Gravesend fails to do the double

A great day for rugby at Rectory field on Saturday where Gss played host for the return fixture with Colchester, who they had won against in a tight first fixture of the season, 23-33, a game that was in the balance until Gss knowledge of the league and need to play a full eighty minutes showed through.
With Colchester supporters boosting the crowed on Saturday and a good turnout for this last league fixture of the season, they were not to be disappointed with the afternoon’s display.
Gravesend were quickly on the front foot and taking the game to their visitors twenty-two metre area, and a transgression on nine minutes allowed late call up Stephen McNamara a successful penalty kick to put Gss on the board 3-0.
Gravesend’s pack were solid and had little problem setting a stable platform for what was the “best” half-back pairing seen this season wearing the Gravesend strip.
Good ball won in the tight, quickly fed out by Brad Smith to the evergreen Gary Gray, and there was little chance that the backs were not going to enjoy their final afternoon.
Perhaps at times a little over confident going forward, that when the ball was lost they found they were too far forward and the defence was outstripped for pace as Robert Heath raced through to touch down.
Fly-half Dave Higgins added the extras to put Colchester in front after thirty-two minutes.
In the first twenty minutes of play, two yellow cards for the visitors, and constant pressure from the Gravesend forwards as the continued the pick and go tactics that have been so wasteful this season, left question marks over the decision making on the park, when the visitors were two players short in the three-quarters for eight minutes.
Still with such a plethora of ball the centres, Cameron Barbour and John Gammon were making a great impact, but were coming up against some stout defending from the visitors as they fought hard to keep their line intact.
Eventually the visitors line was breached as the combination of the three-quarters, McNamara and Temi Okenla, stretched the defence for the latter to run in at the corner, to regain the advantage 8-7.
As the half ran the clock into the red, the pack managed to achieve what has eluded them so often this season a well driven over try and with the last kick of the period, McNamara took the difference to a well deserved 15-7.
The hard fought struggle continued after the break with Gss taking the game to the opposition, but a few errors were quick to be pounced on and Colchester’s Calum Irvine took great delight in starting and then finishing a break that led him to cross between the posts. The accurate Higgins brought the scores close at 15-14.
Great carrying of the ball by Tom Shields, and the welcome return for his first senior game of the season of Charlie Cutting after the best part of two seasons on the sidelines, along with Zac Lewis, helped Gss continue their charge forward.
This was complimented by the usual high pace performance of Geoff Marshall and Tom Bird, the support play and ball winning of Dave Irvine, Ziggy Stevens and James Newman, but the visitors defence stood firm to all that Gss could throw at them, while they fed on the scraps that were left for them.
A McNamara penalty was all that Gss had added to the first half tall which made the difference 18-14, just ten minutes in.
Much grunting and a high work rate from both XVs but Gss still looked likely to add to their earlier scores, but silly penalties when in the opposition twenty-two allowed the line to be cleared.
Then a lost line-out, again within reach of the line, saw Gss out of position and with Gray in the sin-bin, short in defence as they saw a long range converted try ease Colchester back in front 18-21.
There seemed to be plenty of time for the winning score to come, but Gss spurned the chance to level from a penalty in front of the posts, another poor decision, only to see possession lost at the resulting line-out.
When called on the replacements in Matt Hewitt and Jacob bacon, helped to keep the show on the road, but the fresh legs were not able to help get that elusive winning score.
Having been in the driving seat for eighty per cent of the game, a penalty in front of the posts saw Colchester take their chance to extend their lead, knowing they would get possession back at the restart, something that is missing from the Gss savvy.
A losing Bonus point was all Gss managed from what had been some of the best performances that they have achieved all season.
Relegation to London 1 South for next season will not be an easy one, with a number of players retiring, some already being approached to play for other clubs that are still in National 3 but the hope that the academy players coming through from the junior ranks give hope for a bright future in the next couple of seasons.