Crawley II's Entertain the Home Supporters

Crawley 2’s entertained neighbours St Francis on Saturday in conditions more suited to pre-season than October but with sun shining, no rain (for the most) and no breeze, conditions were perfect for the game. The Strength of the senior squad was on show and with so many players available the selection was competitive, the combination of a strong solid pack and a backline with pace and power was soon on display and was to set the tone for the game. The first execution into the St Francis half saw good structured play form the line out and finally the centre partners of Tyson Peters release Sam Musgrove for the opening score. It was to be this duo that caused the most damage all afternoon and with a consistent supply line of possessing form a Pack, dominant in the scrum and controlling lineouts the scoreboard operators saw regular action through the first half. Two more tries form Sam Musgrove was the reward for this early control. The one blemish on the first half performance was a wayward interception after some scrappy play around half way. The 19 – 7 Half time score line was a fair reflection of the performance. Whilst in control and dominating many aspects of play, the team had not created the opportunities that the level of possession might have suggested.
The second half saw a more efficient performance with more chances being created through a combination of good support and structured play. Pace and fitness came to the fore in the final 20 minutes and the scoreboard continued to turn over to the final score of 59 – 7.
On reflection the players recognised that the structures and processes worked in training, when applied together allow them to truly show their skills and talent. As the coaches summarised afterwards, this was a performance and victory earnt on the training field and is a credit to the effort put in so far.