On a sunny early Spring afternoon Olney’s second string welcomed a powerful Kettering side to East Street for their penultimate match of the season. With a good smattering of Colts players in the side the usual handful of camp followers was boosted by a healthy contingent of parents, siblings and friends cheering on from the touchline.

The game played out in a similar vein as the majority of 2nd XV games this season with the final scoreline not doing justice to the competitive nature of the game. Kettering won by 63-17 but this was far from a walk in the park for the visitors. The problem this season has been that our second team has basically been a scratch side, with a core of a handful of players supplemented by whoever else is available and various Colts and younger players. The skill level and effort is undoubtedly there but all the teams in the league seem to have settled sides that know each other and their own game plan inside out. Olney are playing Barbarian style rugby against competent, well drilled sides and it’s not often that the Barbarians win matches in the modern era! So, whilst the results have not been great this season the value of the side has been immense. For example there were several in this week’s 1st team squad that have gained good experience and recognition from their performances for the 2’s. Today was no exception and although it’s unfair to single out names it’s great to see the likes of Finn Maloney, Harvey Cooke, Josh Knight (playing in his rightful back row position this week) and senior rugby debutant Rohan Glackin (not playing in his rightful front row position, due to his tender age) playing with maturity and confidence beyond their years.

The side is superbly led by coach Oli Francis and skipper Daniel Rawlings and aided by a hard core of regular players – Luca Proietti, Tom Rance, Matt Jolly, Huw Thomson, Lewis Foster, Matt Rawlinson, Sam Watt and Paddy Davern – they have created a good team atmosphere and environment for these younger players to flourish despite the results. (They are good players themselves, by the way!). As well as helping to bring through younger players the side has also helped to bring back Ethan Chambers, Brandon Kerr and Cam Keenan back into the club, further enhancing its club wide value.

The game against Kettering was a very competitive affair in terms of possession and territory, the main difference between the sides being that with Olney playing “off the cuff” rugby, mistakes were inevitable and the well organised Kettering side were quick to pounce on anything loose to turn defence into attack. Coupled with a dominant scrum early on and a pragmatic approach that saw them happy to kick for position, Kettering were able to take better advantage of their attacking positions than the home side. They scored 5 converted first half tries with Finn Maloney’s try, after a superb handling move, being Olney’s only success, giving a half time score of 35-5. To be fair to Olney the score could have been a lot closer but for the unfortunate bounce of the ball for one kick and chase try and a missed obviously forward pass for another. It’s been that sort of season though!

Olney’s second half performance saw them really take the game to the Kettering side. The forwards really made inroads both in the loose and at the set piece, where they achieved at least parity in the scrums. This created more space for the backs to run, which they did to great effect. Kettering scored the first try of the half, however, breaking down the left after a period of sustained Olney pressure. A pinpoint cross-field kick fell into the hands of the right winger who scored under the posts. A great Olney attack involving the ubiquitous Keenan, Maloney and Glackin was halted, ironically, for a forward pass that was spotted! Now, with possession, Kettering made the most of it, and despite being delayed by good Olney defence they eventually moved the ball wide on the right to register a second score against the run of play. Olney finally did get the points they deserved as the game moved into the final quarter. A quick tap penalty saw a good drive from the forwards, Huw Thomson to the fore, and quick ruck ball found Maloney in space who went over for his second try, ably converted by Harvey Cooke. Soon afterwards a great team move, with both forwards and backs involved, allowed Josh Knight the space to sprint over for another score. The final minutes were dampened by 2 further converted scores for Kettering. Olney continued to attack but lost possession deep in Kettering territory, the visitors then being able to run from deep on both occasions to score. The final whistle blew with the last conversion and a 63-17 win for the visitors. Fair play to Kettering. They know their game well and stick to it, but Olney showed plenty of potential and with youth blooming in both senior sides this weekend, the future is bright, if we can keep these lads involved.

A few pics, courtesy of Jeff Bowden, here - https://www.olneyrfc.co.uk/photos/20260321--2nd-xv-v-kettering-h-1169055.html