There's no stopping Rosslyn Park (From Surrey Comet)

There's no stopping Rosslyn Park

10:22am Monday 14th November 2011 in Rosslyn Park By Charlie Addiman

Rosslyn Park climbed to third place in the table with their best performance of the season so far as they returned from second-placed Fylde with a 16-10 win in a match that was a credit to National One rugby.

The Lancashire side play the sort of open, attacking, enterprising rugby one associates with their coach, Brian Ashton, and were clearly a very useful side indeed.

But Park put on a show of such commitment and discipline, allied to a clear edge in the scrum, that they fully deserved their win - their sixth in seven matches.

Park soon served notice that they were not here just to make up the numbers, having the lion’s share of early attacks and earning a penalty with which Ross Laidlaw gave his side a three point lead.

Fylde came back at them, clearly prepared to run the ball from pretty well anywhere. Park’s tackling in midfield was of the highest order - it had to be - restricting the real chances their opponents could create. The back row were magnificent, despite the early loss through injury of Stan McKeen. Having turned over possession, their backs always looked dangerous enough to keep Fylde honest.

However, there was little Park could do to prevent Fylde’s try in the 12th minute, a brilliant run through the defence by fly half Richard Kenyon was halted by a last ditch tackle, but not before he off-loaded for left winger Ollie Brennan, popping up in the middle, to cruise through under the posts. Kenyon converting the superb try he created.

It looked as if it might be a long afternoon for Park as Fylde set about trying to press home their advantage, but the defence was robust and a clear edge in the set pieces kept them well in the game.

A good defensive kick led to Park regaining the ball in Fylde territory and John Rudd going on a run that saw him hand off a defender with such force that the first part of the poor chap’s anatomy to touch the ground was his backside. His pass was knocked on, but Park were well in the match.

A great run out of defence by Dom Shabbo nearly put Rudd away again but this time Park were penalised.

Fylde’s free-flowing rugby always looked dangerous, and twice last ditch tackles came to Park’s rescue, and a neat piece of fielding by Nev Edwards cleared a dangerous looking attack.

Park were creating chances of their own at the other end, and Fylde, clearly frustrated by the quality of the visitors’ tackling, were beginning to incur penalties for technical offences which allowed Park to make further incursions.

A dangerous looking attack up the left started by Edwards ended with a penalty, providing an opportunity for Laidlaw to reduce the deficit to 7-6 after 32 minutes.

Both sides had further chances before Fylde, under pressure in their own 22, belted the ball out of play to end the first period.

If the first half had been as much about containment as about attacking, Park clearly set their stall out after the interval to win the match, enjoying a clear advantage in territory and possession from the start, though Fylde were still very much a threat with ball in hand.

The decisive moment came when, having threatened all afternoon, Rudd scored the sort of try that only he could have brought off. Receiving the ball outside the 22 he ran a great line through the middle – not so much evading tackles as refusing to recognise them – for a super score, converted by Laidlaw to put Park in front by 13-7.

Park were soon back at them, courtesy of another dynamic run through the middle, and Fylde’s cause was not helped by a steadily mounting penalty count against them.

As Park attacked again with 15 minutes remaining, the home side stopped the move illegally and lock Paul Arnold was sent to the bin, making his side’s task even more difficult.

Park opted to scrummage at the penalty and drove the reduced pack back, way beyond their own line, but to Park’s dismay the referee was unconvinced that they had grounded the ball in doing so, and on the re-start Fylde eventually cleared.

Park were soon back, and another penalty on 68 minutes saw Laidlaw put his side 16-7 ahead, leaving Fylde to score more than a converted try if they were to save the match.

They threw everything at it but magnificent defending, and to an extent their own indiscipline, denied them a realistic prospect of a score until a penalty deep into injury time.

With no time left for a re-start, Kenyon pragmatically chose to slot it over to claim a losing bonus point for his side.

This really was a top notch performance by Rosslyn Park in which every single player stood up to be counted. Is it the start of something big? Only time will tell.

Next Saturday, they will be hoping to pick up where they left off when they entertain Sedgley Park at home kicking off at 3pm. The Manchester club are currently sitting comfortably in mid-table having scored 43 points against Stourbridge last Saturday.

Park: Edwards; Parsons, Shabbo, Robinson, Rudd; Laidlaw; Baxter (Barr); Ovens, Richmond, Ward; Lloyd-Jones, Anderson; McKeen (Rowland), Campbell (Barrett), Lock Subs (did not play): Huggett, Mantella Park scorers: Rudd (T), Laidlaw (3P, C).