Rance 'over the moon' with Hereford victory
DIRECTOR of rugby Tom Rance praised his Stratford players as they bowed out for the season with a superb victory at Hereford on Saturday.
The Black and Whites ran in five tries through Andy Conway (2), Callum Cook, Matt Cook and Paul Davies to seal a fifth-place finish in Midlands 1 West.
While that is two positions lower than Stratford’s final position in 2015/16, Rance feels this campaign has been a progressive one both on and off the pitch.
“I’m over the moon,” said an ecstatic Rance.
“I’ve been waiting for four years for that result and it’s a good feeling.
“It’s incredibly tough to go there and win as they’re a very good side.
“It was nice to finish fifth and when you look at what the club has done in terms of development, we can be proud of our efforts this season.”
Saturday’s game started well for Stratford who were first to score with just five minutes on the clock.
A scrum on halfway gave Stratford good ball and inside centre Jack Young broke through the first line of defence. A neatly executed chip pushed Hereford deep into the corner and the desperate clearing kick failed to find touch.
Stratford quickly moved the ball from the right wing over to the left and full-back Jo Cook’s pace saw him get outside the last defender. Cook fended off the tackle and with a neat offload he put his brother Callum in the clear to score in the corner.
Less than five minutes later, Hereford equalised. The home side managed to turn the ball over at a line-out and make a break down the right wing with only a high tackle stopping progress.
Hereford could not make the advantage count, so came back for a tap penalty, which they managed to bustle over the line for an unconverted try.
Hereford soon went ahead after winning a penalty at a ruck deep in the Stratford 22 with the referee missing a high tackle on Jo Cook.
From the line-out, Hereford moved the ball out wide for a second try and a lead of 10-5. This lead was extended when, with 25 minutes on the clock, they drove over from a line-out.
Stratford got back into the game within ten minutes when good ball from the scrum allowed the backs to once again work their magic. This time it was outside centre Andy Conway who scored in the corner. Fly-half Johnny Duncan converted and the score was 15-12.
Five minutes later, Stratford had the chance to go level after Jo Cook was taken out off the ball in front of the posts.
Duncan’s kick hit the right-hand upright, ricocheted onto the left post and came back into the field of play and the half finished without a further score.
Five minutes into the second half Stratford reclaimed the lead. Consecutive penalties by Hereford saw Stratford advance deep into the corner and although they crossed the line it was deemed held-up.
At the subsequent scrum, Drew Pritchard span the ball wide to Young, who cleverly delayed his pass by half-a-second before popping to Conway, who took the ball at speed for a well-executed second try. Duncan added the extra points to put the visitors ahead 15-19.
It was not long before Stratford extended the lead. Once again, Hereford conceded penalties and allowed Stratford to get deep into the 22.
With another penalty advantage, the ball was worked rapidly from left to right where part-time winger Matt Cook was waiting to crash over for the bonus-point try. Just three minutes later, after a period of frenetic play, Stratford kept threatening the Hereford try line until super-sub
Paul Davies crossed with his first touch of the ball. Duncan hit the post with the conversion but Stratford had a healthy 15-29 lead.
Hereford were not dead and buried though. Both sides were tiring in the sunshine and there were frequent stoppages due to the hard ground.
The home side were gifted a scrum on their own 22 and, despite the dominance of the Stratford pack, managed to get the ball away and the pace of the Hereford winger saw him score on the left. And three minutes later, Hereford were right back in it.
Once again, the number 14 broke through and put Stratford on the defensive.
Hereford worked the ball closer and closer to the line, retaining possession well before a hole opened up for a score under the posts. The conversion was a formality and the score was 27-29 with eight minutes still on the clock.
Stratford managed to keep play in the Hereford half and a series of scrum resets helped the clock wind down.
It was last play of the game and No 8 Dave Pritchard broke off the back of the scrum but uncharacteristically was stripped of the ball.
Fortunately, Hereford just hoofed the ball downfield and Jo Cook was able to tap it into touch to end the match.
Stratford’s next match is on Saturday, 13th May, against SCUF in their annual international fixture. Kick-off at Pearcecroft is at 3pm.
