This was a hard fought game and only in the closing stages did the home side take total control, when their superior fitness began to show. Playing up the slope in the first half, Chelmsford were under pressure early on in the set scrum and lost influential player Marcus Pottinger with injury after 10 minutes, to a suspected dislocated knee. Canvey used the slope and wind sensibly and kicked to the corners, keeping Chelmsford within their 22metre area for long periods. Following a period of sustained pressure, Canvey got the ball wide to their prop, who burst over from 10 metres out for a converted try. This was a critical part of the game, with Chelmsford sustaining a yellow card and finding themselves out numbered on the pitch. The Chelmsford defence, however, was resolute and gave nothing away. As the half went on, Chelmsford developed their attack and Henry Payne and Josh Smith, in particular, made many metres rampaging forward. With a minute to go until half time, Chelmsford were awarded a penalty, forty yards from goal; which Jordan Ayling converted with his usual panache. Half time Chelmsford 3 Canvey 7
For the first fifteen minutes of the second half, play was very even; Chelmsford did not make full use of the wind and slope and it was very much a midfield battle. Eventually, however, Chelmsford benefited from several consecutive penalties and started to exert pressure close to the Canvey line. From a scrum, replacement Joe Burton showed speed to power over under the posts for a converted try.
In the final 20 minutes, Chelmsford began to show the flair they’d shown the previous week, and Harry Moseley – who moved out of position to fly half and brought precision and direction to the role - was fed the ball on the burst for another converted try. The result now was never in doubt but Chelmsford needed to score four tries to gain a bonus point. With less than five minutes to go, it looked very unlikely. The third try came about from a scrum, ten yards from the Canvey line. Although Canvey drove the Chelmsford pack backwards, the ball came through to Redford, who ran through to score, virtually without a hand being placed on him. With seconds to go, the best try of the match was scored by the inimitable Jack Acorn after Jordan Ayling made an incredible break – one of many - after the ball was won at the halfway line. Though Acorn had some work left to do, he left the opposition for dust and secured the fourth and final try for the bonus point.
Chelmsford had the capacity to dominate throughout this game, as they demonstrated in the final 20 minutes, and although this was a comfortable win, it is clear that the Blue Boys have some room for improvement before their next game. That said, this victory further increases the gap between Chelmsford and the league’s third placed team.
Head Coach and Director of Rugby, Kevin Blackmore, said of the performance, “It was an 18 man job today, a real team performance. It wasn’t the prettiest, but it was never going to be, against a physical team like Canvey. We were aware that they had beaten Braintree last week, so there was no question of complacency in the lead up.
“We came out first half to have a crack from the off and it didn’t quite connect, but once we got to half time, the message was about patience – continue to back ourselves and it would come.
“I felt that the lads who came off the bench in the second half did brilliantly and, in particular, young Joe Burton had a huge impact. It was important we keep picking up the points, so to finish the game with the bonus point try made it a very satisfactory afternoon for us.”