THE Tigers left Clifton Lane on the wrong end of a 28-7 scoreline, with only a Petrus Du Plessis try converted by Phil Jones to show for all their efforts.

EARTH TITANS 28

SEDGLEY PARK           7 

National League Division One 

PRESSURE and how you deal with it was the key to this game. The home side from the first whistle exerted it and for the most part Sedgley dealt with it. But then the Titans found ways through the Sedgley defence and exploited them.

In the second half it was the Tigers’ turn to pressure the Titans, but they dealt with it better and in the end frustration told and the Titans had the last laugh.

They bullied the Tigers from the off, being gifted possession from a fumbled kick-off return. From that point it was all one way traffic for most of the half. In lock Louis McGowan and Number 8 Janne Bornman they had forwards of immense power and strength who continually ripped into their opposite numbers making metre after metre. While in the backs winger Errie Claassens and centre Showan Smith ran the angles and opened up gaps.

On 10 minutes the Titans were awarded a penalty five metres from the Sedgley line and they elected to take the scrum, with Bornman picking up from the base and diving over for the opening touchdown goaled by Gareth Steenson.

Seven minutes later Bornman off-loaded in the tackle to back row colleague Bernard Hennessey and it was his turn to go over to the right of the posts to give Steenson a straightforward conversion.

Then, on 21 minutes and after changing the point of attack a number of times, the ball was spun through hands before wing Brian Tuohy found centre Shane Stewart who popped up in space out on the right to go over by the corner flag. Steenson was again on target and the Titans led 21-0.

But despite them controlling the pace and flow of the game the Tigers defended stoutly and it could have been more but for their resilience in the tackle.

They gradually began to wrestle more and more possession away from the home side and on the stroke of half-time Skurr, Fourie and Norris drove the ball deep into Titans’ territory. Turnover ball then won in injury time at the end of the first set up a series of pick–and-drives that took the Tigers to within five metres of the home line, where they were eventually awarded a penalty. Skurr tapped and drove the ball in, followed by the pack and as play was driven over the line prop Petrus Du Plessis touched down, with Phil Jones’ conversion making it 21-7 at the half-way stage.

If the first quarter was all Titans, the third was all Tigers, as they hemmed the home side into their own half for the first 20 minutes of the second half.

Three times Sedgley players were held up over the Titans’ line as they ultimately failed to turn pressure into points.

As the clock began to run down the Titans began to force more of the play and rounded the game off in the 78th minute when a rolling maul from 17 metres out forced flanker Hendre Fourie over, goaled by Steenson as the Yorkshire side grabbed its four-try bonus point.

Defeat for Sedgley yes, a hammering – far from it. In fact with a bit more composure the Tigers could well have had a few more tries of their own and then this would have been a completely different game altogether. 

EARTH TITANS: Whitehead, Tuohy, Smith, Stewart (76 Blackwood), Claassens, Steenson (76 Turnbull), Bedford, Walsh (76 Croall), Conroy (53 Hanna), Hopcroft (76 Kilbane), Lund (65 Cochrane), McGowan, H. Fourie, Hennessey (72 McComb), Bornman. Tries: Bornman 10, Hennessey 16, Stewart 21 and H. Fourie 75. Conversions: Steenson 4. 

SEDGLEY PARK: Hall, Jope, Briers, Duffy (76 T. Albinson), Craig, Jones, J. Albinson (55 Leck), Gazzola (27 Evans), Roddam (76 Keys), Du Plessis (76 Roberts), T. Fourie (55 Lloyd), Norris, Newton, Ponton (76 Livesey), Skurr. Try: Du Plessis 42. Conversion: Jones 1.