Oldham 2s, a nice bunch of lads, arrive at MV with a squad of 20, weighing in more like 30. With some last-minute arrivals the 3s are 18 men - a spicy blend of youth, pace, wisdom, girth and gobshites. Ladies and gents… it’s prime Bin Juice.
The match begins with Oldham living up to stereotype, with repeated red runs and crashes up the middle, seemingly only their 9 and 15 having a BMI of less than 50. Our youngsters are putting on a defensive masterclass, chopping low and competing well at the breakdown. Still, there’s only so many times 10 stone can absorb 20, and Oldham go over after 15 minutes of sustained pressure.
We use the wind and kick-chase well, pinning Oldham back. Once 30 metres out, we start running hard at outside shoulders, with Mike Boyle rampaging over to level the score. The rest of the first half was opening up, the youngsters getting more ball in hand and making long, mazy runs. A big shout out to our front row of Kyle, Farmiloe and Big Jon, getting the better of Oldham and delivering a solid platform for us to start playing wide. This part of the match is a bit foggy, but we built a lead off these outside runs, with Will and Ash dotting over(?). We have a rest 17-5 up.
The second half was disjointed for many reasons - my kicks downfield had gone to shit, Oldham brought some stronger players on and both sides were becoming more and more irritable. Oldham scored shortly after kick-off with some effective, bruising runs, before adding to their total with a breakaway try 17-17. We keep our rugby more basic and in-hand, making our way up the pitch. After being held up, we then somehow end up with an attacking scrum 5m out . With a loop in midfield and some calm hands under pressure, Ash dots down in the corner. 6 mins to go, we soak pressure well and the whistle blows 22-17 to TMV.
MOTM - Charlie Baguley. An all-action performance, making dominant tackles on men double his size, and delivering 80 minutes of horrendous chat. You’re a gobshite Charlie, but you’re our gobshite and we love it !
Match Report - James Diaper
Photo - Mike Boyle taking on the Oldham pack - courtesy of Ian Rogers - other photo's can be viewed on TMV Facebook pages
