Mowden in need of muscle

Rosslyn Park 24

MOWDEN Park were left in no doubt on Saturday that they need some extra muscle if they are to fulfil their aim of competing at the top end of National One next season.

They weren't helped by not having a fit replacement prop, and despite having moved swiftly to bring in reinforcements when Matt Shields left for Harlequins they didn't have sufficient cover to cope with the London high-fliers.

Darren Fearn, the prop on loan from Sale, was on the bench but he had been injured in training and would have gone on only in an emergency. The fact that hooker Charlie Maddison limped off after 25 minutes didn't help.

Although Mowden battled gamely and had the edge in the last half hour, they were outgunned up front by the team who lie second.

“We need to add bulk,” admitted chairman Mike Keeligan. “We won't be increasing the playing budget, but we will try to spend more wisely.”

The big squad which began the season has been denuded by several departures as it was impossible to keep everyone happy and it will be further stretched over the last three games by the injuries to Maddison and Grant Connon.

The fly half, who has been increasingly influential since his return from a 13-month absence, pulled a hamstring in wriggling out of a tackle to score the only try of the last half hour.

Mowden's handling was not at its best with some of the riskier offloads coming from the more experienced players like Talite Vaioleti and Garry Law.

As in his previous appearance, which was only his second of the season, Vaioleti failed to complete the first half. His rustiness had been quickly evident in a missed tackle and losing the ball the first time he took it into contact.

With former Tynedale players Richard Boyle and Sam Shires in their pack, Rosslyn Park dominated both scrum and line-out, being much more secure on their own throw-in than their hosts.

Although the visitors had some slippery customers on the wings, all their four tries came from close range, two of them following penalties to the corner as the referee kept pinging Mowden for off-side.

His inconsistent use of advantage also spread confusion, starting in the second minute when he allowed play to continue for an eternity before bringing it back for Rosslyn Park to kick to the corner and score from the line-out.

Mowden were under the cosh until a neat pass from scrum half Sam Stuart allowed skipper Cameron Mitchell to make a good break. They kept recycling the ball near the line until Connon offloaded in the tackle for winger Tom Kill to go under the posts.

Law, restored to the kicking duties he held in early season, added the conversion but enjoyed no further success.

Mowden's lead was shortlived as the visitors added two tries to lead 17-7 before Mowden benefited from Joe Maud replacing Vaioleti.

With Ollie Hodgson doing well on his return from injury, and Jack Allcock earning the man of the match award, Maud completed a useful back row while George Hedgley switched to lock.

A break by full back Henry Robinson allowed Mowden to mount pressure towards the end of the first half, but after much recycling it ended when Stuart was adjudged to have given a forward pass.

Hodgson and Maud were prominent as Mowden succeeded in halting another catch-and-drive shortly after half-time, but Rosslyn Park kept the pressure on and added another converted try.

With a big defeat looming, Mowden roused themselves but failed to win the line-out after kicking a penalty to the corner.

Their second try came after Robinson wriggled out of a tackle to race into the 22 and when the ball came back Connon switched to the narrow side and also spun out of a tackle to go over, immediately clutching his hamstring.

Tom Hodgson replaced him and George Wacokecoke went on at the same time. Mowden are keen to look at the Bath Academy winger, but he had little chance to show his paces.

They did have one more chance to score when they drove a maul to two metres from the line, but a scrap broke out off the ball and the penalty went against them. It was not their day, but they deserved credit for avoiding what could have been a heavier defeat.