UCS Old Boys suffer home defeat against Old Streetonians
Matt Jacobs scored UCS Old Boys' first try. Pic: Paolo Minoli - Credit: Archant
A damaging 20-minute spell left UCS Old Boys with an uphill task as they suffered a 29-18 home defeat against the side that were relegated alongside them last season, Old Streetonians.
UCS won both of last season’s meetings in London North-West Division Three, but it was a different story in Herts/Middlesex Division One on Saturday as they conceded three successive tries in the first half, while a fourth score left them 29-8 down at the interval.
Matt Jacobs, Mert Zabci and Joe Woolley touched down for the Old Boys but they were unable to salvage anything from the game and grab a bonus point.
A good chase from debutant Ryan Warner from the kick-off produced a turnover and, when Old Street put their hands in the ruck, the returning Alex Lowe kicked the hosts into the lead.
However, their defence let them down and they conceded three tries in 20 minutes – two of them being converted – and found themselves 19-3 down after half an hour.
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UCS hit straight back as Paul Dillon’s counter-rucking won a penalty, with Jacobs taking it quickly and spinning out of contact to crash over the line.
But the conversion was missed and Old Streetonians scored another 10 points before the break, with a fourth try and then a penalty.
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The Old Boys switched on after the interval, with the front five starting to dominate the scrum, and repeated infringements from the visitors was punished with a yellow card before UCS’s pack pushed their way to the line and Zabci forced his way over.
Ten minutes from time they struck again, driving forward from a line-out, and Zabci reached out to score what looked like his second try. The referee was not convinced and declined to give it, but it did not matter as scrum-half Woolley extracted the ball from a pile of bodies and went over himself.
However, the home side were unable to get another score on the board and ended up pointless after their second defeat from their opening five games.
UCS Old Boys: Ghanem, Warner (Bean 60), Klimov, Orr, Dillon, Jayne, Pope (Jones 40), Zabci, Woolley, Lowe, Brooks, Jacobs, Crossman (Greenall 40), O’’Dwyer, Blythe.
