LONDON TWO NORTH EAST


Rochford Hundred..................................12
South Woodham Ferrers...........................8

 

FORMER Ireland international and current Harlequins director of Rugby Conor O’Shea helped Rochford Hundred see off South Woodham Ferrers 12-8 at Magnolia Road on Saturday.

Rochford won a national community rugby competition to receive a specialist coaching session run by O’Shea in February.

And he was happy to return to Magnolia Road at the weekend.

“It’s been a hugely enjoyable experience helping out at what is a fantastic community rugby club,” said O’Shea.

“I’m proud to be a member of the QBE Hit Squad, a fantastic scheme that will help create a legacy in rugby coaching.

“Back in February, we focused on executing the basics perfectly; fundamental at any level of rugby, and it was great to see some familiar faces putting this into practice.

“I will be staying in contact with the club and will be really excited to see the club further develop throughout the season.”

Rochford’s win was their fourth in a row and moved them up to fourth in the London Two North East standings.

That delighted Rochford chairman Ray Stephenson who was also pleased to welcome O’Shea back to the club.

“For us as a club it has been absolutely fantastic to win a QBE Hit Squad coach,” said Stephenson.

“The players and coaches have all commented on how much they have benefited from having Conor on board and for us to have the opportunity to learn from a coach of his stature is massive.

“His expertise and experience has allowed us to make some real progress and we can’t wait to see the club continue to use his advice throughout the season to take our performances to the next level.”

Despite O’Shea’s presence, Rochford went behind when Woodham kicked an early penalty before Hundred hit back with a try from scrum half Brett Smith.

With plenty of errors being made in quite a heated encounter, there were no more scores until 10 minutes from the end when Woodham ran through for a try which put them 8-5 in front.

However, Rochford refused to give in and went for the killer blow which paid off when Tom Corbet emerged from a melee of bodies to take credit for a well-deserved forwards try.

Adam Ashton converted the try before Rochford closed out the final few minutes to grab another win, which pleased their first team manager Graham Pratt despite the poor performance.

“It wasn’t one of our finest games and we played badly but getting the result is what counts,” said Pratt. “It was important that our winning momentum carried on and thankfully it did.”

Rochford: Mark, Chivers, Brooker, Tape, Wiseman, Corbet, Spencer, Horsburgh, Smith, Needham, Edwards, Stemp, Stewart, Baker, Ashton Replacements: Bass, Knowles & Pickering l IT was also a good day for Basildon in London Two North East as they saw off Braintree 17-13. Basildon are now eighth in the table.