Occies v Bisons 46-8

Ok have a slightly sketchy memory of the day but can cobble together this much

The score line 46-8 seems to suggest that a well drilled team turned up against a bunch of lads who had never met each other before and had struggled to get numbers. The fact that the winning team was the latter was sensational. Would also add as there are only 5 regs whose names I can remember – please shuffle your names into the right spot where I get it wrong.

About 10 minutes before kick off Media’s ranks had swelled to an impressive 16 and as we wandered in dribs and drabs to the patch we could observe the ‘Bisons’ running lines, doing drills and doing very good impersonations of switched rugby players. By comparison we refreshing the memory of a few, and explaining for the first time, the most important laws of the game to our team, whilst the rest of us agreed there was no fooking chance that we were playing hooker in a contested scrum and decided that ‘Yeah, I can play there…..probably.’  El capitano stepped up and volunteered to move to scrum half, and Ash organised the forwards. The line out calls became more complicated than they had ever been before (by the addition of one word) and the athletic prowess of Digby and Jake (I’m sure I’ve got the first name right!) jumping at 2 and 4, but came together relatively quickly, passing out to keen running backs. From there the team plan was simple and stuck to – go out enjoy the game, support each other and lay no blame.

A good kick from Will started us off well and our pack went straight at the Bisons. To be honest I think we left  their half occasionally after that but don’t remember ever being in our 22 for most of the rest of that half. This was partly due to them and partly, although mostly out of practice, thanks to our back 3 of Ian, Rich T and Harald at the half who all mentioned how great the support was from the rest of the team in terms of knowing where to go and what to do. Bisons pack provided soft- landings for big hits going in left right and centre, and continued pressure up front (if a tad scrambled at points) good linking between Tom to Will and then solid running Ed and Johnny in the centres led to Media continually breaking the game line. We may have felt lucky when the first try went in, and like we were in a match when they kicked a penalty, but we kept our heads up and kept going at them to get try after try with (in reality I don’t remember but saw these guys come close) Shadow, Will, Ash, Ed (great pirouette), Johny and others crossing the line.

Would like to thank the Bisons for the following.

-Always cutting back inside after uncontested scrums so it was a lot less far to run to hit them

- Continually kicking out on the full

- Kicking to Nick (I think they liked him) so he could run through/into them with support

- Having a daft name like Bisons

- Shamelessly diving over the top

Also special mention goes to Harald for doing his Red Eye in the same time as a ‘prop’ in his red eye and Nick for a few pints in stating he will get fit for the season. Also mention to whoever said in the last 10 minutes ‘This is why you go for you morning runs, this is why you go to the gym lads’ which confused a great deal of us.

Was a great effort to come together as team guys and bodes really well for the rest of the season