MET LINE IS WORTH THE TICKET

A rip-roaring first 25 minutes was enough for the Met to establish an unassailable lead against Worth Old Boys and ultimately secure a bonus point victory. Scrum-half and Man Of The Match Joe Stirrup was the inspiration behind the Met's ninth League victory of the season, helping himself to a brace of tries and 10 minutes in the sin bin for what one might euphemistically call "ferocious defending". Having contributed to their early battering from the Police with a very loose and clumsy opening spell, Worth Old Boys came back very strongly to fully contribute to an exciting match. Perhaps a little more focus on the rugby rather than personal animosity might have seen WOBs make off with all five points rather than the single point their four tries earned.

The Met took the game to the visitors from the kick-off. With Stirrup prodding and probing throughout the phases, Cadman and Bailey made significant carries and eventually the ball found its way to Chris Holloway, returning at outside centre, who powered his way over, defenders bouncing off him in their droves, and leaving a simple conversion for Sam Druce. Stirrup was next on the score sheet, rising with the ball after a period of powerful forward play led to the Met pack surging over in the right corner. Sam Bailey then emulated Holloway, smashing his way through a lightweight Worth defence to add another try to his impressive season's tally. From the restart, the Met quickly broke the Worth lines again and Stirrup was on hand to take a pass from Druce to score near the posts. With less than 25 minutes gone, the Met had secured a try bonus point, and it very much looked like it was going to be a question of just how many more tries would they score, given that they were currently scoring at a point per minute and Worth simply offered no response.

What makes sport so wonderful is its total unpredictability. From the restart at 24-0, the Met second row decided to let the ball land between them and bobble into touch. It was effectively the nearest the Met got to the ball for the next 15 minutes. Although Worth's handling remained less than precise, flanker Oliver Duncombe was creating space and making yards every time he got his hands on the ball, whilst the back three of Farr, Grundy and Riley looked dangerous in broken play. An eight minute flurry saw Worth cross the Thin Blue Line twice, reducing the deficit to 24-12, and the Met's defence looked anything but secure. Worth were particularly exploiting the space around the fringes, causing Met's 9, 10 & 12 to scramble the defence far more than had seemed likely up to this point. Fortunately, Druce and skipper Healy were able to restore some calm to the Met ranks, whilst Worth seemed to become over-excited by their own resurgence, provoking the ire of referee, Mr. Richard Collis. But on the stroke of half-time it was Chris Holloway who effectively put the game beyond the visitors' reach with a remarkable try that started in his own half. Receiving the ball just to the right of centre, Holloway went for the much-practiced (seriously? - ed) chip over the top. It cleverly went sideways but somehow ended up back in his hands and he galloped fifty metres to score under the posts. As Holloway dived, so Worth's No12 Furness said something to Mr Collis, causing the Old Boys to start the second half with 14 men.

The reduction in numbers didn't adversely affect Worth who were untroubled by a Met XV who appeared to have lost their early expansiveness (along with Holloway's lunch!). But the disparity did curb Worth's attacking aspirations until Furness returned. Once their their equilibrium was regained, Worth were soon pressing the Met backwards and deservedly reduced the deficit, forcing their way over the Met try line with a series of forward drives. The Met defence became increasingly desperate. Stirrup was sent to cool off after an adjudged high tackle and from the ensuing penalty, Worth ran in their bonus-point try to bring the deficit down to 31-24, the Old Boys not only gaining a losing bonus point but sensing a victory that had seemed very unlikely throughout the first 40 minutes.

This Met squad is made of solid stuff though. Richards, Byrne, Borries and Cadman were making good progress with the ball in hand, while Jay and Starkie dealt competently with the Worth running backs and kicking game. A cleverly judged kick by Druce into Worth's 22 had the Met camping on the Worth line for several crucial minutes. A number of repeated infringements hinted at a red card or a penalty try but Mr Collis was prepared to show some lenience. Met created a four on three on the right but an ill-judged kick relieved the pressure for Worth although they still couldn't push the Met out of the defensive quarter. Eventually the Met won a penalty in front of the posts and, with three minutes remaining, Sam Druce added the kick to his three successful conversions and put the Met out of reach. Worth drove upfield in search of a losing bonus point but the Met had re-established their defensive solidity and another penalty gave Druce the chance to push play back into the visitors' 22 and ultimately end the game.

With the other top four teams also winning, the Met will go into 2024 level on points with Bec OB at the top of the table. The Met start the New Year with a trip to struggling London Media while Bec go to Worth who will be desperate to get their promotion challenge back on track.