Athow Frost III played 30 minutes with a broken hand, but what does he want, a medal?
With players out of position everywhere, the boys literally never stopped fighting, though Plymouth deliivered a telling blow as their number 8 picked from the back of a ruck, brushing off two Chiro defenders to saunter under the posts. 17-3 and that was all she wrote as the boys tasted defeat for the first time this season.
We caught up with AECC coach Joseph-Athow Frost after the game, when asked about the defeat, he said:
"Yeah of course the boys are obviously disappointed with the loss but at the end of the day, it's a game of two halves and on any given wednesday you're either gonna win or you're gonna lose. On the other hand, it's not over till the fat lady sings and I think we've proved that today, the boys played their hearts out and you can't ask for more than that. Rugby, like life, is a game of inches and unfortunately we came up a few yards short today. Ultimately though I don't think the boys will let it keep them down. Why? Because in the words of the one and only Antoine Bru, win or lose, we always booze."
Big hands this week go to Snakey Ed Crawford for stepping in, Cheggers Pegna for baing called Cheggers, Ian Cromsy for breaking himself in the name of AECC, Callum Forrest (he knows why!) and of course, the man of the match, the one and only, your captain fantastic, the indefatigableMatthew Bateman
AECC RFC: Not bad for a team that's not coached by an ex-Plymouth Albion player ... oh wait
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