Colchester stay fourth with Woodford win

London League division one north

A bitterly cold day with a biting wind saw Woodford try to avenge the mauling they had received at the hands of the visitors in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.

With 70 per cent of the possession and territory they had every chance to do so.

But the speed and creativity of the hosts' backs prevented an upset with Colchester running in five tries - all converted by Chris Withers, the league’s leading goal kicker, along with a penalty goal - to the home side’s two goals, a try and two penalties.

A 38-25 score line replicated exactly last week’s performance against Ruislip.

Results elsewhere mean Colchester stay fourth in the league.

Colchester saw three changes from last week’s side.

Flexman came in on the wing for Wiggins, Maurice came into the front row and White to number eight.

Woodford having won their last two away games were anxious to show their large home support their paces.

The first five minutes summed up the way the game was going to go.

Woodford pressed into Colchester territory , camped in the 22-metre zone, worked their way through several phases, spilled the ball ten metres out.

Man-of-the-match Whiteman cleaned it up and and with 90 metres to go set off, passed to Crozier who put Flexman in under the posts.

More Woodford pressure led to Colchester committing several offences – the hosts converted one and missed one of the penalties awarded – and Colchester lost Flexman to the sin bin.

Eventually the visitors started to win some ball and exert some pressure enabling scrumhalf Cutbush to put skipper Mitchell in at the corner for his fifth try of the season, superbly converted by Withers.

There was Just time before the half-time whistle for Woodford to convert a penalty into points – and for them to lose a man to the sin bin.

With the wind behind them Woodford again camped in the opposition 22 but could not find a way through the dogged Colchester defence with McFarlane, Whiteman, Pickett and Cooper – Hicks well to the fore.

Equally Colchester could not get their hands on the ball to mount any sustained period of attack.

The stalemate was broken by a stunning move from nothing from their own line with Brambly scoring under the posts for another Withers conversion – and a 21-6 lead.

From the restart Colchester worked their way into opposition territory and worked Vine over from a set scrum to earn the bonus point with 20 minutes left on the clock.

Wither’s conversion took the score to 28-6 and it looked like the game was over.

But just as last week Colchester seemed to relax and the opposition refused to be rolled over.

Within minutes the home side had dragged the score back to 28-20 with two well-worked and deserved tries.

The first followed strong forward momentum and a drive over from a ruck, the second a kick from fly-half to an unmarked and unopposed winger waiting patiently for his chance.

Rather than wind down the clock Colchester searched for the clinching score and a converted penalty was quickly followed by an outrageous flipped back pass from Cutbush to put Whiteman over, which was converted by Withers.

Woodford’s final riposte was a five-point replica of their earlier fly-half to waiting winger try.

So Colchester will take great heart from their try-scoring ability but will want to earn a bigger share of the ball when they meet third-placed Chingford at home on Saturday.

See this week's Essex County Standard for more reaction and a round-up of all the local rugby action.