IPro Sport Cup – Round 1
Final Score: London Skolars 44 South Wales Scorpions 6
Skolars progressed to the quarter final stage with a dominant performance on a windy rainswept afternoon at New River. Despite the final scoreline they had to work hard against a Scorpions side who had won on their last two visits to the capital.
The visitors had to contend with two players being taken off injured in the first half, Chris Leyshon limped off after five minutes and Kyle Scrivens was also ruled out of further action late in the first half. However, that hadn’t stopped them taking an early lead when hooker Connor Farrar slipped through the defence from close range, Paul Emanuelli adding the conversion
That had come after Skolars had missed a good chance to score when a Dave Williams break saw Sam Nash’s pass inside go forward. Williams went close soon but the Scorpions defence managed to force an error as he went over the tryline.
Two tries in the last six minutes of the first half turned the game in Skolars’ favour. They chose to run a penalty ten metres from the tryline and that decision was justified when they swung the ball to the left for Charlie Lawrence to score. Four minutes later Erjon Dollapi was unstoppable from short range, Lawrence adding the conversion as Skolars went in 16-6 up at the break.
South Wales needed a good start to get back in the game, but they knocked out from the kick-off. Skolars came close to taking advantage straight away, but Welsh international Elliott Kear was forced into touch close to the tryline. However, it wasn’t long before Skolars did score, Alex Anthony running onto Lawrence’s angled grubber kick. Ben Pointer then made a break leading to a try for Eddie Mbaraga in his first game on his return to the club he played for as a junior.
Kear (on dual registration from Broncos) broke through the Scorpions’ defence to score in the left corner, but Skolars’ were strong on the right side as well, with Will Lovell often causing problems in attack leading to Aaron Small’s try.
Scorpions woes were compounded when they were offside at the restart. Lawrence was held up over the line from the next set, but Kear broke the defensive line from his own half before offloading to Ben Pointer. Sam Nash raced through a tiring defence on the right to touchdown for Skolars’ ninth try.
Scorpions only chance of the half came in the last few minutes, Scott Gregory finding a gap on the right, offloading to Dai Evans but the winger was bundled into touch and Skolars could start to celebrate their first win of the season.
Skolars
1 Alex Anthony
2 Sam Nash
3 Aaron Small
4 Joe Price
5 Elliott Kear
6 Jermaine Coleman
7 Charlie Lawrence
8 Michael Sykes
9 Mike Bishay
11 Toby Everett
10 Dave Williams
12 Will Lovell
13 Mike Worrincy
Subs
14 Ben Pointer
23 Erjon Dollapi
16 Jon Magrin
17 Eddie Mbaraga
Tries: Kear (17,52), Lawrence (34), Dollapi (38), Anthony (44), Mbaraga (50), Small (59), Pointer (63), Nash (71)
Goals: Lawrence 4/9
Scorpions
15 Jordan Sheridan
5 Dai Evans
3 Kyle Scrivens
4 Yannic Parker
1 Chris Leyshon
6 Kristian Hawkes
7 Paul Emanuelli
8 Chris Davies
9 Connor Farrer
10 Izaac Duffy
20 Anthony Symons
17 Michael Connor
13 Chris Vitalini
Subs (all used)
16 Daffyd Hellard
19 Kristian Baller
14 Osian Phillips
21 Scott Gregory
Tries: Farrer (12)
Goals: Emanuelli 1/1
Penalty count: 7-5
Half-time: 16-6
Referee: Jack Smith
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 4-6, 10-6, 16-6, 22-6, 26-6, 30-6, 34-6, 40-6, 44-6
