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Archive - Millwall Match ReportsSeason 2002 / 2003Click on any one of the links below to view the match report, then use the <top> link (at the end of every report) to return here. Warning: These reports are not official. In most cases they were written by players or spectators and no attempt has been made to check the accuracy of the reports, let alone to remove the swear words! Folkestone Tournament 25th August 2002 The games were two halves of 20 minutes, with two pools each of four teams. Pool winners and runners up would proceed to semi finals. Folkestone Exiles vs Millwall RFC Final Score: 5-7 Millwall were late as usual so there was no time to get warmed up before kicking off our first game against the competition co-hosts Folkestone Exiles. Right from the start Millwall knew that they were up against the competition favourites with Folkestone being camped in Millwalls 22 for most of the first half. But one thing that was consistent throughout the game was Millwalls defence in a word it was awesome with some solid tackles being made by all of Millwalls players. Our attack was not quite up to the same standard as defence due to the playing conditions and lack of warming up. Millwall did manage to mount some progressive attacks which was let down by handling errors. Recycling of the ball and scrums not quite working effectively were another area of the game which Millwall needed to address. The second half saw Folkestone take the lead straight from the off with Millwall thinking of other things but rugby however Folkestone failed to convert the try. Millwall having been rudely awakened from their daydream were back with their defence at the same standard as the first half 'solid'. The scrum seemed sort itself out which gave Denzel a solid platform to work from. This was evident as Millwalls backline being able to string a few moves together to produce some flowing rugby. Only staunch defending from Folkestone stopped Millwall going over their line. But eventually Millwall were rewarded for some exacting pressure from the forwards. Millwalls try came from a solid scrum presented by the forwards with Denzel offloading to Nick Tiffin who sold there backline a dummy pass and ran through the hole that it made to score between the posts, which Nick then converted. With little or no time left for Folkestone to counter. This game was deservedly won by Millwall the attitude of the players was inspiring it showed what could be done with hard work and determination to succeed. Match Report - Millwall 7, Crawley 0 Millwall RFC vs Lordswood RFC Semi-Final Against All Odds Millwall pulled off a stunning 27-25 victory away to Bancrofts, a higher division side that was well drilled and had demolished Millwall 71-0 last season. Millwall went into the game well prepared for a bruising encounter after weeks of pre season training and reaped the benefits early on. Millwall played into the wind in the first half but took the game to Bancrofts with excellent back line moves to put Millwall ahead in the first 20 min with tries coming from Phil Wilkinson and Jon McLachlan respectively, sending Bancrofts into panic mode at 10-0 down. Bancrofts replied late in the first half by kicking the ball up field with the wind to play in Millwall’s half but Millwall defended like Trojans for long periods. However, Bancrofts replied with two late first half tries to seal the half 12-10 up. After the break Bancrofts came back hard at Millwall with a try and
a penalty leaving Millwall trailing by 20 -10. Millwall then clawed their
way back with three tries in the 3rd quarter, with particularly robust
and determined forward play to see Phil Wilkinson (again), Jar O’Brien
and Adam Crawford each score a try to go up 27-20. Bancrofts
seemed to be on the rack but Millwall, with tails up, lost concentration
and conceded a late try to Bancrofts, which was not converted and sealed
a well deserved victory for Millwall against all odds.
Llamas vs Combined Old Street
MILLWALL 1st XV 50 - Following the difficult game against Old Street last week, the Llamas were playing away from home against Old Totts on Saturday. This year Jamie decided to outfox the Totts by not playing any Fijians, letting Glyn arrive with the gear 5 minutes before the game began and starting the game with 14 players. Stroke of genius or what. The game got off to a great start when the pack, with Mike, John the Greek, Mark and Ray in the engine room, drove a much larger Totts pack off the ball. This was to continue throughout the game with the opposition attempting to wheel the scrum at every occasion. The lineout too performed well with Blaise repeatedly hitting Dave jumping at two. This set up a good platform for the backs to attack and so they did supported by our mobile backrow of Olly, Dave and Rick. Chris tormented the opposition with breaks from the back the scrum and feeding Adam and Glyn made great headway. Following some great support play Chris scored the only try of the half, which he duly converted. The second half began with a tactical swap by Jamie. Working out that the backs needed a little more experience, John was put on the wing to scare the poor opposition winger. This lead to 3 quick tries in the opening 20 minutes of the half by Chris, John and Jamie. Once again no one person can be credited as the team played and supported together. At this stage 28:0 up the team slowed up to conserve energy for the drinking after. We even had time for Mike to try to head the ball over the bar. But the game was finished off with a last try with the resulting blocked conversion attempt the only tarnish on an otherwise perfect kicking day by Chris. This was a tougher game than the scoreline shows but the Llamas attacked and defended together all game. Mauls were hit at speed and few tackles missed. Following this display, positions on the Llamas will be hard earned with all players on Saturday ensuring they will be in the frame for next week. Overall a good day and not a bad night later on either.
On Saturday 21 September 2002 Millwall 1st XV were at home in the Powergen Vase to unknown opposition. The Cosmos only had 13 men but all of them proved to be experienced, skilful and committed rugby players. Millwall stand off Nick Tiffin kicked a penalty in the fifth minute but were making hard work of the match and could not break down the Cosmos defence. On 20 minutes inside centre Craig Kruger put Will Knight in possession with space to work with. Will made ground but instead of returning the pass to Kruger took on one too many defenders and the advantage was lost. Cosmos were continually beating Millwall in the rucks and mauls and, on the stroke of half time, nicked possession and ran in a breakaway try from the half way line. The try was converted and Millwall were down 7 - 3 at half time. In the second half Millwall stand off Nick Tiffin made the difference and was instrumental in all of Millwall's better play. On 45 minutes he took a quick penalty and ran at the Cosmos, going round their first line of defence. He passed to Kruger who decided to try and run through rather than round the last defender and was held up on the try line. Fortunately Will Knight was in support to get the touch down. Tiffin narrowly missed the conversion. Cosmos would not lie down though and pressured the Millwall line and eventually won a penalty. They elected to kick and missed by a mile. In the sixty fifth minute a superb sequence of passes between Will Knight and John Geromschos led to Millwall breaking into the Cosmos 22. The forwards won the set piece and Tiffin passed to Kruger who with quick hands released Will Knight at full tilt to go round his opposite number for his second try of the afternoon. Tifffin missed the conversion. Cosmos came back again with their forwards constantly stealing the ball away. Eventually Millwall got the ball to Tiffin who chipped over. Cosmos tried to run it out of defence but the Millwall chasers closed out the proposed counter attack. With the Cosmos runner outnumbered Millwall stole the ball and prop and club captain Ben Steed went over for the score. Tifffin missed the conversion. At long last it appeared that Cosmos were beginning to tire and the Millwall forwards were winning more and more ball - John Raynor was particularly active. In the last minute of the game Tiffin put in a quick flat pass for Kruger who ran the ball in from the half way line. Tiffin hit the post with the conversion but missed again. Millwall man of the match was full back Drew Tiffin (brother of Nick) who did not put a foot wrong all afternoon and counter attacked well on four or five occasions.
Shadwell 24 - Llamas 0 The Llamas were narrowly beaten in their first merit table match of the season. Shadwell had an immense pack of burly firemen (much to Al Sykes Delight!), from the start it was obvious that Shadwell's game plan was to Channel their play through them. Millwall's much smaller pack, marshalled by 'man of the match' Mike Costin, held their own for most of the scrums. Early in the 1st half however Shadwell made a good drive and scored a pushover try. This was not converted. Millwall's tackling was immense and Shadwell were unable to breach the Llamas defence. The 2nd half began brightly for Millwall immediately applying pressure on Shadwell. Mike Costin was bundled into touch 5yards out from the line after a good move which saw Jamie Mckillop release Andy Taylor down the wing who in turn laid the ball off to flying prop Costin. At the start of the 2nd half Shadwell brought on a substitute flyhalf who ultimately was the difference between the 2 sides scoring 3 excellent solo tries. Millwall had an Al McCaig try disallowed after a shocking decision by the ref who thought that fiery scrum half Glyn Bevan had pushed his opposite number and threatened him with the immortal line "come on come on!" this greatly confused the opposition. Millwall had another try this one by Stephen Cook, disallowed for a debatable forward pass. Ultimately this was a disappointing result, against a team we could of beaten. It must be remembered however that the Llamas were fielding 7 new players to the club. 4 of whom had never played before. Millwall Llamas 10 East London III's 26 Following the difficult game against Shadwell last week, the Llamas were keen to set things right and produce a result for the excitable Vicky Park crowd. Playing in front of such a crowd clearly had an effect on the many players making their home debuts as the Llamas definitely started the game more slowly than the opposition. Facing a well-drilled set of backs and a pack that combined youth and experience the Llamas were definitely up against it. Stalwart defence however saw us whether the early storm. In the scrums our light, mobile front row of Ray, Chris and Mark held up well and in the line out Flush was so dominant that the opposition had to resort to dirty tricks on our ball and long throws to the back of the line out on their own ball. Having succumbed to two tries, which came more from Millwall mistakes than East London excellence, the home side never let their spirits dip and were soon on the attack again. Some of the best attacks of the game came from Al Sykes showing that his pre-match ritual of 10 pints and a Burger King the night before the game has allowed him to develop an interesting gut-barging style attack (complete with Monica Seles-esque sound effects). The persistence paid off and just before half-time after half a dozen attempts that had either been held up or spoiled by the opposition, Flush dived over the line from a quick tap penalty. The second half of the game was just as frantic as the half and in the second time the Llama's new tactical ploy for the season - substitutes began to pay off. With no fewer than 5 openside flankers in the squad there were always going to be players playing out of position but, one of those 5 opensides, debutant Tim Sloggett made up for a lack of experience in the centres with some thunderous tackles and spirited running. A second try came Millwall's way in the second half when prop Mark Burnal found himself in the back line with a well crafted overlap coming as the result of several mauls near the opposition try line. Further gusty breaks came from substitute wingers Steven Cooke and Kevin Davidson. Ultimately, however the Llamas lost to a better-drilled and more streetwise side. We will play better teams and win this season if the spirit that was shown on the pitch can be recreated week-in and week-out. It is a rare occurrence for a Millwall side to be facing an opposition with more South Africans in than their own. However, it was subsequently revealed that the East London numbers were "bolstered" by a number of visiting South African tourists. Overall though, a cracking game of rugby to watch and play-in and a pretty good night in the Pier afterwards too! Millwall RFC 36 - 15 Kings Cross Steelers It was a cracking afternoon for running rugby, and both sides were intent on playing expansive, attractive rugby. Even the Steelers supporters were watching the rugby more than the players (though it was rumoured they liked the rough look of 'Danger' MaCafferty). Millwall were coming off their first defeat of the season and had something to prove, whilst the Steelers were slowly losing their 'nice boy' image on the field having won by nearly 50 points the previous week. After a fired up start from the Millwall forwards, Nick Tiffin opened the scoring with a try under the posts following a sublime dummy to centre Craig Kruger, who created the space by getting half the Steelers backs to follow his run. Tiffin converted his own try. Each side swapped penalties, before Millwall's second converted try came about - this time Kruger barging his way over from 10 yards after a succession of hit ups and recycled ball by Millwall. At this point Millwall relaxed somewhat, and after dominating the early stages, Steelers used their secret weapon - the fastest man in the league - who made the break and set up a try. He was so small knocking him down appeared easy - but obviously playing for the Steelers has taught the little man to run away from all kinds of situations, and he has learnt well. This meant Millwall led 17 - 10 at half time. The second half began with Millwall fullback Phil Antenbring pulling off two awesome try saving tackles after entertaining wide rugby. But Millwall were growing in confidence and had an answer to the Steelers attacks. At the other end, after good forward play, especially by prop Ben Steed, Millwall got a kickable penalty. Wanting to take further advantage of this it was taken short, with a couple of drives from the pack and a highly Vaselined up and lubricated Matt Alexander (who didn't go home to his girlfriend in Bristol that night?). This gave scrum half Chris Dickinson the platform to continue his excellent quick service, with the ball going through the backs for Antoon to score out wide. Steelers responded with a well worked try later on, but in general they were tiring after all the tackles they had taken. There was no rest bite from Millwall even though Bulmer went off after playing his longest game in years (50 minutes). Tiffin scored his second after supporting another Kruger crash ball, but the best was saved until last. After Tiffin beat his man and made ground, he passed low to Antenbring as he was taken out. In true champagne rugby style Antenbring used his thigh to 'knee' up the ball into his arms and strolled on under the posts, with Steelers players trying to catch him up from behind. Tiffin converted for a match tally of 21. The platform was laid down by the pack and scrum half, with man of the match going to Millwall openside Olly Arthey, who was everywhere on the field in defence, and on attack made the gain line every time, enjoying getting stuck in behind the opposition. Match report Millwall Llamas Vs East London IV Before the llamas began to play there were some rearrangement of players. The llamas borrowed a prop off East London and gave East London two backs in exchange. Once this was arranged the game began. East London had a heavy pack but they tended to lean rather than push. Once this had been realised by the llamas we drove in the scrum and on more than one occasion drove East London off the ball. This enabled us to gain possession and get the ball out to the backs who broke through to cross the line nine times in the game. The llamas scored with simple rugby, no set moves or rehearsed switches. The llamas only let East London through when the llamas started to get a touch overconfident and made mistakes. A forward on the burst from a tap 5 metres out is hard to stop. East London got over twice. Otherwise I did not see much of the backs, the ball would be long gone by the time I got out of the scrum. Mostly it was one of ours running off or another breakdown to get to. One East London player resorted to shouting in an attempt to prevent the last try. The best part about this game was the spirit in which it was played. Everybody on the paddock was there to have fun and play the game. Nobody answered back to the referee, nobody wanted to fight and all played to the whistle. Everyone enjoyed themselves and we were welcomed into the club for beers afterwards. The sort of game that makes you want to come back and do it all again next week.
With three teams playing for the first time in Millwall RFC's history, the 1st XV were determined to claim a victory over Pegasus Palmerians for the club. Unfortunately, the complication of having 2 away maps in last weeks programme and an excess of fumes in the team bus, led half the team to head for the wrong end of Essex. After finally discovering this audacious attempt to confuse and sabotage the team the whole team finally arrived at the ground. Shaking off the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning and the rather odd reluctance of the ref to leaving the changing room a confident Millwall team took to the field. Initially this confidence was well placed as Millwall started well. Strong pressure up front, good interlinking between the forwards and backs and strong running from Madiba Kruger and the rest of the backs led to Millwall opening the scoring under the posts. Nick Tiffin confidently stroked the conversion between the posts to set Millwall on their way. Millwall continued to dominate proceedings with the back-row everywhere and the back-line strong in defence and quick to counter-attack. Special mentioned must go to Olly 'mugged by a bird' Arthey, who despite the shame of having to pay a woman on Regent street £20 to take away his phone, was everywhere. Millwall quickly built up a 19-3 lead and looked in control of the game and cruising to an easy win. It was then that the key individual of the game found his breath and began to exert an influence on the game. Unfortunately this negative influence was to limit the rest of the game to single-phase play, set piece restarts and open play to periods of less than 30 seconds. Rarely was the game saved from the shrill whistle of the referee indicating a barrage of penalties, scrums and free kicks that were inflicted in an ever increasing number and for ever more perverse reasons. Although the large number of stoppages stopped both teams from establishing themselves on the game, as the attacking side, it was Millwall that took the brunt of these decisions and rather obscure interpretations of the rule-book. Despite this Millwall turned round at half time with their lead intact 19-8 ahead. In the second half the referee once again insisted on halting the game at every opportunity and despite the possibility of straining his sallow frame by expelling so much air, continued to punish both teams at every opportunity. The line-out proved particularly contentious as Millwall were punished time again by the referee whose interpretation of the rules in this area was at best obscure and at worst sourced from another sport other than rugby entirely. These difficulties and a new found confidence of Pegasus led Millwall to concede two soft tries. Despite this set back Millwall re-established their lead by a Pegasus error behind their own line which allowed Olly 'no, honestly take my house keys as well' Arthey to beat the Pegasus defence to a one handed touch down. Some questioning of the referees eyesight and his ability to take on such a high profile match led Pegasus to 14 men and Millwall set about capitalising on their one man advantage. Millwall quickly found themselves camped in the Pegasus 22, but some loose ball and chip through led to a collision between Spendy and the fullback. The referee after some confusion and after attempting to send off 2 other players and both team captains, sin-binned Spendy who trudged behind the goal line feeling more hard done by than a member of the Guildford Four. Two minutes later, after another line-out fiasco Millwall were reduced to 13 after the referee, who was by this stage rapidly losing self-control, failed to take into account his country's record of neutrality in armed conflicts and confined Swiss Jenni to the sin bin. A shaking of heads in disbelief more than indicated the feelings held by both sides and for the rest of the match neither team dared to jump at all for fear of reducing their numbers further. Millwall re-organised their pack and their back-line and despite a two man disadvantage held out against a resurgent Pegasus side with some awesome tackling. To a man everyone made their hits count. Despite eventually conceding a try and conversion late in the game to set up a nail biting finish, Millwall held on to win 26-25 on a day when both sides were forced to play against 16 men. As both teams trudged off fearing the onset of tinnitus from the incessant whistling they had been forced to suffer, they all dreamed of what could have been an excellent afternoon of rugby. Millwall llamas 17: 31 Wanderers On the 12th October, the Llamas had a rare home game against the Wanderers. In front of a large cheering crowd, with estimates ranging anywhere from ten to twelve people, the Llamas took the field. The match was only a few minutes old when the Llamas broke the try line for the first score, and confidence both on and off the field reached an all time high. The celebration, however was short-lived with the Wanderers answering with a try of their own. This was to set the scene for the rest of the game with each team countering the other teams score with one of their own. Unfortunately the final whistle went at an inappropriate time, following a Wanderers score and before the Llamas could reply. However, the Llamas played very well with good ball movement and tough defensive work. The day was not all lost as Glyn Bevan celebrated his 60th cap with a bit of the bubbly. Congratulations Glyn, and good luck with the next 60. The author offers a pint to the first man who recognises the style of writing Famous literary person. Please see Alistair Sykes Jazz is just like everything in life. Last Friday I found myself in a very famous London jazz club with the blonde and some our friends. The food was frankly average and the wine slightly better. Every time we so much as looked to whisper a greeting as someone else arrived, we were attacked by Bulgarian waiter who appeared to be doing an outstanding impression of Larry Grayson. But we were in a Jazz club, so the trimmings should not be dwelt upon. The main acts came on stage and did their bit – all gifted individuals, but more often than not, gifted in random nonsensical arse. They could certainly talk a good game, however, and it did amaze me how many obscure Welsh poets one could thank for inspiration in a single evening. An amazing thing then happened - The music became enjoyable. It wasn’t that the bands had suddenly improved, but I had developed an appreciation of what was going on. Granted the 4th bottle of Don Pedro Reserve helped, but I do believe that my understanding of everything helped me to enjoy the evening. **************** Saturday marked the inaugural Millwall Third Team fixture and despite getting a proper hammering, everyone would agree that it was one of the most enjoyable games in which they had ever played. I certainly have never had the privilege of skippering a team that did not criticise each other at any time during the match…. the rest of the club should probably have a think about why the Thirds enjoyed Saturday so much despite the result – it’s not rocket science boys! Fielding a team where no one outside number 10 had played within the last 10 years, if at all, may seem like an unwise decision, but to do so against an agricultural college full of big farmer types is simply suicidal. When seeing them I did start to feel a bit guilty for taking advantage of drunk jazz appreciators and getting them along to play – but at the end of the day, playing with 14 rather than 12 meant I had to do far less running around. The forwards should be given a lot of credit, which frankly goes against my nature, but they were colossal in the scrum and line. Big performances from Gareth who made something like 198 tackles during the game and Tim keeping the scrum solid were vital to preventing…. well, a bigger defeat! In the backs, Neil Mundell (playing his first match since school) showed the type of pace that will start to attract lucrative contracts from the bigger clubs and Simon at full back tackled like a possessed Otter, felling their giant combine harvester mechanic every time he came near. By the end of the match, much like myself at the Jazz Club the previous evening, everyone had developed an appreciation of what was going on. Each player kept going hard to the end and I would say that for the last 20 minutes we looked like a rugby team. If the Thirds keep improving at the rate they did during 80 minutes of play, not only will they get some points but they will win matches. They could do with a stand-off who can kick, though, if there are any offers. So all that remains is to dedicate the inspiration for this result to Rhys Jones-Williams whose immortal words we will never forget when looking back at this magnificent first step into uncharted rugby territory. Rating **** **** = Ronnie Scott’s ** * = Pizza Express Jazz Bar ** = Pizza Hut Juke Box * = Pier tavern Saturday Entertainment London Tribes 13 : 7 Millwall A bright sunny afternoon greeted the 2nd round of the PowerGen Vase, which saw Millwall drawn against London Tribes. The team trooped across London all the way to Richmond Athletic ground (with a little detour via London Welsh) and our thanks go to a few supporters including Mike Marques who made the trip to watch. Millwall started well and after a shaky scrum or two started to exert dominance in the set pieces. The front five took the scrum good and low and tribes were reduced to taking out Tony and Brian in the lineouts, for which they were duly penalised. On the small pitch that we were playing on, penalties would matter. London Tribes were nothing if not savvy, and despite Millwall's dominance in the set piece set about killing the ball just behind the pack. They targeted the 9-10 link, putting Kieran under massive pressure, often from an offside position and with a fair amount of niggle off-the-ball. So our backs, although showing they had good penetration with decent ball, were often left frustrated. Although Millwall had the upper hand, Tribes drove up the pitch and scored, assisted by a dubious penalty or two and some lax defence by Millwall. At halftime, we turned around 7-0 down, needing to get points from our superior possession. A reinvigorated start saw Millwall turn the screws in the scrum and start to shove Tribes all over the park. When Antoine chased an excellent up and under, coming within inches of scoring himself, he set up a series of 5-yard scrums that nearly broke the tribes scrum and let Nick Tiffin in for a try by the posts. His running posed problems to the Tribes all day, and he was unlucky not to reach the line at least one further occasion. A simple conversion made it 7 points apiece. No sooner had the comeback started than Millwall were robbed of their skipper, Matt Alexander. He went off with a knee and was replaced by Flush. Also with a knee injury was the referee, who telegraphed this fact to both sides, meaning the second half was not going to be a clean one as he lagged play. Tribes continued to play savvy rugby by holding up play at crucial moments and riling as much as they could. This culminated in a ridiculous incident were Tribes, denying the ball to Millwall for a quick penalty, managed to engineer an incident that resulted in both their ringleader (no. 10) and Craig being sin binned. Tribes quickly rearranged, perhaps they were used to playing with 14, and knocked 2 penalties over in quick succession. Meanwhile Millwall continued unsettling with two more substitutions. Phil Antenbring held it together at the back putting in plenty of good running and cover tackling. A disallowed try from one of the most elusive Tribes runners was quickly followed by a disallowed try from Pablo. Neither were clear from the sidelines. Paul Spendiff rounded off a good day's running on the wing with a bursting run that left him a foot short of the line, but by this time Millwall were losing the edge and the Tribes started to run the clock down. Pablo's back went and that forced changes in the scrum, with no subs left Jar filled in at prop. One of Millwall's chief advantages was gone and Tribes strangled the game to end up winners 13 - 7. The cup run was over for another year. Southend III 30, Millwall Llamas 10 Despite the conspicuous lack of road signage, the mighty Millwall Llamas found their way down to the sea side last Saturday for a fixture against our old friends from Southend. In the absence of a home fixture for either the First or Second XV of our hosts, we found ourselves on the hallowed turf of the main pitch at Fortress Shrimpy. The game even attracted a "crowd" of over 20 people (perhaps "individuals looking out from the bar" would be a more accurate description than crowd) and the game certainly had a big match feel. If you imagine the Millenium Stadium without the stands, the roof or 70,000 Taffs, then you're there. Due to an administrative error otherwise known as a balls-up, we had to take to the field wearing the third strip (black and white quarters). Some players found it easier to put their shirts on by climbing in through the holes in the side rather than pulling them over their heads. Ventilation was certainly not a problem. The game started in bright sunshine with some strong early forward exchanges setting the tone for what proved to be a competitive and enjoyable game. Southend enjoyed the majority of possession in the opening quarter but were well marshalled by a stout Llamas defence. The pace of the opening exchanges was relentless and it was fully 10 minutes before the first stoppage in play allowed all the fat lads up front to have a breather. Sustained pressure from Southend ultimately told however when a forward surge resulted in the home side crossing the line for the first score of the afternoon after 15 minutes. This was the catalyst for a period of forward domination by the hosts as they began to gain the upper hand in the set piece. Two more tries followed before half time as the Llamas struggled to contain a well drilled and organised side who had obviously played as a unit on a number of occasions. However, no Llamas side lays down and dies in the face of adversity and Saturday proved to be no exception. Within five minutes of the restart Millwall were in the ascendancy as a number of thundering forward drives took them deep into Southend territory. Camped near to the Southend line for a prolonged spell, Shaggy look-a-like Fraser (Shaggy off Scooby Doo, not the rap artist), was able to pick up and drive over for a well deserved score. With their tails higher than Frank Bough in a whorehouse, the Llamas enjoyed their best spell of the game as the runs from midfield came thick and fast, the ball being recycled with remarkable regularity. One such break from midfield saw the brothers Hermon combine for the second Llamas try. Phil foraged deep into bandit country on a particularly uncompromising run with two defenders between him and the line and only brother Rick outside him. In a moment of seminal majesty, and no little skill, he sent his sibling over with the cheekiest of grubber kicks from no more than 5 yards out. It was like one of those moments of telepathic wizardry that Uri Geller does on the telly every now and again where he has to guess what shape someone has drawn on a piece of paper. Only on a rugby pitch. Which is altogether different really. I'll fetch my coat The final quarter saw the hosts rally and run in two more tries and a penalty. But this couldn't take away from what had been a gutsy performance by the Llamas against quality opposition. The side will play far worse during the season and win. Everyone could head for home with their heads held high and satisfied that the boys from the sea side will not be forgetting the name Millwall in a hurry. Ongar 8:22 Millwall The extremely cold, somewhat slopping and rather muddy pitch at Ongar provided the setting for the most enthusiastic Millwall warm up I have ever seen, with everyone practising everything at full speed just to stop the blood freezing in their veins. Playing uphill and into the wind, Millwall started the game by going three points behind, after giving away a silly penalty in our own 22, despite the fact that our backs were running all over Ongar’s with relative ease. Facing a heavier (or fatter, depending how you look at it) scrum, the forwards had a much tougher time of it, with the lack of grip resulting in them being pushed back on a few occasions. However, Millwall soon got into Ongar’s half, Flex spun the ball out to Phil Antenbring, who passed it to Matt Dobson who shimmied his way through the Ongar three-quarters to score. Not long after that, Millwall were back in their own 22 when Phil Antenbring
put in a cracking tackle on the Ongar fly half. The ball popped out of
the fly half’s hands, hit the deck and Matt Dobson demonstrated
his footballing prowess by dribbling it all the way up the pitch and
scored. The second half went nearly all Millwall’s way, with the wind,
the downhill slope and our better fitness getting the better of Ongar.
We spent most of the half in the opposing team’s half, with Phil
Antenbring (man of the match) going over the tryline, and then converting
his own kick. A fairly even period followed, in which Millwall generally
had the upper hand, and the game finished with another try from the backs,
this time Nick Tiffin coming in from full back to score. After which
it was time to de-frost in the bar.
Match Report: Saturday 07 December 2002 Llamas vs. Chelmsford 3rds A cold blustery winter day could in no way dampen the fire in the hearts of the Llamas as they took to the field to face the might of the Chelmsford team. The time had also come for Millwall Chairman Mike Costin to stand up and be counted alongside the other rugby greats to have made 100 appearances. Sean Fitzpatrick, Phillipe Sella, David Campese, all legends within this exclusive club of rugby greats who have gone on to achieve a century of appearances. From the start, free flowing champagne rugby it was not, but more of a cheap sparkling wine with hiccups galore. Forward passes here, knock on's there and already ten minutes in the frustrations were showing in the windy conditions. The Llamas needed a break and then in the first half it came in the form of second rower Flush bursting through the centre on a well timed move to score under the posts. Alistair Sykes dealt ably with the kicking and with seven points on a the board we were on a roll. The passes came, the breaks appeared and the backline started to find the space and depth that we lacked at the start. Again from a controlled ruck inside the oppositions twenty two, scrumhalf Andrew Martin laid it off to Gareth Parkhill who timed to perfection a crash ball for our resident Scott Gibbs, Kev Bulmer to go over. Twelve nil and the Llamas looked to be taking control of this encounter. They were unlucky not to have got a third just before half time when Dom Morched's pass out to Jamie McKillop was adjudged to have carried forward. No matter, the whistle went for half time and the spirits were high going into the second half. However Chelmsford started the second half an inspired team and started to throw everything at us. In what seemed like 15 minutes of sustained pressure on our own try line in which the Llamas defended well, they finally got the try they wanted to make it 12-5. Suddenly we had a game on our hands. Again Millwall put their hearts into it and capitalised on some good rucking and mauling. A good piece of solo play from scrumhalf Andrew Martin from a ruck led to him jinxing inside the Chelmsford defence and going in under the posts. The kick ably converted saw us extend our lead to a comfortable 19-5. Again Chelmsford came at us, sending in the big front rowers as battering rams and again Millwall snapped at their heels and defended like possessed men. And then as the frustrations set in so the tempers flared with a rather unsavoury moment with Glyn Bevan and one of the Chelmsford forwards getting into a bit of a scuffle. No harm done and handshakes all around ensured that the game proceeded incident free. It seems that all quietly knew that such behaviour would be dealt with swiftly and justly by the exercising of the yard glass back at the Pier. They had us rattled and again after 10 minutes of solid defending Chelmsford broke through to make it a tense scoreline of 19-12. And then the final whistle came to pass. A good days work done with
all the boys pitching in a generous helping to get the job completed.
All in all a performance that all can be proud of with the Monday and
Wednesday training paying dividend in the rucks and mauls. Not to be outdone, the Millwall flag flew proudly and strongly as Glyn
Bevan showed the opposition how to navigate a yard of ale, a few pints,
some aftershots and a couple of shorts. As yet, his liver is still unaccounted
for and if you should find it in the Pier please could you hand it into
Neil Man of the match went to Flush, who in hindsight would probably not have got out of bed if he had known what his fine was to be. A Breezer followed by an aftershot followed by a Breezer followed by an aftershot followed by a Breezer followed by an aftershot. Let's just say that the man took some strain. Another return match against Chelmsford is already on the cards for March next year and I would definitely encourage any player to get promoted to the Llamas for this return affair. Thanks must go to our resident coach Brendan Callaghan who was drafted
in at the last moment to perform the refereeing duties as well as fan
teamleader Austin Osborne who braved the elements to cheer the lads on.
Millwall vs Ravens Nov 30th, 2002 I think everyone who is involved with our club has heard about last week’s ignominious league game against Ravens, so I will only say a few words. The match was abandoned due to fighting; What unfolded that day was a series of violent unprovoked attacks on our players by a bunch of uncoordinated, overweight, neanderthals. It was apparent that the opposition were so intimidated by our position in the league and our superior standard of rugby that they felt it necessary to resort to foul play in order to take the emphasis away from the game. If they had decided to abide by the rules of rugby then Millwall would have come away as comfortable victors. I suggest that if we ever have the misfortune of playing these obese, Neolithic half-wits in the future, then they inform us prior to the game, whether they want to fight or play rugby. This way at least we can come prepared. Millwall can draw comfort from the composure they displayed in truly awful circumstances. I know this is more of a statement than a match report, but I have used it as an opportunity to vent my anger and the anger of my colleagues. To put it into context it made the last game between S. Africa and England look like one of Wiggy and Flush's lovers tiffs! Anyway to cut a long story short, the game was prematurely terminated at 7-0 in our favour 20 minutes before time. We await the decision of the result by the RFU. Scorers Pablo Sanchez -1 Try Toby Dutfield During the first period there had been several off-ball incidents to which most I had not witnessed. I had issued a general caution to both teams at half-time over ‘off-ball’ incidents. At 20 minutes of play in the second period, I allowed the first Yellow
carded player back into the game, just after a scrum had finished I was
along with play when I glanced over to look behind me and saw a Millwall
and Ravens player punching each other, I blew the whistle and stopped
the game, went over to the players of which the Ravens player showed
me a bite mark on his arm and stated that he had got bit, my attention
was then drawn to the players behind me who made me aware that a Millwall
player had been brought to the ground in a tackle just as I blew the
whistle an he had got stamped on several times,
No this wasn’t an opening from Brucie, but the official report
on the Ravens game!
A fresh Autumn afternoon saw the 1st XV travel to Loughton with minds
focussed, facing as they were a team who had conceded only a paltry 36
points in their 6 games this season, losing only once. Any hopes of Loughton getting back into the game were quickly quashed
in the second half and after tries from Tiffin, Flush and another double
from Spendiff, (all examples of the good running angles and speed that
is becoming a hallmark of the squad), the game was as good as won. Final Score: Loughton 10 Millwall 57
Then, a bombshell (no - NOT Scotland beating South Africa - more on
that later!). The opposition had cancelled. Sadness however, soon led
to joy as the growing realisation that they had cancelled and not us
meant that the Llamas had won their first merit table game of the season.
So, the Anyway, all in all not a bad day out (and given the state of my head on Saturday morning it certainly did me a few favours). Man of the match goes to TBA for his willingness to play in 5 different positions for the Llamas at once. Supporter of the match goes to Chris Dickinson's bird for actually staying and managing to survive an afternoon on the sidelines with Al Sykes' chat.
Once there changing was substituted for a brief view of what our brothers in arms had to offer their foe and to hopefully pressgang a few stragglers into playing for the mighty 1st Team. After a full side had been rounded up they decided they would tear themselves away from the action and make preparations for their encounter with what looked like a team of FIT ORGANISED RUGBY PLAYERS?? When Millwall charged onto the park for the first time that day, a new optimism suddenly seem to grip them all. Growls and snorts could be heard all around. The aggression seemed to be mounting and there it was the realization that giants can be killed by a carefully aimed shot to the head. The game started with a fantastic charge by the Millwall forwards and with that they gained heart. Some very strong forward play followed, which put Millwall dangerously close to their opponent’s goal line. A penalty was decided and it was floated gently between the sticks by the captain, for a well-earned lead. The first half was filled with a very hard forward battle and it started to look like no one else could score until Westcliff’s inside centre flicked a gift pass back in side to the unbelieving lightning quick Antoon Lombard. He was off and he had a long lead on the pursuers. Antoon told everyone after the game that he could run the 100 meters in just over 11 seconds but this chase seemed to last forever. By the time he got to the 5 meter line he dived and the momentum took him and two Westcliff players over. Phew!! The forwards were battling to take the 10-point lead to the break when a poor decision by an otherwise assertive referee gave the away side a penalty on the twenty-two. It was taken quickly and with a couple of well-placed passes Westcliff were in for a try. Once converted the half was over. 10-7. The second half promised to be as ferocious as the first but with the
kickoff going straight to the opposition’s backs Millwall realized
why in the first half they had tried to keep it in the forwards. The
strong Westcliff backs made many errors, which kept Millwall in the game.
It wasn’t long before Westcliff had managed to set the weaving
runners off again this time there were no mistakes and a well organized
try was scored and converted. This was the last chance for this courageous
Millwall team, do or die. The goal line was sniffed toward the end and
they had succeeded to keep it from the opposition backs but to no avail.
A great battle and a very good game in all.
I don’t want to be here! It is what I thought when I have first
enter the pitch. I do not want to be here! It is what I thought when
I first miss a tackle. I absolutely do not want to come back again! When
the bunch of Roastbeef playing for Millwall asked me to drink a pint
of beer in one go. And when Dom asked me to write this match report,
I thought, it cannot become worst. Lucky enough it did not. The Charge of the Llamas
Half a pitch, half a pitch, "Forward, the Llamas!" Players to the right of them, Flashed as they turned in air, Sab'ring the forwards there, Charging a team, while All the world wondered: Plunged in the battery of red and white, Right through the line they broke one or twice; Forwards and Backs Reeled from the studded-stroke Shattered and sundered. Then they drove back, but not-- Not the Millwall. Players to right of them, When can their glory fade? Even though we lost.... Ongar 8:22 Millwall The extremely cold, somewhat slopping and rather muddy pitch at Ongar provided the setting for the most enthusiastic Millwall warm up I have ever seen, with everyone practising everything at full speed just to stop the blood freezing in their veins. Playing uphill and into the wind, Millwall started the game by going three points behind, after giving away a silly penalty in our own 22, despite the fact that our backs were running all over Ongar’s with relative ease. Facing a heavier (or fatter, depending how you look at it) scrum, the forwards had a much tougher time of it, with the lack of grip resulting in them being pushed back on a few occasions. However, Millwall soon got into Ongar’s half, Flex spun the ball out to Phil Antenbring, who passed it to Matt Dobson who shimmied his way through the Ongar three-quarters to score. Not long after that, Millwall were back in their own 22 when Phil Antenbring
put in a cracking tackle on the Ongar fly half. The ball popped out of
the fly half’s hands, hit the deck and Matt Dobson demonstrated
his footballing prowess by dribbling it all the way up the pitch and
scored. The second half went nearly all Millwall’s way, with the wind, the downhill slope and our better fitness getting the better of Ongar. We spent most of the half in the opposing team’s half, with Phil Antenbring (man of the match) going over the tryline, and then converting his own kick. A fairly even period followed, in which Millwall generally had the upper hand, and the game finished with another try from the backs, this time Nick Tiffin coming in from full back to score. After which it was time to de-frost in the bar.
Llamas vs. Chelmsford 3rds A cold blustery winter day could in no way dampen the fire in the hearts of the Llamas as they took to the field to face the might of the Chelmsford team. The time had also come for Millwall Chairman Mike Costin to stand up and be counted alongside the other rugby greats to have made 100 appearances. Sean Fitzpatrick, Phillipe Sella, David Campese, all legends within this exclusive club of rugby greats who have gone on to achieve a century of appearances. From the start, free flowing champagne rugby it was not, but more of a cheap sparkling wine with hiccups galore. Forward passes here, knock on's there and already ten minutes in the frustrations were showing in the windy conditions. The Llamas needed a break and then in the first half it came in the form of second rower Flush bursting through the centre on a well timed move to score under the posts. Alistair Sykes dealt ably with the kicking and with seven points on a the board we were on a roll. The passes came, the breaks appeared and the backline started to find the space and depth that we lacked at the start. Again from a controlled ruck inside the oppositions twenty two, scrumhalf Andrew Martin laid it off to Gareth Parkhill who timed to perfection a crash ball for our resident Scott Gibbs, Kev Bulmer to go over. Twelve nil and the Llamas looked to be taking control of this encounter. They were unlucky not to have got a third just before half time when Dom Morched's pass out to Jamie McKillop was adjudged to have carried forward. No matter, the whistle went for half time and the spirits were high going into the second half. However Chelmsford started the second half an inspired team and started to throw everything at us. In what seemed like 15 minutes of sustained pressure on our own try line in which the Llamas defended well, they finally got the try they wanted to make it 12-5. Suddenly we had a game on our hands. Again Millwall put their hearts into it and capitalised on some good rucking and mauling. A good piece of solo play from scrumhalf Andrew Martin from a ruck led to him jinxing inside the Chelmsford defence and going in under the posts. The kick ably converted saw us extend our lead to a comfortable 19-5. Again Chelmsford came at us, sending in the big front rowers as battering rams and again Millwall snapped at their heels and defended like possessed men. And then as the frustrations set in so the tempers flared with a rather unsavoury moment with Glyn Bevan and one of the Chelmsford forwards getting into a bit of a scuffle. No harm done and handshakes all around ensured that the game proceeded incident free. It seems that all quietly knew that such behaviour would be dealt with swiftly and justly by the exercising of the yard glass back at the Pier. They had us rattled and again after 10 minutes of solid defending Chelmsford broke through to make it a tense scoreline of 19-12. And then the final whistle came to pass. A good days work done with
all the boys pitching in a generous helping to get the job completed.
All in all a performance that all can be proud of with the Monday and
Wednesday training paying dividend in the rucks and mauls. Not to be outdone, the Millwall flag flew proudly and strongly as Glyn Bevan showed the opposition how to navigate a yard of ale, a few pints, some aftershocks and a couple of shorts. As yet, his liver is still unaccounted for and if you should find it in the Pier please could you hand it into Neil behind the bar for safekeeping or contact the club secretary. Man of the match went to Flush, who in hindsight would probably not have got out of bed if he had known what his fine was to be. A Breezer followed by an aftershock followed by a Breezer followed by an aftershock followed by a Breezer followed by an aftershock. Let's just say that the man took some strain. Another return match against Chelmsford is already on the cards for March next year and I would definitely encourage any player to get promoted to the Llamas for this return affair. Thanks must go to our resident coach Brendan Callaghan who was drafted
in at the last moment to perform the refereeing duties as well as fan
teamleader Austin Osborne who braved the elements to cheer the lads on.
Saturday 18th January saw Millwall 1sts resume their title challenge with an away fixture against Old Cooperians near Upminster. The previous encounter saw a convincing victory at fortress Vicky Park. On paper we had a good team and were nearly at full strength so we were looking for another victory. The game kicked off with fairly good conditions for an afternoon in Winter, and the game soon picked up a fast pace with which the game was going to continue. This is where the Millwall team had difficulty, it appeared that the team had been living the usual life of Reilly over the Christmas period with a lot of turkey being eaten and beer drank. This is very commendable normally but it quickly became clear this was to be our downfall as Millwall struggled to cope with the early pressure in our own twenty-two. Some lack of discipline resulted in a penalty to the opposition just to the side of the posts which their fly-half duly converted. After the restart they came back again, and again some ill discipline resulted in a penalty to Old Cooperians which left us 6-0 down after only 8 minutes. Millwall hit-back hard then were awarded a penalty just outside the Old Cooperians’ 22 but the kick from Nick Tiffin was wide of the posts. When we got the ball back some sloppy handling enabled them to kick downfield which was to be the pattern of their play for the first half, gaining valuable territory by using the wind. After some more sustained pressure with Millwall again struggling to maintain the pace, the Old Cooperians backs spun the ball out and ran in a try to the right of the Millwall posts that was duly converted. The game continued at the fast pace with some good attacking play from the Millwall backs, but being let down by poor hands almost every time. The forwards also picked up a gear and steadied the scrum and began to push the opposition back and disrupt their rolling mauls that they tried to attack with. Their consistent kicking stopped Millwall venturing into the opposition half, and seemed to be wearing the Millwall team down. 10 minutes before half time they scored a second try which again was converted. The first half finished with a heated exchange of abuse between Jar and their hooker who had been punching and stamping all game; he stamped on Jar's head causing Jar to reach for his handbag. After a second-half chat which convinced Millwall that they could win the game, and now they had the wind to their advantage, they came back strongly, pushing deep into the Old Cooperians' half. A fine bit of rucking from the Millwall forwards led to the ball being spun out for Flex to score in the corner, but the conversion was missed. Shortly after Millwall were awarded a penalty just inside the Old Cooperians' half, again coming from some good work from the Millwall forwards in particular Jon McLachlan who had been brought on as a substitute due to an injury to Andy Taylor. Olly Arthey took it quickly and spun the ball out to Toby Dutfield who linked up well with the backs and resulted in Matt Dobson breaking a tackle and crossing the line to score, again the conversion was missed. Now only 18-10 down it looked that the wind had been the crucial factor and Millwall were now looking towards victory. Old Cooperians though had other plans and again pushed up into Millwall territory again and again, their good handling skills and fitness paid off and they scored with their winger's second try of the game after they broke through the Millwall centres, the conversion was missed. With time ticking away a victory was looking doubtful but a try in the dying minutes from scrum-half Grumpy running the ball in after some good back interplay, again the conversion was missed. The whistle blew shortly after and Millwall had a rare loss. Overall their were some good passages of play from Millwall and the
Old Cooperians team were not the same team that we had played earlier
in the season. We lacked fitness and our handling was poor, but the scrummaging
and forward/back link-ups were positives that we can take into the next
game and we should continue our title challenge. Special mention should
go to Toby Dutfield for finishing a game for the first time this century,
despite having to play wing for the final 10 minutes due to a bruise
on his knee!!! Also to Rick, Olly, JTG and Toby for completing the centurion
challenge in honour of Kev Bulmer's 100th cap for Millwall!!! Congratulations to Kev Bulmer on his 100th Cap and the yard of breezers. I decided to have a little fun on the touchline on Saturday and analyse the game on a ‘tackle count’ basis. As I was primarily looking to see who had made the tackles, lots of creditable aspects of play were missed. For the purposes of this exercise I would like to state what I saw as a tackle. A tackle was when the first man at contact legally tackles someone to the ground or the first person who makes contact with the opposition and creates a ruck or maul. The second player does not get credit for the tackle even if he aided in the tackle, nor if the second player rips the ball off the opposition. Fortunately, I have also not included missed tackles, as there were several on Saturday.
The tackle count is slightly biased as East London failed to provide much resistance in the first half. The second half was far more competitive. Very Brief Match Analysis There were several notable performances. Player performance evaluated below. Remember I was concentrating on your tackling, not your all round game. 1. Wynand deRonde (Tiny) 2 tackles Now that I have commented on everyone who played, can you please describe what I got up to on Saturday night as I have only vague memories? Report by John ‘The Greek’ Geromoschos If anyone disagrees with the above I will be quite happy to talk to
them about it in the Pier over a pint and you are buying
Following on from the debacle that was the Old Cooperians match was always going to be a test of our mettle. The omens hardly looked good when Chris "Danger" McCafferty announced that he was driving the van and promptly managed to get out of the farm with a personal best 32 point turn in the yard. "Danger's" interesting driving style acted as quite a sharpener for most of the players on the bus as we suddenly saw our lives flash before our eyes on at least two occasions and hence became "switched-on" very quickly. Having arrived at the Rayleigh Wyverns home ground it became obvious to one and all that there was a good reason why this fixture had been cancelled twice already this season. The pitch itself made the Lower Paddock look like the luxury of Twickenham. Whilst this was not a problem for either of the teams the ref who had apparently already whinged that he "didn't usually ref at this low a standard" was nervous about it to say the least. After a warm up (for 13 members of the team) which was both new and revolutionary (we didn't practise a single line-out), the team took to the pitch where they were finally joined by Dobbo and Wiggy the Pinball Wizard, who had made the schoolboy error of actually following the roadsigns which pointed to Rayleigh. Having had an ominous toss (no reference to any of Wiggy's songs) whereby we found ourselves playing up-hill and into the wind for the second week running, we started strongly and 5 minutes of good pressure Phil Antenbring ran in the first score. Then as usual, we stepped off the pace and allowed them back for a try. Cue one bollocking from Jar "Pikey" O'Brien where-in he actually managed to break Cheese's own world record for the most uses of the f*** word within one sentance and we took the game back to them with some great running from the backs and linking with the forwards which allowed Tim Trapp to fall over the line with ball in hand on the one game he let his girlfriend come along and watch. Cue us letting them in for yet another try (although I'm sure I got a hand under it!) Then rather unusually for a Millwall side we actually took a shot at posts and (even more unusually) scored it. The final minutes of the second half resulted in us coming under the most concentrated period of pressure we've come under for a goodly while yet, we managed to hold out and went into the second half with a 5 point lead. The second half will go down as one of the finest periods of play a Millwall side has produced this season. Within the first ten minutes of the half, we ran in four tries and broke the back of the opposition with solid running from the backs, assisted by some solid link play from the forwards. Indeed, true to the kind of form that has seen him play both centre forward for Newcastle United and goalkeeper for Manchester United, Adam "Honey Monster" Crawford was a revelation running in his first try in club colours (with at least half the opposition pack hanging off his legs) and throwing passes of the kind of length and accuracy that most centres would be proud of. In fact, we were so comfortable that with 20 minutes to go, we brought on our secret weapon Jamie "Ten Thumbs" McKillop. Moreover, we managed to actually do some rolling mauls and won some clean line out ball! The second half also saw a novel addition to the clubs skill-set with John the Greek actually sprinting. (We think he saw a pint shaped mirage near the opposition try-line but remain uncertain). Final score - Rayleigh Wyverns 10, Millwall 60 Although it must be noted that Drew Tiffin failed to break his duck and still remains tryless (No pressure). Awards: The Danger McCafferty Minibus Driving Award - goes to John the Greek for nearly getting us involved in a four car pile up on the way back (something to do with a limo full of Essex birds I seem to remember). The Al Sykes Under the Thumb Award - goes to Tim Trapp who wasn't allowed to sing any songs with rude bits in all journey back in as he kept getting kicked by his other half. I apologise for the lack of detail (ie who scored etc) but spent most
of the game having lung issues and quite frankly there were so many tries
that I forget. I did manage to remember that Drew didn't score though. MILLWALL NEW BOYS SETTLE FOR SECOND PLACE Millwall’s new and as yet unnamed Third XV traveled to Brentwood Rugby Club last Saturday to meet the hosts’ Fifth XV in what was a keenly anticipated fixture. This was the largest number of players fielded by Millwall on any given Saturday, and hopes were high for a triple victory for the East Londoners. Unfortunately, the effects of the recent weather had left their mark on a pitch which more closely resembled the Somme than the Stoop, and it would always be difficult for either side to stamp their own authority in a match which was marked by errors from both sides. A pitch which actively sucked players down into its own bogginess, and the sheer slippy nature of the ball contrived to rob the watching throng of the spectacle a match of this importance to the visitors demanded. Playing a very mixed side made up of raw recruits and seasoned Millwall campaigners, it was always going to be difficult for the 3rds to match a more experienced and senior side, some of whom it was clear have had the opportunity to become acquainted with each other. By contrast, our 3rds were still learning each others’ names until the final whistle. Notwithstanding this, by no means were the new boys mugged by their somewhat larger and cannier opposition and, following an eminently forgettable first-half the game remained without a single score in either side’s account. At the interval Adam Cottis came on for Kevin Doherty at the scrum-half berth in a bid to add extra impetus to the tiring pack. Unfortunately there was no immediate impact upon the scoreline as the 3s remained confined largely to their own half. Having to run uphill in conditions reminiscent of a Flanders field proved too much for the 3s, and eventually their defence was breached for the first score of the match, a 5 point effort which came down the flank. At times such as these, Millwall sides have traditionally stepped up to the plate and replied accordingly, but fatigued limbs and a lack of ability to take a decisive grasp upon the game cost Millwall dearly as two further tries were conceded, one of which was converted. 17-0. The reply that Millwall so achingly desired was not to come until the last play of the game, Antoon Lombard somehow finding the pace to beat his man on the outside to give Millwall a consolation score, but the conversion proved too much and the game was halted after the attempted kick. A 17-5 win for Brentwood, but a very encouraging performance from Millwall 3s, particularly from the newer recruits and Paul Blayden deserves mention here as Millwall’s man of the match. With time the days when we can celebrate 3 Millwall wins on the same night are not far away. 1st XV Match Report.Kings Cross Steelers 5 Millwall 72 Millwall's glorious past and rampant present came together with great effect against the Steelers at E.London on Saturday. Ruppert obviously hadn't heard about the cunning new plan of turning up 2 hrs early so that we could practice our reverse passing skills in the car park. He duly rolled up 5 mins before kick off, thus allowing time for the compulsory pack reshuffle and a truly awful rendition of "the slopes". It didn't take long however for him to show why he had scored all those tries for Millwall. A clever run to the blindside was well spotted by Glenn and Ruppert was over (with the not inconsiderable help of Jamie McK.).Imagine his surprise at hearing that a try was now worth 5 points. Obviously it had been a while!!! He followed this opening with some great work at the restarts and in the loose, for what must have been a highly enjoyable return to Millwall rugby. Millwall were playing with wonderful commitment and skill and in a tough first 10 mins laid the groundwork for what was to follow. Captain Fantastic boiled over yet again and received a warning from the "I never miss retaliation" ref. Who had however missed the Steelers No. 10 stamping on the head of “the knight in shining armour”. The hawk eyed ref. Then spotted the heinous and "cynical"(his own description) crime of offside committed by Glenn and gave him 10 mins in the bin to think about his passing. Millwall, through some of their best rugby of the season put the game out of sight well before half time with tries for all the usual suspects. The second half however was a time for something special. This arrived in numerous ways. The first, being Toby leaving the field in a tactical substitution and not with a limb hanging off (thought to be the first time in his long and glorious 6-ish game career). Secondly was the sight of Pablo having to visibly slow down, with the line at his mercy, to allow Phil A. to catch up for yet another try. Some said it was try avoidance but I prefer to see it as generosity. And, something never seen before-a try for Baby Tiffin-celebrated with a completely ridiculous dive and a silly grin. Who knows if we will ever see one of these again but his performances so far this season suggest we will (this also leaves a certain No.8 from "Bris'ol" bottom of the try scoring charts).And last but not least, Grumpy proving that practice does not make perfect-the attempted reverse pass was just as bad in the game as it had been in the car park!!! Grumpy was last seen chatting to the opposition hooker(who was calling him Glennda) about the great place he had been to on Thursday nite.................
OBs 11 - Millwall 58 Millwall kicked off at 2.30pm at Beal's playing into the wind. Nevertheless an early try was scored in the first 3 minutes by Phil Antenbring (his first of 3 in the first half). One minute later, Matt Alexander scored the next, before scoring another try 17 minutes into the game. The opposition won their own lineout in their own corner, with Matt A managing to recover the ball and then touch it down over the line in the same corner. The last of the 6 tries in the first half was scored by Toby Dutfield. First Half Stats: The score at the break was 36-6 in Millwall’s favour. And none of us can forget the marvelous throw-in by Mr Rockman! The infamous call was ‘Orangutan Ball’. He apparently had a spelling crisis, and proceeded to launch the ball into the Oppo Centre’s hands, who chipped through and scored! What a muppet! Yes Jamie, that should have been ‘Umbrella Ball’… With Millwall dominating in all facets of the game, I wonder if the yelling of the Old Beal’s manager from the touchline was a demotivating factor! Who’s up his arse? It might have helped more if they were playing the Steelers! Second Half Stats: Final Score: OBs 11 – Millwall 58. This made it worthwhile freezing my ass off yet again, and adds a bit of clarity as to why I’ve supported Millwall every week.< |
