Photos available : http://www.brfcparis.com/photos/album/55

First up, well done lads, we’re really pleased with that result.

That was a tough game, on a difficult day, heavy pitch and against a very physical and dirty opposition. And we won that because when it mattered we played and defended like a team. Past that, again not our best performance, but it’s difficult to be critical when we score four try’s and played some of the best rugby we’ve played, even if it was only in patches.

From the kick off it was us who took the game to them, the forwards dismantling the bigger pack, and it was only a very strange decision form an otherwise very good ref that allowed PSA to clear their lines. A silly loss of temper allowed them a shot at goal and the score was 3-0 to PSA.

From there, the forwards again took them to task upfront, Neal bossed them well and the mauling from a far smaller pack was incredible. Building the phases we needed to we worked the ball down field and after taking a few late smashes in the midfield the backs found their feet and scored an absolute gem of a try, miss move from Alex to Yashushi, Mark on the wrap around in at the corner. 3-5 to BRFC, a mistake form the kick off allowed them to take the lead with another penalty 6-5 but that was quickly followed by a clever kick into space from Mark on the counter attack and Colum pounced on a mistake from their back three to tear away and score. 6-10 to BRFC.

Unfortunately we came off the gas a little, and lost our shape in attack. Defensively we were massive, PSA tried everything, Mauling – the forwards shut them out, they tried rucking the forwards again shut them out, and I think we must have taken 15-20 minutes of battering upfront and all I can say there wasn’t a point they looked like scoring. It really was pretty impressive stuff, and it’s that point we won the game – no doubt in my mind.

Second half, a silly mistake from kick off from yours truly put us under pressure but we worked it up the field again for Colum to again poach a try from their back three making a mistake, and for a great forward based try in the right corner from Thomas on his debut. Final score 6-22. I don’t know if you saw their faces after the final whistle but they literally didn’t know what had hit them they threw everything into that game and still came out off the back of a four try defeat.

First the negative comments:

• Too much infighting on the field – this has got to stop, and now. People make mistakes, we all do it, and we all know when we make them. So we don’t need people abusing each other for it. If we’re honest no one played a great game yesterday, we won that game as a team. And while we all love winning we have to learn to get around each other when things happen and don’t go right, and that means instead of shouting at each other on the pitch after a mistake you pat someone on the back and say “don’t worry” and go and work doubly as hard to make up for your friends mistake. That’s how we’ve won games this season; let’s not slip into negative systems just because we want to win.
• We again came off the gas a little too much once we’d took the lead, and allowed a team that was totally out of the game to come back into it, and while they never looked like winning it, it puts us under pressure.

Good comments:

• An amazing performance from the pack as a collective, well led by Paul and Neal. Seriously guys, that was the best I’ve seen the pack play this season. Took them apart in the scrum and the maul and were far superior in the loose against a very big opposition.
• Took our chances
• Excellent Defence

Man of the match? I would love to just say the pack, but if I have to single people out then it’s between Derek and Fred, and it goes to Derek on this occasion, good counter rucking, and great scrummaging, and everywhere on the pitch.

Well done lads, a good tough win, keeps our momentum going and sets us up nicely for next weeks encounter against Vincennes. A couple of Vincennes players came to BRFC this season we need to show their old club that they made the right decision coming here. On top of that it’s on our home pitch where we are undefeated this season.

So please try and get to Training this week, Tuesday and Thursday if you can, because when we click as a team for 80 minutes we’re going to really give someone a thrashing, and it feels like it’s right around the corner.

Thanks guys

Graeme