Stevenage Town RFC

As we arrived at Barnet, who sat 2 leagues above and flying high we knew it would be a tough morning. A brief chat with their head coach informed us that we were not to worry as we had the good referee today. God help anyone who gets the other referee as the game was not officiated well at all! Constant infringements by the home team around the ruck went unpunished which allowed them to turnover the ball on numerous occasions, to the disbelief of the travelling spectators. The first try went the way of Barnet after a great scrum against the head, they stole the ball fairly and powered their way over the line between the posts, with the conversion scored it was 7-0 to the home side.

Stevenage then attacked time after time, but the same outcome kept occurring; players off their feet diving over the ball, playing it on the floor, not getting penalised. Maybe that's how they are coached, but in the real world this is not allowed. When Stevenage finally got a penalty, a quick tap was taken and with the defence no more than 4m back, the referee allowed the turnover, which was then spun wide by the home teams impressive backs. They made good ground, but some great cover tackles out wide stopped the attack. With our players getting frustrated by some poor refereeing, they tried their best to keep playing the rugby they knew, but with constant pressure from a large pack they finally conceded the 2nd try of the game. A quick pick from the back of the scrum and the 8 powered his way past 2 missed tackles to score a great try. Coversion scored. 14-0

As the rest of the first half was played out there were some big hits and jinking runs from both teams but the defence stood strong and the referee blew for half time. 14-0

After a brief chat with the referee to clear up some the frustrations regarding his poor decisions we could only hope for better.

With the 2nd half under way Stevenage needed to score next to have any hope of a revival. With 10 mins gone and a pretty even start to the half Stevenage had forced their way into the Barnet 22, a high tackle gave us a penalty and with a quick tap and go, Frankie, with one of his trademark runs powered his way to the line to score a well-deserved try. Hold on!! The referee seems to have gone to the TMO, and with a couple of Barnet players claiming a knock on which nobody else had seen the referee changed his mind, something I have never seen in the 30 years of rugby I've witnessed! This was getting beyond a joke now and even the home coach couldn't believe what he had seen. But hay ho - on we go! To rub salt in the wounds, from the resulting scrum Barnet cleared their lines and with a good kick chase they scored under the posts. Conversion scored 21-0.

With the lad's heads down, we needed a spark and this came from a great solo effort from Toby, who for some reason was in the full back position! A superb catch from a deep kick and he was off. Not known for his kicking, he returned the ball with a huge kick and a great kick chase from himself and Levani saw the defenders kick charged down and bobble over the line. Toby sprinted and an elegant swan dive onto the ball saw a great try scored. But would it stand??? Did the home team see anything wrong with it?? would the ref be calling the TMO again?? The travelling fans held their breath as the referee signaled for a try. An eruption of joy from both fans and players as at last something to show for their effort. Conversion missed 21-5.

The last 5 mins was a bit back and forth with the boot as both teams tried to get good field position. Barnet managed to get their hands on the ball in the Stevenage 22, and after several big tackles they finally had their 4th try of the game. Conversion scored. Final score 28 - 5.

Barnet are a very good side and probably deserved the win but when they are allowed to get away with consistently breaking the laws of the game and not getting penalised they will come unstuck. A great game by 2 passionate teams that was enjoyed by most.

Well played lads a fine display.

By Adam Amos (Coach)