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    • Home vs Shirley

    Round 9

    5th June 2010 - 2:45pm

    Venue : Rawhiti 1

    Result : 33 - 15

    Match Report

    The DCL Shield defence this week saw Brighton take on Shirley at Rawhiti. After some slow starts recently Brighton were determined to start the game well and so they did establishing a 21-0 lead with three well constructed tries in the first 15 mins. The rest of the half saw a scrappy affair with Shirley twice taking advantage of some poor short side defence to score down the left hand side. The conversions were missed leaving a 21-10 half time lead to Brighton.

    The home side were keen to get back on track early in the second half but an inability to win their own set piece made any form of continuity or attempts to build pressure near impossible. The game was being played between the 22s with neither side posing much of a threat. With 30mins to go Brighton brought on Isaac Ross, this seemed to lift the Brighton side,  a rare passage of play seeing the big lock out pace the Shirley defence from 30m out to score a good try, this gave Brighton a 18 point cushion at 28-10.

    The margin was soon reduced as once again Shirley exposed Brighton down the blindside directly from a scrum for the half back to put the winger over for a soft try, giving Shirley a sniff with 10mins to play at 28-15.

    Brighton showed good experience and patients by killing the game off in the last 10mins by playing a good territory game, with Shirley needing to play catch up they got themselves in trouble running it from deep. Eventually this tactic paid off with Brighton scoring a try with the last play of the game making the final score 33-15.

    So Brighton once again got the job done and bagged the 5 point win extending their lead at the top of the table. It is a good side who can win ugly and Brighton are doing it regularly, however an improved performance will be required against 3rd placed Linwood this coming weekend, a game that will prove pivotal to the final standings for the first round!