There were mixed emotions for Holmes Chapel 1st XV last Saturday as their undefeated home record came to an end at Station Road against Chorley, however they also secured their progress to the RFU National Plate Quarter Finals with a 27–18 aggregate victory. Chapel had won the first leg in Lancashire 15-3, but their opponents arrived in Cheshire confident of turning the tie around. There were 1st XV debuts for Australians Ethan Gould who started on the left wing, and Daniel Poignand who was named as a replacement. Conditions were perfect for an entertaining game of rugby, with both sides hoping to take a further step on the road to Twickenham. Chapel welcomed Anglesey Self-Catering http://www.anglesey-selfcatering.com/ to Station Road who were kindly sponsoring the matchday.

Chorley kicked off the first half, which soon developed into a fierce forward battle. The home scrum was holding up well against Chorley’s big pack, as both sides looked to dominate up front. Chorley’s pick-and-drive tactics failed to cause the Chapel defence many problems as the visitors were constantly forced backwards by hard tacking, led by Paul Watson round the fringes of rucks. Unfortunately for Chapel the 50-50 decisions at the breakdown were going Chorley’s way and this allowed them the chance to go ahead with 2 penalty attempts. Both kicks narrowly missed, with one of them rebounding of the post to keep the score at 0-0. Chapel fought their way back into opposition territory and soon took the lead through Jed Wragg. From a lineout on the halfway line the pack drove into the Chorley half and when the maul was finally stopped Ed Meyrick provided the backs with quick ball. Lee Cagna ran hard at the defence and slipped a superb inside pass to Wragg who raced clear of the covering defenders to score in the corner. Doug Canavan was unable to convert from the touchline but Chapel’s overall lead had been stretched to 17 points over the 2 legs.

In the second period, Chapel made the fatal error of sitting back and believing they had the tie won. This complacency almost proved costly as Chorley took advantage by storming back into the match. They brought the scores to 5-5 when a chip over the top eluded the Chapel defence and their winger was able to touch down for an unconverted try. A key moment in the game soon followed when Cagna was sin-binned for slowing down possession in the middle of the field. This left Chapel weakened in the backs and the visitors added a further 2 tries during this period – one of which came after some impressive handling by the Lancashire side. Fortunately for Chapel both conversion attempts were unsuccessful; one falling short and the other striking the upright. With 10 minutes remaining and only 2 points on aggregate between the sides, it was crucial for Chapel to stick together in order to avoid defeat in a tie they should have been winning comfortably. Back to 15 men, the home side took the game by the scruff of the neck and set up camp in Chorley territory. Several chances followed before Wayne Scott forced the Chorley defence into a mistake, leading to a scrum near the line with 5 minutes to go. The ball was whipped out to the backs and Cagna made amends for his disciplinary lapse by side-stepping 2 defenders and scoring beneath the posts to leave Canavan a simple conversion. This try ended any hopes of a Chorley comeback and Chapel turned their attention to defending their unbeaten record. A Canavan penalty came back off the posts and some desperate defence from the visitors was keeping Chapel out. Right at the death, Paul Watson looked to have scored but the referee decided the ball had been held up and Chorley hung on for the win.

Captain Meyrick commented after the game “Obviously this is not how we wanted to go through but the main thing is that we are in the quarter finals. I am expecting a strong turnout at training this week to prepare for another crucial match at Knutsford on Saturday. They will be desperate to beat us and we will need to be on our best form to return to winning ways”.

This Saturday, Chapel travel to Knutsford in South Lancashire / Cheshire 3 as they turn their attention back to the promotion race. The 2nd XV will take on Bowdon at Station Road as they too look to continue their quest for promotion. All support is welcome for a 2.15pm kick-off.

Holmes Chapel RUFC would like to thank matchday sponsors Anglesey Self-Catering and club sponsors Wymans Ltd and Hopewiser Ltd for their support.