Blackheath secure a historic victory in the tightest match of the season against Sale rivals!
The 4G pitch was set, the drone was flying high, the lights faded on and the commentators entered the box as the players arrived.
A mild, dry climate for the mid-afternoon kick-off at home for the Blackheath Rugby Club was highly anticipated by fans, friends and family, who began to swarm the sheltered and open stands, holding a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and settling down half an hour before kick-off.
The Blackheath boys were looking prepared and ready for battle as the warmup drills began to intensify as the clock ticked closer to 3.
The boys ran out roaring for kick-off in their freshly assigned red and black match shirts, with the sounds of studs crashing onto the concrete floor before running under the traditional door frame and entering the first team pitch to receive kick-off from the contrasting blue and white Sale FC team.
At this point, the fans were bellowing from all around the pitch, and I could already notice the Sale fly-half eyeing up to kick toward the Blackheath number 8, deep in the left of their 22-metre line.
A moment of silence was held before kick-off to pay respects to those who fought in the World Wars, which was respectfully held absolutely silent.
Blackheath were always respectful and traditional, which resonated with their strong sense of tradition they hold, notoriously being known as the first rugby club in the world, hence the name Club Blackheath.
“And we’re off!”
Blackheath started the match with intent and aggression, with the Blackheath number 8 catching kick-off and returning with 2 great thumps, bumping off the Sale second-row and making several metres into the half-way, which was all that was needed for the skilled backline to transfer the ball to the right winger, who majestically dove over the try-line to secure Blackheath’s first points, which were additionally secured by a strong yet accurate kick from our fly-half, who had a kicking technique similar to that of Handre Pollard, the South African fly-half.
Initially it was thought to be a simple win for the boys in red and an extra 4 points to their name, boosting them up comfortably in fourth place in the Nat 1 league by the end of the first half where the score was held at 18-14, but controversy began when cross-field kick attempt was charged down by the Sale number 14, who gathered the ball and darted 90 metres across the pitch to secure a lead for the first time in the match during the 50th minute, followed by several penalty kicks to goal, changing the score to 20-18.
The pressure notably increased on these 30 players as the crowd began to embrace the close margins between the two strong sides.
“He’s only a scrum-half!”
Exclaimed a nearby fan after Blackheath number 9 picks-and-goes from the scrum, powering through the Sale blindside flanker and number 10 to place the ball down, levelling the score to 20-21.
Blackheath were immediately after thought to have made it out of the mud after another pick-and-go score on the try-line, but due to the post-pad restricting the referees’ vision of the ball grounding, the try was disallowed, sparking controversy in the crowd.
With time ticking toward the 65th minute, a pick-and-go from a rolling Sale pack caused a roadblock for Blackheath’s route to victory, and Sale led the game 27-24.
However, Blackheath showed no sign of stopping.
Following a strong momentum from kick-off, Blackheath found themselves at the try-line, where a simple passing through the hands to the outside centre gave Blackheath the lead they so desperately needed, with the score being at 31-27.
After several injuries and ruckus between the two teams and an attempted cross-field kick to the try-scoring Sale winger, which had the whole crowd at the edge of their seat, an unfortunate but understandable knock-on when the ball bounced up to a Sale player's hands, the referee blew the whistle.
80 minutes of blood, sweat and tears from the Blackheath team allowed them to emerge victorious, sprinting and jumping into each other whilst some excitedly threw their hands about in the air in disbelief of their hard-fought win, and were then respectably clapped out by the fans in a tunnel-shape as they left the floodlit pitch at approximately 16:45, with the unbelievable pressure off their shoulders and the smiles beginning to be drawn on the Blackheath players’ faces.
As the Sale team headed off in their coach, the crowd and players flooded in to catch the final 5 minutes of the England match, ordering drinks, enjoying food and adding this notorious victory to their belts.
