OPENING FRIENDLY WIN AT MALVERN

The 2015-16 season stared out as the old one finished, with an away win. This was a first test against a club in another part of Midlands 2 and who finished in roughly the same position as the Lions did last season, so it was a good early measure of potential. Overall it was an ultimately comfortable win by 40 points to 17, with 6 tries and good performances across the squad give confidence for the first serious test in the Cup at Shrewsbury next weekend.
The game opened with the Lions defending against a big home pack but gradually the outstanding defensive line pushed Malvern back. On 5 minutes a speculative pass was cleverly intercepted by Scotty Langdon for an easy run in to the line. 5-0 and the season was up and running. Two minutes later Ben Tibbetts, establishing clear superiority over his opposite number early on, scored on the end of a well worked move in the left corner, superbly converted by Sam Wilson for a 12-0 lead.

Play was nip and tuck for the next 10 minutes or so but at the end of the first quarter more superb Lions defence from their own 22 led to the ball being hacked on to the half-way line. Hesitation by the home defenders left Tom Dews to pick up the loose ball and canter home unopposed for another converted try.

Into the second quarter and Malvern eventually found a way through the Lions defence, bringing the score back to 19-5. Almost immediately afterwards, however, a disastrous attempt on his own 22 by the home 10 to chip the ball over the Lions’ tallest player, Sam Strangward, led to Sam catching the ball and crossing under the posts. Wilson’s conversion left the score 26-5 at the half.

The second half started largely as the first, with an ebb and flow to the first 10 mins. The Lions backs began to weave their moves spell and a series of moves prised open the home defence and led to a ruck in the Malvern 22. First to the breakdown in support, Tom Dews eventually realised there was only the scrum-half guarding the ruck and went past him to score under the posts. The inevitable Wilson conversion ended the game as a real contest at 33-5. Due credit to Malvern, they did come back with 2 tries of their own, including one at the death but by then another superb move down the left led to club skipper Doolittle crossing in acres of space.

Given it was the first friendly game before hostilities commence there was the inevitable rustiness at the start, with the lineout faltering and the scrum struggling at times. However, the defensive play was outstanding throughout, with most Malvern attacks foundering and being driven back by a combination of ferocious tackling, effective organisation and eager rucking. All but 2 of the tries came from the pressure exerted on Malvern by the Lions defence.

The forwards went well, particularly in the loose and the backs looked incisive and well grooved, one onlooker claiming that it was some of the best back play he’d seen so early in the season. Sam Wilson looked serene at stand-off and both scrum halves went well. A good start to what will be another tough season, one we appear capable of surviving well.

JON DEWS