Hucclecote 0 - Ross on Wye 13
On a very heavy muddy pitch Ross Rugby Club 1st XV put in a professional performance last Saturday away against Hucclecote and in the end were comfortable 13 - 0 winners.
Because of the conditions this promised to be a hard fought battle up front. However, Ross also looked to play rugby when the opportunity arose and it was this skill level that set the teams apart. From the outset the Ross set piece, at scrum time and in the line-out was dominant, with full debutant, Jake Christopher, disrupting the first four Hucclecote line-outs.
At scrum time the Ross eight were far too strong for Hucclecote, and it was from this platform that Ross dominated the first half.
The first score duly arrived after fifteen minutes. After some strong ball carrying from Gavin Oates and Matt Redman had set up ruck ball 10 yards out, scrum half James Hughes took the ball blind, he dummied a pass to wing, Casey Morgan, before wriggling his way over to score wide out on the right. He failed in his conversion but Ross were worthy 5 - 0 leaders.
Ross continued to dominate up front and on the half hour they extended their lead. From a ruck on the Hucclecote twenty two, James Hughes kicked the ball through for winger Casey Morgan to outpace both winger and fullback, to touch down in the corner. A difficult conversion was missed and Ross went in at half time 10 - 0 ahead.
Hucclecote did rally in the second half with their forwards working hard with the ball in hand. However, a resolute Ross defence ensured a clean sheet and a Ross penalty saw them run out comfortable 13 - 0 winners. The Ross-on-Wye man of the match was debutant Jake Christopher for his great work in the lineout and around the park.
Next Saturday, March 6th, Ross are away to Bristol Saracens.