LSA Shield squeezed out after scoring 5...

Saturday 22nd September

By Matt Aristizabal 

With no league matches scheduled for Saturday 22nd September, LSA’s shield team took the opportunity to prepare further for the upcoming campaign by hosting a friendly against future league opponents Ealing Development. In effectively their second game of the season, this match promised to be a very different proposition than the first as several new and squad team players looked to play themselves into contention for places in the Warriors side.

With many of the players coming together for the first time it was always going to be difficult, but class over continuity told in the first half as LSA raced into a commanding first half lead. Brad Hall opened the scoring on five minutes, and Gareth Williams got his pair on both thirteen and twenty-four minutes. Johan Alberts converted the second of Williams’ tries, and on thirty-six minutes scrum-half Ryan Patterson scored LSA’s fourth to allow them to go in to the break 22-8 up, with Ealing scoring a try and a penalty.

A combination of mistakes, dubious refereeing and an early season lack of fitness led to a stilted second half, and Ealing began to catch up after a break down the centre and getting the extras to make it 22-15. Ealing then went through their best period of pressure, but LSA’s pace always made them look dangerous and were unlucky not to go the length after Ealing missed a penalty. Ealing did eventually draw level after converting a try just after the hour as an increasing injury toll began to take its effects on the exiles. LSA immediately applied the pressure in the opposite end but mistakes from both teams allowed neither to get the upper hand. In injury time however Ealing almost scored but LSA counterattacked down the flank and Scott Johnson went over to score as 9 minutes of injury time ensured a tense finish. Williams almost made the lead unassailable after breaking the line, but a tired looking defence could not stop Ealing going over with the last action of the game, and they converted to win 29-27 as LSA were left to rue the 8 points they could have had from missed conversions.

Speaking after the game, Shield Team manager Mike Vowles was quick to praise the competitiveness of his hastily prepared team: “The fitness told, but we led throughout almost the whole game until the last minute which was superb. The new guys have stood up and shown what they’re worth and their character showed and the effort and they put in was fantastic. Come league time, with more fitness and settled combinations there’s no reason we won’t be able to overcome them even though Ealing were a really, really good team.”

Man-of-the-match was shared between two new boys, Brad Hall and Ryan Patterson, for their all round control of the game in the forwards and backs respectively.