Pilgrims came off 2nd best in a game of 2 very contrasting halves.

Dartfordians 34

Pilgrims 26

Pilgrims came off 2nd best in a game of 2 very contrasting halves.
The pilgrims travelled to Dartfordians with a number of absentees through injury which forced a number of positional changes in the back line which included flanker Tom Mackenzie stepping in to the centres.
The new combinations took time to click and this was exploited well in the first half by Dartfordians side who were well drilled and had a clear game plan to test the blind side before looking to spread the ball wide which they did 3 times in the first half to race into a 19-0 lead.
This spurred the pilgrims into action and the strong running of the forwards drove Dartfordians back up the slope on a number of occasions only for dropped balls or infringements at the breakdown letting Dartfordians off the hook. Pilgrims task was made even harder when they lost forward Mo Pangarker to injury on the 30 minute mark. Dartfordians kicked a penalty to the corner and drove over out wide to secure a try bonus point before half time and take a 24-0 lead. The pilgrims finally injected some fluency in their attack as they spent the final 5 mins of the half putting Dartfordians under constant pressure. They drove deep into the 22 with a driving maul from a lineout which Dartfordians illegally stopped just short of the line. The resulting penalty was tapped and the pilgrims looked odds on for their first score on the stroke of half time, only to be turned over in the act of driving over the line when a score seemed certain, Dartfordians cleared and the half ended with them leading 24-0.
Pilgrims came out firing in the second half, and with the advantage of the slope it didn’t take long for them to get points on the board. Dartfordians were on the back foot as the pilgrims surged forward and Dartfordians were adjudged to be offside in midfield, knowing he had an advantage flyhalf collins clipped a cross field kick from left to right which the pilgrims dotted down to score, 24-5.
The second soon followed when Gus Lister spotted an opportunity out wide and his exceptional long pass sent wing man Harvey Ingram on a powerful 70 meter run, he was eventually stopped just short of the Dartfordians line but scrum half Hector Valladares was on hand to pick up and dive over. 24-12.
Sensing the momentum shifting against them, Dartfordians became niggly, but it was the pilgrims who found themselves on the receiving end of the referees decisions as not 1 but 2 yellow cards were brandished within a minute- first industrious debutant flanker Mark Stone was yellow carded for handling a loose ball while offside before captain will Hunt was given a 2nd for what the referee described as an accumulation of offences. Being 2 men down with 20 mins to play disrupted the city sides flow and allowed Dartfordians back into the game. They quickly exploited the 2 man advantage to score their fifth try out wide to take the score to 29-12.
Still playing front foot rugby, the pilgrims were quickly back on the attack and good offloading led to a fine line break by flanker Max McCormack who beat a number of defenders to score, well converted by Lister 29-19. Dartfordians then got the decisive score against the run of play, pouncing on a loose ball and using their numerical advantage to move the ball wide and score their 6th try. 34-19.
Back up to full strength with less than 10 mins to play, the pilgrims were back on the front foot and pushing for a bonus point try of their own. Dartfordians were defending with great determination and thwarted a number of promising pilgrims attacks before wing man Mitch Fielder eventually dived over with the clock ticking down to bring the final score 34-26. Dartfordians held on for a deserved victory after their first half performance, the pilgrims will be looking to bounce back at home on 14th February when they take on old reigatians.