Sat 12 Nov 2022
Sometimes the maxim of forwards wins matches and backs decide by how much rings true and yesterday it was certainly the case of the latter, but not necessarily the former. The much vaunted Chew pack was given a bit of a tough time by the CABs pack, however when the ball was moved wide, or kicked to the Chew back three danger lurked everywhere. The CABs went into the game with two changes from the squad that comprehensively turned over Ivybridge, with a view to not just combating, the massive Chew pack, but actually looking to get the edge and take the game by the scruff of the neck and play a similar game.
However, within two minutes the threat in the Chew backs was present for all to see, a kick downfield and the lightning fast Chew 15 spotted a gap and broke through and dotted down under the posts. Within 10 minutes the score had doubled to 14-0. A couple of kicks into touch (most other ground there wouldn't have been a problem, but the Chew pitch was right on the minimum guideline for pitch width) and some consistent pressure enabled the left wing to go over in the corner. A lot of teams would've crumbled at this stage, however this set of CABs and the pack in particular are not like that and they started to gain possession - the Chew pack was starting to blow heavy - and penalties at breakdown and scrum time. Points for the CABs started to come; 3, 6 and then 9 points off the boot of Daniel Pearce and the game was now in the balance. The CABs pack was causing the Chew pack all sorts of problems; it was just a shame that the backs were a little bit off with the accuracy. This was so needed as the Chew backs were not only considerably more powerful, but also seriously quick and any balls not put on a plate/delivered in the right areas and speed were quickly snuffed.
Then arguably the key momentum point in the game and also the last play of the first half. A breakdown 10m out of the CABs line and a sharp show & go by the Chew scrum half saw him dart in under the posts for a 21-9 lead. It gave Chew the opportunity to re-group and re-set their playing patterns. The message for the CABs was simple - play direct, use the touchlines as our friend, spread a touch wider in defensive spacing and get a really good connected kick chase game. So, it was a question of which team's instructions would be able to be executed more effectively. The answer became more and more apparent as the half progressed. The rapid Chew backs were causing huge problems and gaining significant metres and front foot ball for the Chew Valley forwards to maintain. Just like in the first half, for a team to only concede three scores says an awful lot about this set of CABs players - there is no white flag option; no cause is a lost cause and nobody leaves their team-mates exposed.
So the final score of 40-9 indicates a thumping and in all honesty whilst there is a difference between the two teams (1st and 10 by the end of the day) it doesn't always tell the true story. However sometimes when a set of players (backs, in this instance) are considerably more powerful and quicker to a man than your own players you have to just put your hand up and say well done, we've got top two teams out of the way (on their patches) and we move on and look at a really competitive remaining set of fixtures for the rest of 2022.
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