Congleton BOOM!

Following last weekend’s second half demolition of Holmes Chapel, Congleton were keen to continue their fine start to the season against a Knutsford team that played very well in defeat to a strong Parkonians side. Although there was little to separate the sides for the first 20 minutes, it became clear the home side were more structured and better equipped in all key areas.

The scrum was magnificent throughout and, along with the short lineouts dominated by Carter, they presented numerous attacking opportunities for the sparkling back line. At the contact area Congleton were far more aggressive than even the most powerful Knutsford forwards, quicker to get to their feet and more keen to turn the ball over. Congleton’s Captain Reardon led by example with low strong body positions to ensure fast clean ruck ball which Knutsford rarely got near. Ridgeway and Williams pulled the strings at 10 and 12 respectively so that the powerful and elusive Wood at outside centre had time and space to give the defence a torrid time. Add to that a back three of Davis and Davies led by full back Broderick, this is looking promising for the sterner tests to come.

There were moments of real dazzle and flair which drew gasps from the crowd followed - one of which was from penalty late on given to Congleton on their own line after Davis’s tackle had prevented a near certain try. A quick tap from fast thinking 9 Kanauros took him to the 22 where he cleverly offloaded to flanker Davenport in space who put the pedal to the metal and ran in 75m under the posts to take the score past 50 points. Rapturous indeed. Several of Congleton’s tries showed a real maturity for such a young team. The forwards demonstrated real poise and nous when attacking close to the rucks as they probed and squeezed through gaps, secured quick rucks that sucked in defenders and left gaps out in midfield for the backs to smash through – and boy did they do so. Whilst 8 out of the 10 of the home side's tries were delivered by the backs, they had a dominant pack to thank for many of the opportunities.

The back row were even better than last week and the balance of Liston, Davenport and Holbrook looks promising, each making telling contributions in attack and particularly in defence. Davenport took his two tries well. The half back partnership of Kanauros and Ridgeway is developing well, it’s their decision making which is giving the team confidence. It sometimes looks like they are taking risks when in fact they have seen space or a defensive weakness to attack. It also makes for a good spectacle!

Congleton know they are developing something special this season but they also know that if they don't cut out the unforced errors, indiscipline and back chat to the ref they will struggle against the top sides in the league just when it really counts. The penalty account against them was very high and resulted in one yellow card which could have turned into a red following some silly chat to the referee.

Broderick had a fine game and is making the 15 position his own with both his defence and his attacking guile. He regularly popped up in the right places and was rewarded with 2 crisply taken tries. His colleagues in the back three, Davies and Davis, offered significant threats in attack and were rewarded by each bagging a try. When Whitely came on he intimidated the opposition even further! Up front, Beck, Hassel and Lea all added fresh pace, power and penetration to an already zingy front 5 of Reardon, Watt, Somers, Dalton and Carter. With three well taken tries, Wood was deservedly voted Man of the Match.

This is a team that has been simmering for a couple of seasons but now they have the belief every team needs if it is to achieve its potential. With so much youth in the squad, they will do well to be consistent throughout the season. There is plenty to work to raise their game to the next level and play total rugby for the full 80 minutes but it is encouraging that their biggest ally is their passion for excellence. They know they have done well but are constructively dissatisfied as they spot personal and collective areas to improve. Congleton’s Head Coach, Richard Burkard said after the game “Ciaran and the lads are a pleasure to work with. We simply get them thinking and they work the rest out themselves but yes we have a lot to improve on. We also have several players to come back into the squad and competition for places is fierce”