Hertford 30 - Taunton 28 (Match Report)

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It was to be bitter disappointment for Taunton after suffering a dramatic, last-gasp 30-28 loss away to league strugglers Hertford on Saturday.

Following an impressive performance at home against Barnes it was back on the road for Taunton. Further to the changes to the side there was another late withdrawal to contend with, meaning a last minute reshuffle during pre-match preparations.

From the off it was to be a physical encounter and the breakdown a ferocious place to be. Taunton struggled to compete with their bigger counterparts in this area, and it was not long before they were penalised, gifting the home side the first opportunity to put points on the board. Hertford scrum half Olly Forest was unable to put his fourth minute effort over but the respite was to be short lived.

Hertford hooker Khrys Speed showed a mix of speed, balance and agility to demolish the Taunton defence and create the space before the ball was recycled to winger Mike Allan to skirt around the back and open the scoring with a well worked try. Full back Kyle Lemon assumed the kicking duties but was also unsuccessful, leaving his side with a 5-0 lead after seven minutes.

Hertford then increased their lead, having previously gone close but for the desperate defence from the Taunton side. A scrum in midfield was picked up from the base to find nobody at home and flanker Will Temperley crossed the Taunton line to score. Lemon was unsuccessful again but his side now had a 10-0 lead after 13 minutes.

At this point it looked like the bus journey had taken its toll on the players and it was going to be a long afternoon ahead. However, Chris Phillips, Rob Beddard and hard working flanker Alex Hemsley tried to ensure that Hertford didn’t have things all their own way, whilst Greg Charlton and Justin Blanchet both started to make inroads into the Hertford half with some big carries. Hertford were over eager in their attempt to end a promising move and conceded a penalty for offside. Tony Yapp pulled three points back with the boot to make the score 10-3 after fifteen minutes.

This had a galvanising effect on the young Taunton side, and they began to play some patient phases, with Reuben Haile getting into the game and causing the Hertford defence problems. Winger Jack Claydon also made ground with some nice footwork, and set up position for a score with prop Sonny Haines crashing over the line wide out on the right. Yapp was unable to add the extras on this occasion but the deficit was cut to 10-8 after seventeen minutes.

Hertford added another when the Taunton forwards lost possession in contact and the hosts back row secured quick turnover ball. They quickly threatened the Taunton defence once more with Khrys Speed again involved before fly half Robert McPherson-Smith went in to touch down. The conversion was missed but the home side were now leading 15-8 after twenty-three minutes.

Taunton’s midfield pairing of Dean Taylor-Menzies and Tom Popham began to find space, and their strong running set up promising field positions. Scrum half Jack Conway continually harried his opposite number and Gary Kingdom made a telling break deep into Hertford territory. Once again the Hertford defence would end a promising move illegally when coming in at the side and gift Taunton a relatively simple penalty attempt. Yapp made no mistake in taking his personal season tally with the boot to 151 points and pull his side back to 15-11 after thirty minutes.

Taunton again pressed into the Hertford half and another strong carry from Charlton resulted in a stoppage. Hertford centre Alistair Ledson received treatment after getting his body in the wrong position to halt the big mans progress before being replaced by Geoffrey Sella. There was no further addition to the scoreboard before the break, despite Claydon going close only to be halted by a high tackle, and both sides going in with the score 15-11 at half time.

Hertford started the second half as they had the first and went close to increasing their lead early on when they again opted for the direct approach but Temperley was held up over the line as he looked for his second of the afternoon. The defence held out but was to be stretched enough to allow winger Allan to cut a neat line for his second and secure the home side a bonus point score. The replacement Sella converted to pull Hertford into a 22-11 lead after forty nine minutes.

Taunton made a number of changes to inject some fresh impetus into proceedings as they looked to stay in touch with the game. Charlton was replaced by Ollie Marriott, carrying on where the other left off. Haile saw more of the ball and was back to his belligerent best as he terrorised the Hertford defence to battle his way over and score. Yapp watched as his conversion fell short with the score 22-16 after fifty-five minutes.

Bartlett added additional pace from the base of the set piece and the youngster exploited a gap that opened up in front of him to get Taunton going forward again. Blanchet and Marriot supported him to set up the platform, but with the breakdown being dominated by Hertford it was not long before another penalty handed possession back to the home side. Another penalty followed and this time Sella would add a further three points giving Hertford a 25-16 lead after sixty minutes.

Taunton were handed a lifeline when Hertford’s replacement prop pulled the line out down and received a yellow card. With a man advantage in the pack Taunton immediately smartly exploited it and Dave Bates forced his way over to score. Kingdom took over kicking duties but was unable to add the extras although his side were back in touch with the score 25-21 after seventy minutes.

This sparked Taunton into life, going into the final ten minutes looking to snatch the victory. Bartlett again sniped around the base of the breakdown and got his side moving forward. They could have scored when replacement wing David Webber was left unmarked wide on the left but despite the shouts the ball was played the other way. All was not lost however, when Haile popped up again to reclaim his position at the top of the try scoring charts with a fine individual try to give Taunton the lead for the first time in the final minute of normal time. Kingdom converted making the score 25-28 after seventy-nine minutes.

Just when it looked like Taunton had the victory they failed to secure the restart, and a tense six minutes of injury time would follow. This was made to feel longer following another lengthy injury break following a tackle that would earn flanker Blanchet a yellow card for his efforts. Taunton worked hard to keep the Hertford attack out with numerous try saving tackles going in. When Allan wriggled his way over for his hat trick it was the home side jumping with joy leaving Taunton feeling dejected. Sella was unsuccessful with the last kick of the match but the victory was theirs leaving the full time score 30-28.

The disappointment was clear for all to see having worked so hard to stay in touch and get back into the game. Whilst there was clearly a post journey hangover and problems at the breakdown there were many positives in what was an entertaining match for the home crowd, and credit must be given to the composure late on from this young side. They now have a week off before its back to business with another tricky encounter away to Southend on 11th February.