The one that got away

Congleton should have won this tough encounter but in the end they came up short. They played very well in patches, but all too often were undone by unforced errors – many of which were in critical areas of the pitch.
After a difficult first 20 minutes when the away side’s power and tactical nous gave them a lead of 5 points Congleton started to play with some pattern, working their way up the pitch through the forwards and drawing level with a Somers try. It seemed they were beginning to take control of the tiring Parkonians forwards as they approached the beak. However, the away side started the second half in much the same way as the first and were rewarded by a second try. Congleton had found it difficult to get the ball the outside backs but when they did the game looked very different as they broke the gain line regularly although were unable to turn the pressure into points. The scrum was good throughout the afternoon and it was a Willis break from a scrum on half way against the head which was brilliantly finished that drew Congleton level with 20 minutes remaining on the clock.
The Parkonians full back slotted a penalty from 40 metres after another Congleton ruck infringement and, with less than 10 minutes to go, Willis narrowly missed a similar opportunity. With time ticking away and two Parkonians players in the sin bin for punching offences, Congleton were awarded a penalty in front of the posts. With numerical advantage and momentum with them they bravely chose to run the ball and hammered the away side’s line till the end of the game. When the whistle went, Congleton were stunned and extremely disappointed, not least because they felt the Parkonians forwards had yet again infringed by lying over the ball on the final play.
However, the bottom line is that Congleton made more errors than Parkonians and that is why they came up short. Given that in the corresponding fixture last season Parkonians won 54-0, Congleton’s performance was encouraging. They stood their ground against some feisty and often thuggish behaviour which will stand them in good stead for the rest of the season.
All good sides have consistency and that is what Congleton are now aiming for. The lineouts and scrummages are still improving and the phase play, when working, has given them confidence. They rucked far better than in recent weeks and, if they can keep their attacking shape, bring the exciting back line into play more often and cut out the unforced errors, they will be a match for most sides. Their intensity in difficult circumstance this afternoon was better than in previous weeks which bodes well but in the end it was simply the number of errors that were their downfall. A spokesperson said “the team are devastated but in a strange way that is pleasing as it shows how far they have come”