Emotion is the driver for Bishops says Long
THIS was a must win game for both teams and it was Stortford who showed their class in the second half.
The first was a tight affair with both teams showing some nerves.
Defences were on top and the Titans scored first with a try from a driving maul from just inside the Bishops’ 22 through back row Dan Frost. Gary Kingdom kicked the conversion.
Bishops then struck with a well-taken try. A chip over the defence was well judged by centre Nick Hankin who then raced in under the posts, giving Tom Banks an easy conversion.
With both teams making errors, it was the Titans who regained the lead when Gary Kingdom kicked a penalty only for Banks to level the scores.
It was going to be the team that came out and attacked after the break who were going to take the spoils, and Bishops did just this with a controlled, strong, direct approach that paid dividends.
Director of rugby Andy Long said: “We always knew it was going to need a hell of an effort.
“We have come here three times and lost three times and we always have good battles. We have always put ourselves into positions to win games but never seen it out.
“At half-time we talked about staying calm and taking the opportunities when they came our way and I thought we did that.
“We also knew that, if we did start to get some momentum, we needed to build on it and the emotion that comes with it.
“I think it was that emotion that won us the game in the end.”
First, Banks kicked a penalty and then the conversion of full-back Will Simmonds’ try two minutes later. With a ten-point deficit to make up, Taunton
were made to try and play from deep.
Too often, however, they gave up possession with a penalty, a wrong decision or a spilled ball.
It was something that didn’t go unnoticed by head coach Tony Yapp.
Yapp said: “I thought for 40 minutes we played well and both teams went after the game, but in the second half we came out and, for some reason, decided we weren’t going to play.
“We kept coughing the ball up and, if you do that against a team like Bishops, who are too good for that, they will punish you no matter how good your defence is and that is exact- ly what they did to us in this game.”
Titans kept within ten points but, with 20 minutes to go, Bishops cut loose.
First, Hankin claimed his second try of the afternoon to take them 15 points clear.
And, as that aforementioned emotion drove Stortford on, Hankin claimed his hat-trick and Bishops’ bonus-point try on the 70-minute mark, with Banks converting.
Stortford were denied what looked a certain try but finished the game with their fifth, scored by prop Sebastian Brownhill and once again converted by Banks.