South do "Italian job part 2" on Peterborough.

You have to go back to September 2007 to record the last time that South put together three successive league victories. Peterborough stretched them today before South took the game with a converted try as late as the 82nd minute.
Basically the same side that beat Hinckley last week, but with Gaz Nicholson replacing the injured Nick Griffin (Pingu?) and Len Fincham taking James Shepherd’s place on the bench.

As seems the pattern this season South gave Peterborough a seven point cushion as early as the 4th minute as Humphrey scored a try converted by Low.
The Peterborough attack stemmed from some poor kicking out of defence which enabled their backs to make ground and ultimately take the early lead.
South responded almost immediately doing what they do best by keeping the ball tight and rumbling forward. Max Castrogiovanni made the most of the dynamic forward play with tries in the 7th and 12th minute. The first converted by Mark Lord.
South, however, let their visitors off the hook by not pressing home the advantage by trying to open up the game having not softened up the opposition first. A penalty by Low, a try by Harding-Prior and the resultant wobbly conversion from Low, put Peterborough back in the ascendancy. A blood injury to Rich Lang with associated stitches didn’t help the cause with Chris Bale being withdrawn into the three-quarters and Wes Cartwright introduced into the game.
South regrouped and surged forward again dominated the Peterborough eight at both scrum and lineout with the rolling maul going well. Kris Mcfedries was on hand after a rolling maul was stopped near the visitors line to snipe and dive over in the corner to put South level at 17 points all.
Low had the last say of the half as the South backs were caught offside in midfield as he converted a straight forward penalty to give Peterborough the lead at half time 17-20.

Now playing with both the wind and the low setting sun South began their assault on the Peterborough line, but were kept out by some dogged defence. Determined carries by Mark Bayley, Gaz Jones, Dom Green and skipper Mike March all made inroads, but ultimately came to nothing. Peterborough responded by trying to run back any mistakes South made (and there were many!) but fine tackling from Chris Bale and Nick Childs kept them out.
It was left to Mark Lord to convert two long range penalties to move South into the lead 23-20. Peterborough came back on one of their few incursions into the South half for Low to convert another wobbly penalty to tie the scores at 23 all with only five minutes left on the clock.
Both teams made tactical replacements to introduce fresh legs with South laying siege to their visitors line hunting for the decisive and winning score. It came eventually in the 82nd minute courtesy of further dynamic forward play with Castro adding his third and South’s fourth bonus point gaining try.
Mark Lord converted to put the icing on the cake before the final whistle sounded.

Unlike Hinckley last week Peterborough’s heads didn’t go down when facing the South forward onslought and they could have easily sneaked a win.
It was not that they created much, but we gave them too many chances due to poor execution (especially kicking the ball away in hope rather than after good decision making).
We still need to play to our strengths and when the opposition are on the ropes then and only then play a more expansive game – not before!

Team: Devaney, Jordan (Mark), Childs, Lang (Cartwright), Nicholson, Lord, McFedries, C Bale, Castrogiovanni, S Bale, Antill, Bayley, Green, Jones.

Fincham

Man of the Match: Maximo Castrogiovanni and an introduction to the English tradition of jug buying after scoring three tries in a game!