Finchley toil against unbeaten Harrow

Albeit the pitch being very wet underfoot the conditions were perfect for rugby and the first few minutes proved why both these teams have been in good form so far this season. The Harrow scrum began to dominate the 8 of Finchley and the signs looked ominous. Harrow converting an early penalty to go 3-0 up.

These early signs were soon dispelled by the Finchley pack who began to find parity in the scrum and on occasion get the better of the Harrow men. This was fantastic to see from the pack as this gave the backs the foundation they needed to move into the Harrow half. After some early jitters Finchley eventually got into the Harrow 22 which materialised in a penalty making the scores 3-3.

The first half then resulted in the both teams putting some good plays together for no gain.

Shortly before half time the Harrow scrum drove towards the line for the No.8 to score from the base, making the scores 8-3. The last action of the half saw Harrow slot a penalty making the scores 11-3.
Going into half time the Finchley 15 knew with some more consistent work from the backs they could get the upper hand and perhaps come away with the win.

The men in red and white began to dominate the 2nd half with the ball spending prolonged periods inside Harrow territory. This sustained possession resulted in Finchley going over the line courtesy of James Mitchell. This sent the Finchley 15 and fans into rapture, but it was not to be with the Harrow team walking towards their sticks for the upcoming conversion and their supporters fearing the worst, the referee decided to not award the try to the travelling team. This try would have made the scores 11-8. Finchley from there had other chances to win the game but the backs made some simple errors that should not happen at this level of rugby.

In the dying moments of the game Harrow scored a good break away try to make the final score 18-3

Finchley will feel aggrieved to have not gotten the better of the only unbeaten team in the league but missed opportunities were probably the reason for this, not a poor refereeing decision. The defensive work by all 18 was outstanding with Marco Rabbiani, James Collingwood and Will Dalton putting in some fantastic hits. The pack were the real dynamic force for Finchley and Man of the Match could have gone to any of the 8 but this week Bryden Fraser is the deserved recipient.

Next week sees Finchley take on rivals Hitchin in the cup, which could provide a great spring board for the final 4 league games before Xmas, in which the men from Summers lane have to be aiming for 4 good victories.