ELKS WIN IN LOUGHBOROUGH MUD

Man of the Match - Rich Burne

Games between these two sides can best be described as abrasive and this one stayed true to the tradition and was akin to the finest grade of emery cloth. The home side had clearly determined that their best hope of achieving a positive result was to intimidate the visitors and not allow them to settle into the pattern which has seen them score freely this season.
The approach did not achieve its objectives, and to their credit the Elks managed to rise above the chaos, to fashion three tries which secured a 3 – 15 victory.
The condition underfoot, the constant drizzle and some lax interpretation of all areas of the laws led to a lack of continuity with only a few patches of flowing rugby. From the start the two packs clattered into each other. The Elks were not to be intimidated and made their intentions clear with counter rucking which caused two turnovers in the first five minutes. From the second of these Neil Stenhouse’s grubber kick set Dan Mahoney on a chase. He reached the wildly bouncing ball first, hacked on and slid in to touch down and claim the first score.
Loughborough registered their first and only score after thirteen minutes when some good work by their forwards earned them a penalty in front of the posts which they converted to make the score 3 – 5.
The battle between the two sets of forwards, with every scrap so keenly contested, meant that the backs on either side saw little of the ball. When they did the unhelpful conditions made handling difficult leading to errors and a stop start game. With the scrum holding their own against a bigger pack and the lineout covering their own throw the Elks gradually achieved a degree of territorial advantage.
With thirty minutes gone the Elks increased their lead when an Adam Stoker lineout take was driven forward and the ensuing ruck was quickly won. The ball was moved wide to find Dan Taylor entering the line from fullback. His pace put him in behind the defence, he drew the defending winger and fed his brother Greg who dashed into the corner and make the score 3 – 10.
From the restart the Elks stormed into action to increase their lead to 3 – 15. Stoker fielded the kick-off and fed Rich Burne who moved the ball on to JJ Connolly. His change of pace took him through a gap and into Loughborough’s half. A deftly weighted chip put the ball into the path of Greg Taylor who dribbled on and dived on the ball to score.
In the build up to the try Connolly had been the victim of a tackle, so late it happened the week before, which went unpunished and left him prone on the floor. His injury meant he departed the field and spent Saturday night in A&E. His departure required a reshuffle of the Elk’s back line with Stenhouse moving to fly half and Chris Kemsley coming on at scrum half.
The second half required the Elks to call upon all their defensive qualities as Loughborough put them under severe pressure. The front row of Craig Charlton, Dean Chapman and Mat McGuire manfully stood up to the battering they received including the repelling of three five metre scrums with Loughborough looking for pushover scores. Their resolve did not falter when Marc Moore replaced Chapman at hooker. The lineout jumpers Stoker, Bryn Locke and Adrian Montague secured valuable ball which enabled the Elks some respite from their defensive duties.
With Loughborough pushing forward the back row of Steve Mahoney, Burne and replacement Ben Newton recorded an impressive tackle count which stemmed the flow, likewise the backs stemmed the flow. Kemsley and Stenhouse sealed the channels close to the breakdowns whilst the physicality of Scott Rudkin and pace of Greg Taylor marshalled the midfield and frustrated the efforts of Loughborough to move the ball the ball wide.
The back three of Josh Newton, Dan Mahoney and Dan Taylor easily coped with a variety of kicks and made their tackles when required. Their combined effort kept Loughborough at bay for the second half. They managed to maintain their concentration, despite the constant niggles and skirmishes from the home side, which went unpunished and claim a well earned, but hard fought, victory.