Heath Drubbing Is Fitting Finale For Joey


Haywards Heath 0 v Wimbledon 94

London League 1 South

Match report for March 8

The 94-0 drubbing of Haywards Heath was just the result Wimbledon wanted for prop Joey Nanai's final game for the club before his return to New Zealand. 

Apart from two strong assaults on Wimbledon's line which took a well-organised and determined defence to repel, the game – as the score would suggest – was all Wimbledon's.

There was a period near the end when Dons got a bit slapdash, missing out on a couple of open tries and conceding a few turnovers, but that aside it was an imperious performance that Heath could nothing about.

The Mullen/Tait partnership secured every one of their own lineouts and the pack was totally dominant throughout, beginning with a pushover try touched down by Gary Crowe five minutes in after a classy break by scrum half Rhys Morgan. Neil Hallett's conversion was a formality.

It was almost ten minutes later before some nice inter-passing put wing Pete Scott clear for his first try. Then no.10 Bryan Croke – deservedly voted man-of-the-match by the opposition for his excellent performance – broke from his own half to put Scott away again for his second try, and Hallett's  second conversion. His third, moments later, after a Scott run set up Morgan for a try, took the score to 26-0. Not to be left out of the try-spree, the pack got the last of the half which Nathan Kemp touched down and Hallett converted. 

Five minutes into the second period it was Scott to score yet again, this time converted by Croke, who scored himself a minute later, and adding the conversion.

Another minute on Scott crossed the line again, but gave the ball to Nanai to score with a flourish. Centre Neil Brown scored the next as the game entered its final quarter, and Croke's conversion took the score to 61. His next made it 68 after Morgan had run clean through a tired defence to score his second. 

With fifteen minutes remaining Scott outpaced the defence once more for his fourth try of the game, converted by Croke again. With Wimbledon running everything, even from behind their goal line, an 80m run from fullback Jonny Rawlinson brought him a deserved try, immediately followed by another from the artful Croke.

This time, the man of the day, Nanai, converted – as he did again with the game’s final try, scored by one of the speediest props around, Pete Wallace. 

Haywards Heath were unlucky to meet this Wimbledon team in such fine form, which hopefully they'll be in once again for their next match, on March 22, at home to Sidcup.

March 10, 2014