Manor welcomed high flying Colchester to the New Wilderness this week looking to build upon some improved performances. Their task would be difficult against a side who were lying second in the table and a team that Manor hadn’t beaten since September 2014. Manors team selection was disrupted by the late withdrawal of flyhalf Craig Ratford due to illness, his replacement Callum McKie was playing his first full game after an 18 month layoff with injury.

Colchester kicked off the game and after securing the ball Manor sent up a high box kick, Manors chase was good and the catcher was soon tackled but the home side gave away a penalty for not rolling away after the tackle. Colchester kicked deep into Manors 22 where they won their lineout and drove towards Manors line. The drive was stopped and Manor held the ball up and won the first scrum of the day. With the put in secured Manor cleared their lines then stopped Colchester’s counter attack as Elliott Brown tacked the ball carrier and with the help of teammates drove the ball into touch. From the resulting lineout Manor won the throw in which allowed McKie to kick deep into Colchester’s 22 and with the ball being touch in flight the hosts were awarded the lineout. Unfortunately the throw in wasn’t straight, a blight that would affect both sides during the afternoon, which allowed Colchester to get possession and work their way up field. During this period Colchester lost their No 8 for 10 minutes for a high tackle.

There now followed an extended period of attacking possession for the visitors who were camped inside Manors 22. Three times Manor gave away a penalty and each time Colchester opted for a scrum, but Manor had the upper hand in the set piece and made life difficult for their opposition. Eventually Colchester gave up trying to breach Manors solid defence and when awarded another penalty they took the three points on offer to take a 0 – 3 lead after 18 mins.

Manor soon had an opportunity to draw level when after the re-start Colchester were awarded a scrum, Manor got the drive on and won a penalty. Cameron Dutch took a shot at goal in difficult windy conditions, but the attempt went wide.

Colchester were using the wind to their advantage to try and keep Manor pinned back inside their half but from one such kick Aaron Lowe caught the deep kick and fed Dutch who weaved his way up field dodging attempted tackles making 40 meters before eventually being brought to ground. Manors forwards in the shape of Tom Christopher and Kirk Chettleburgh who was making a welcome return after an extended break for injury, took the ball on towards Colchester’s line, then with the ref playing an advantage for another high tackle, the ball was shipped out to McKie who sent a drop goal through the posts to level the scores at 3 – 3 after 25 minutes.

Manor were soon back in possession of the ball when the re-start went directly into touch. From the scrum Manor kept possession and gradually worked their way into Colchester’s 22. Once here they were awarded an attacking scrum, but as they secured possession and drove off the back the ball was knocked on give a defending scrum to Colchester. With their scrum under pressure it was Colchester’s turn to drive off the back but they were driven back by Manors backrow finally going to ground just in front of their try line. As Colchester set the ball up their scrumhalf manoeuvred the ball back with his foot ready to clear the danger and in doing so took the ball into the dead ball area. Manors Rhys Davis-Horne was lurking by the side of the ruck and being aware of the laws knew that there was no offside once the ball was in the dead ball area and in a flash he dived on the ball before Colchester knew what was happening and despite Colchester’s protests the ref rightly awarded the try. Dutch was having a difficult day off the tee and again missed the shot at goal, but Manor now lead 8 - 3 with the first half nearly up.

Colchester created the next scoring opportunity when Manor were again penalised at the breakdown giving the visitors an opportunity to reduce the deficit from the kickable penalty, but the opportunity was missed.

Manor finished the half the stronger of the teams but were forced into a substitution when winger Aaron Lowe went down after what looked like a high tackle, he was unable to continue and was replaced by Michael Sage, soon after the half came to a close with Manor holding a slender 8 – 3 lead.

Manor kicked off the second half and pressurised the catcher and as Colchester tried to run the ball out they knocked it on. From the scrum, Manor drove the Colchester pack back before the ball was moved along the backline and out to Brown on the wing, he beat the first defender and headed towards the line but was tackled 5 meters short, he managed to pass the ball backwards but it was knocked on by the supporting players giving Colchester a scrum.

Again Manor put pressure on the Colchester scrum making it difficult for their No 8 to pick up and drive forwards, as he tried Chettleburgh drove him back in the tackle and at the subsequent ruck Manor turned the ball over and moved it out to centre Carly Buisson, he went on a powerful run taking four or five defenders to bring him down. Chettleburgh then got his hands on the ball and drove low towards the line but was stopped inches short, Manor forwards were again there in numbers and Paddy Sheehy gathered the ball and drove over the line but was unable to ground the ball with good Colchester defence holding him up.

From the scrum Sheehy again drove for the line and when stopped the ball was moved out to Dutch who tried to get in at the corner but was taken into touch. Manor then gave away a penalty at the lineout which allowed Colchester to relieve the pressure.
Colchester now enjoyed a period of pressure and a good break down the left wing stretched Manors defence but a great covering tackle by Brown stopped the immediate danger but Colchester recycled the ball quickly and moved it into the centre of the park where Buisson put in a crunching tackle but was then penalised for killing the ball and was sent to the sin bin by the ref.

Manor now had to defend Colchester’s attacks but their rush defence and solid tackling stopped the visitors from breaking through and eventually Manor turned the ball over and took play up the length of the park and into Colchester’s 22. Here good strong running by Tom Christopher, Chettleburgh and Jimmy Baber put pressure on Colchester’s line, but ill discipline curtailed another promising attack as Manor were penalised giving Colchester another chance to clear the danger from a penalty which they kicked for a lineout.

The curse of the ‘not straight at the lineout’ hit Colchester again and Manor were awarded a scrum. With the ball at the base Nick Horton feigned to go blind before moving the ball along the line where Davis-Horne took the ball on before putting in a lovely grubber kick through the onrushing defence, he followed and gathered his kick taking play into Colchester’s 22 before passing the ball to Brown out on his wing, here he had the pace to beat the covering defenders and score in the corner. The extra two points were not converted but after 22 minutes Manor now led 13 – 3.

Manor were soon back on the attack and it began from yet another crooked throw in at a lineout. From the awarded scrum the ball went to McKie who put in a long kick into Colchester’s 22, here the defence managed to knock the ball on giving Manor an attacking scrum. Again Manors scrum was dominant allowing quick ball to be moved through the hands where Dutch, joining in from fullback scampered through a gap in Colchester’s defence and over for Manors third try. Again Dutch was unable to add the extra points but they had stretched their lead to 18 – 3 after 30 minutes.

Manor should have put the result beyond doubt when soon after the restart Manors backline again found space through Colchester’s defensive line after quick hands created a massive gap for Dutch to dart through, from 30 meters out he outpaced the chasing defenders but with less than 10 meters to the line he somehow inexplicably managed to drop the ball with a certain try beckoning.

This error seemed to invigorate Colchester and they were soon on the attack eventually winning a kickable penalty reducing the deficit 18 – 6.
Colchester continued to attack and put pressure on Manors line, Manor continued to repel all that was thrown at them until the ref penalised Chettleburgh for an offence at the breakdown and sent him to the sin bin for the rest of the match. Colchester opted to take a scrum in front of the posts, but what followed was the most contentious play of the match. Manor put the scrum under pressure, Colchester’s No 8 went the pick the ball up but clearly knocked the ball on, it was then picked up by another Colchester player in front of the Colchester No 8, the Manor players stopped expecting at worst a scrum for the knock on or even a penalty for offside, in fact some of the Colchester team had stopped playing, but the ref shouted play on and Colchester reacted quickest moving that ball out wide and going over in the corner despite Manors protests. The difficult kick was well taken and with minutes left to play Colchester sensed an unlikely victory with the score at 18 – 13.

With the clock running down Colchester tried as best they could to find the winning score and with the last play of the game made a break down the left wing, but Brown tracked back and tackled the ball carrier and held him up until he was joined by Dutch and they drove the ball into touch thus bringing to an end the contest.

Manor had at last rediscovered some of their earlier season form and had deservedly beaten a good Colchester side but the score did not reflect Manors superiority, this was due to one very poor piece of referring and some basic handling errors by Manor. Even so the win will give Manor confidence as they prepare for their final game of 2019, away to Harpenden, the only side to have beaten the current runaway league leaders, so it will be a tough test, but one that Manor are capable of passing.

After the game Eton Manors DoR Mark Farrell was in good spirits;
“No doubt that this was a very big day for us today, to win against the side in second place shows yet again what this Manor team is all about.
Our defence was the strongest aspect of our game, defending 3 attacking 5m scrums in the first 10 mins of the game and ultimately forcing Colchester to kick for goal set the template for the rest of the game. When we did finally decide to look after the ball, we also managed to score three very well executed tries, and one there was also one that got away! We are at the halfway point in this years campaign, we now know what we are up against and with yet more players returning from injury, our training numbers still strong and our momentum starting to pick up again, we look forward to the second half of the season.”