Nottingham Casuals @ Long Eaton
06/10/24

“Long Eaton? More like Long Waitin’”

Initially billed as a standard away game, the Casuals trip to Long Eaton turned out to be a 3-team round robin including fellow travellers Tupton.

Fired up for a morning’s rugby, the Casuals would end up playing the second and third games of the morning, and before all was said and done the food queue in the clubhouse was not the only thing that would test the team’s patience.

However, minor administrative quibbles aside, the gathered spectators enjoyed some excellent rugby, with the final scores not really reflecting how close things were between the teams.

As the Casuals tried to stay warm on the touchline, Tupton put up a good fight but were ultimately beaten by Long Eaton who made the final score fairly one-sided.

Casuals v Long Eaton
With that wrapped up, it was time for the Casuals to face the hosts. The game began and both teams started well and put multiple phases together. The Casuals had to do a little more of the defending, and they managed it well for long stretches, thwarting multiple attacking chances and even holding up the ball to deny Long Eaton a try.

The first breakthrough came as Long Eaton were able to overturn a scrum and make good use of their possession for the first try. Undeterred, the Casuals responded well with a long period of attack. Ultimately they were unable to convert and Long Eaton were given respite by the half time whistle.

The second half told a similar story, with both teams tussling for the upper hand. Under pressure, the Casuals kicked to buy themselves some breathing room, but an assertive catch and mazy return run allowed Long Eaton to double their lead. They would score twice more, both times punishing an errant pass. A tough result for the Casuals who kept themselves in the game to the end.

Final score: Long Eaton 4 - 0 Casuals.

Casuals v Tupton
With just enough time to catch their breath, the Casuals were quickly back in action against Tupton. Clearly determined to get something out of the game, the Casuals pressed the attack early, but Tupton made use of a strong runner to find some space and open the scoring.

Again, the Casuals responded well and this time their attacking efforts were rewarded with a try. Good rucking, good hands, and good driving with the ball were paying off.
Unfortunately, Tupton found a way to unlock the Casuals defence from a scrum. Twice in quick succession they used the aforementioned strong runner to pick and go – something there seemed to be some legal uncertainty about – finding defensive gaps and establishing a two try lead.

Despite both teams being in their fourth period of rugby for the morning, the second half remained close. A penalty conceded close to the Casuals try line allowed Tupton to barrel through and extend their lead.

With the final whistle looming, the Casuals refused to give in and they continued to take the attack to Tupton. Multiple strong ball carries and some good vision paid off for them, and eventually the line was broken allowing the Casuals to narrow the deficit with a second try.

Final score: Tupton 4 - 2 Casuals

—

For posterity, I will mention that Rupert won Player of the Week for his work rate and contributing both tries, but I have otherwise not named individual players this week. There were a lot of POTW-worthy performances. It was a very positive morning where the scores do not tell the whole story, and that was due to a real collective effort where all the Casuals contributed to multiple phases, supporting one another on both sides of the ball.