Match Report

14/04/2018

Chelmsford 22 Norwich 24

With Chelmsford winning recent games Norwich knew that this was going to be a tough game and so it proved to be. The home side were desperate to win as they were still mathematically threatened with relegation. The early pressure was all from Norwich as they played with the slope in the first half. However, they were also guilty of giving away needless penalties that let the home side back into the game.

From one of these they were able to build pressure into the Norwich half where Norwich conceded another penalty which Chelmsford fly-half Sid Hoult duly converted to give the home side the lead after 7 minutes.

The game continued with Norwich on top but seemingly unable to break the home defence until after 25 minutes flanker David Micklethwaite broke from a maul and raced 30 metres to score near the posts for Theo Elliot to add the conversion.

Straight from the restart Norwich scored again when left wing Tom Stanley gathered the ball chipped over the top and raced away to find Laurence Austin on his inside who crashed over half way out. Elliot duly added the extras.

Any thoughts of Norwich racing away with the game were soon dispelled as the home side hit back. Norwich kept on giving away penalties and it was a surprise when Hoult missed, for him, a comparatively simple chance on 34 minutes. He made up for this with 2 penalties just before half-time to make the score at the interval 9-14.

Norwich did not make life easy for themselves when they conceded a penalty early in the second half which Hoult duly kicked. They immediately bounced back with another Micklethwaite try when again he broke from a maul and Elliot added the conversion.

Norwich then enjoyed a period  of intense pressure on the home side line but could not add to their tally. Chelmsford to their great credit clawed their way back into the Norwich half. Norwich were not helped when second row Simon Darby was yellow carded with less than 10 minutes remaining. 

From short range Chelmsford got over the line near the posts for Hoult to land the simple conversion to put them into a one point lead with 3 minutes remaining.

Chelmsford made a hash of the restart which gave Norwich a scrum short of the 22. Chelmsford were then penalised and Norwich duly kicked into the corner and from the ensuing lineout the referee gave Norwich a penalty which Elliot converted superbly to give Norwich victory with the last kick of the match.

Report - Chris Gillham