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Avon 1st
Matches
Sat 11 Jan 2025  ·  Counties 2 Tribute Somerset
Nailsea & Backwell II
12
50
Avon RFC
Avon 1st
5 "Sexy" Tries for Dan Cousineau but MoM Award to Kiddie Sheikh

5 "Sexy" Tries for Dan Cousineau but MoM Award to Kiddie Sheikh

Steve Bird12 Jan - 13:06

After 3 weeks without a game, Avon returned to action with a resounding 50-12 bonus point win away to Nailsea/Backwell 2nds.

On a surprisingly soft surface although still bitterly cold, Avon had the advantage of playing down the slope in the first half but their powerful pack dominated proceedings both before and after the interval. The match was notable for a virtuoso performance from number 8 Dan Cousineau who scored 5 tries himself, although he was first to credit the hard yards delivered by the entire forward pack. Even so, this was not enough to earn the man-of-the-match award as this honour fell to scrum half Kiddie Sheikh with a mesmerising display of attacking darts and huge defensive tackles.

Ben May and Dan Griffin dominated the lineouts to provide a steady stream of possession whilst the forwards scrummaged and mauled ferociously to continually force Nailsea/Backwell on the retreat. Jake Coates provided a steady hand to control proceedings at fly half and Will Bartholomew posed a constant threat in midfield despite playing out of his normal position.

Despite conceding 8 tries, the tackling from the Ravens was actually first class but their defence was eventually overpowered. They also presented a threat in attack with a series of promising sorties which were only repelled by Avon’s tenacious tackling.

The writing was on the wall from the outset as a thunderous line out drive resulted in Cousineau’s first try. His second followed shortly afterwards, this time from a dominant scrum surge. Avon then varied their approach as another punishing drive sucked in the defence before the ball was swiftly moved wide where Rhys Van Den Handel, playing in the unfamiliar wing position, galloped up the touchline for a try in the corner. Later in the second half, he unfortunately suffered a suspected fractured hand in preventing a probable Ravens try and was forced to leave the field.

Nailsea/Backwell showed glimpses of their attacking prowess and almost scored on the left before a sudden cross field kick to the right was pounced upon for a try in the opposite corner. On the stroke of half time, Xander Hall-Davis added the bonus point try from another line out platform.

Once again the Ravens responded well with a decent period of sustained possession after the interval and were rewarded with a converted try after a midfield break was well supported to cross under the posts. This reduced the deficit to 10 points but Avon took an increasingly powerful grip on the game despite playing up the slope. Another 4 converted tries followed as Cousineau was the beneficiary of two more pushover scrums. Then replacement hooker Ben Hurd stole a strike against the head for Coates to make a half break on the blind side before feeding inside to Cousineau for another try.

With stalwarts Chris Mutlow and Damien Sawyer also joining proceedings off the bench to add further experience, Avon’s scoring was completed as Sheikh sniped over across the tryline. Matt Thresher landed 5 conversions to complete the tally.

On Saturday, Avon host city neighbours Oldfield at Hicks Field who arrive fresh from a convincing 42-17 win against Chew Valley 2nds.

Match details

Match date

Sat 11 Jan 2025

Kickoff

TBC

Competition

Counties 2 Tribute Somerset

League position

3
Avon
11
Nailsea & Backwell II
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