This weekend saw Stamford College Old Boys travel to the home of rugby, Webb Ellis Road, to face Rugby Lions RFC - one of the most historic clubs in England that has previously played at the highest level of English rugby. The College knew it would be a challenging afternoon as Rugby Lions came into this game with growing confidence after a 23-71 victory away at South Leicester RFC last weekend.

College fly-half Haydn Johns kicked off to get the match underway, which bounced in to touch resulting in a line out. Quickly, the Old Boys recognised they has the upper-hand at line out time, as Josh Moverley cooly flicked the ball to scrum-half Alan Flanders to win back possession. The stamford side looked to settle into the game, building phases just outside the Rugby Lions 22 when an unfortunate knock-on meant Rugby Lions were awarded a scrum.

Once again, the College pack asserted their dominance at set-piece, marching Lions back and winning back possession in the scrum. The following 10-minutes saw Stamford camped in the Lions half, with strong carries from the likes of Shane Pickerill, Thomas Heath, and Sam Duncan, but the home-sides defence held strong and the possession was not converted into points.

Instead, it was Rugby Lions first on the scoreboard. A quick turnover at the breakdown saw the Rugby-side move the ball quickly across the wide pitch and break down the far wing. A calm offload effectively navigated the Old Boys fullback and the Rugby Lions fly-half scored under the posts unopposed, creating a 7-0 lead.

With momentum on their side, Rugby Lions spent the next 15 minutes moving the ball to stretch the College defence, which managed to just cling on. Time and time again, Stamford's dominance at the scrum and line out gave them the required platform to exit their half.

In the 38th minute, Carl Brierley-Lewis punted an awkward kick deep in the corner, forcing the Rugby Lions winger to gather and quickly clear the ball himself. However, Old Boys high work rate saw Liam Greenslade charge down the kick, which was gathered by Josh Moverley, who offloaded back to speedster Greenslade who scored in the corner. Carl Brierley-Lewis converted the difficult kick, and the scores were level at 7-7.

In the final play of the half, the Old Boys were awarded a scrum on their own 22 meter line. Rather than kick the ball dead, fly-half Haydn Johns saw an opportunity to dash down the blind side, chip the ball forward, and gather it before being stopped 10 meters short of the try line. Quick ruck speed from College allowed scrum-half Alan Flanders to quickly move the ball to Jimmy Twose, who crashed through the Lions defence to score. It was converted and the Old Boys went into the half with a 7-14 lead.

Rugby Lions clearly had an inspiring team talk at half time, as they stepped up a level in the second half. Within minutes, they had moved the ball from touch line to touch line. This stretched the College defence too far, and allowed the Lions fly-half to score his second of the afternoon. The try was converted and the scores level at 14-14.

The Old Boys had a similarly passionate team talk, and the impact of Super Fan and injured player Tim Juggins on the sidelines was certainly felt, meaning they reacted quickly to the score. 5-minutes later, they were building phases deep in the Rugby Lions half, with quick ruck speed giving little time for Lions to reorganise their defence. After three quick phases, this created space in the middle of the park for Haydn Johns to glide through the Rugby defence, and score under the posts. Unfortunately, the wind took the conversion wide, but the Old Boys re-established their lead, 14-19.

The following ten minutes were a physical battle, with both teams demonstrating their attacking prowess but huge tackles stopping both sides converting it into points on the board.

Eventually, Stamford won a line out deep in the Lions half. The perfectly executed set-piece saw the ball moved quickly for Joe Harrington to barrage into the defensive, dragging a handful of Rugby players with him. This created space for Sam Durman to carry the ball wider, maintaining a strong leg drive to make a further 5 meters after the initial contact.

Once again, quick ruck speed proved the difference as the Old Boys recognised the disorganised defence had left space back on the touchline. Fly half Haydn Johns curved his run around the Lions defence, before floating a long pass to Callum Fraser who powered through the Lions winger to score in the corner. The conversion was missed but the Old Boys extended their lead to 14-24.

To their credit, Rugby Lions kept battling, using the width of the pitch effectively to work their way down the pitch. In the next ten-minutes, this resulted in them scoring two further unconverted tries, which eventually levelled the score at 24-24.

Following Lions last score, there was just 60-seconds on the clock, and a draw looked very possible - which might have been a fair result for this excellent contest. However, it was clear that both sides wanted the win.

The Old Boys opted to kick deep, forcing Rugby Lions to play out of their own half. Eventually, Lions kicked into space, hoping to make vital territory. Despite pressure from Rugby, the Old Boys back-three were able to calmly collect the ball and return it with interest. The College forwards worked through tight phases, edging closer to the Rugby Lions try line while crucially maintaining possession.

That was until Haydn Johns saw his opportunity, calling for the ball from a ruck he demonstrated his composure to attempt a drop-goal to finish the game. The kick was good, and the contest finish 24-27 - the Old Boys took the full five league points.

The Old Boys coaching team expressed their delight to be picking up maximum league points, and commended both teams for putting on such a spectacle in front of a bumper crowd at Webb Ellis Road.

The College have a well-earned break next weekend, before welcoming South Leicester RFC to Welland Academy for the final league match of the season on Saturday 6th April.