What a climax to a tumultuous season. Blackheath will be a Championship side next term after this emphatic victory in the Champ Accession Final, returning to domestic rugby’s second tier after a 27-year absence.
And what a performance to get there. Everything is stacked against the National League One challenging side, not only home advantage, but the more relaxed tackle-height law of the shoulder, as opposed to the sternum, and an unfamiliar eight-man bench instead of five.
However, the club simply brushed these aside, starting the game at a furious pace, striking clinically when the opportunities arose, and digging deep in defence to shut the opposition out – almost completely.
‘It started well, and it just got better,’ said Tom Stradwick.
‘We spoke a lot about the physicality and the work-rate needed, and the boys emptied everything into that game, I’m so proud of them.’
‘The game-management from Jordan Burns, Sam Morley and Kyle McGhie at half-back was brilliant,’ continued the Club’s head coach. ‘Choosing the right options to limit Scottish’s opportunities and squeeze them out, and with Billy (Harding) pulling the strings as skipper – superb.’
From the outset, Burns began sending ball skyward towards the scorching sun, only for the Scottish back three, with Luke Pollock in particular bearing down on them, to repeatedly make a complete porridge of collecting.
Under pressure, the penalties came, and although an initial drive was collapsed, a second attempt saw ball moved inside, Raff Hollister’s well-timed pass finding centre-partner Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas to slip across next to the uprights with just four minutes played.
Pollock was bundled in to touch just short of the left corner flag, but as the infringements continued, and the Exiles lost blind-side Oli Duncan for ten minutes, Ed Scragg rose to take Harding’s lineout throw, the hooker joining the back of the maul to burrow for his 49th try of a truly remarkable campaign.
Whereas Blackheath entered this match on the back of club record-equalling eleven match winning run in the same season, London Scottish had lost 20 of their 26 league games, and the gap in confidence levels was all too evident.
Every Scottish attack ended in turnover ball, with Josh Smart and Noah Sloot outstanding as ever in the club back-row, and Finn Osborne at number-eight consistently punching holes and powering over the gain-line.
Blackheath’s ability also to get off the floor at speed and make the next tackle to slow down the opposition has been a major feature of a superb defensive effort across the season, and here again, despite the 29 degree temperature at the Richmond Athletic Ground, it thwarted any Scottish penetration.
On 28 minutes Pollock brilliantly collected another Burns box kick, and as Osborne again showed strength, Morley found Jake Hennessey coming up at full-back to send Tom Hughes across in the right corner.
Morley struck a fine conversion from out wide for a 21-0 lead at the interval, the fly-half adding a further three points with a long-range penalty soon after the re-start, and although Blackheath saw two players sent to the sin-bin during the second period, the defence continued to hold firm until the result was beyond doubt.
In the dying moments, Scottish centre Jonny Law sped across from a breakaway move, full-back Josh Bellamy successfully drop-kicking the conversion.
However, there was just time for Morley to slot a penalty and complete a perfect kicking display both off the tee and out-of-hand, the game finishing fittingly with Blackheath turning possession in defence.
‘I’ve no illusions about how tough next season will be,’ added Stradwick. ‘But we’ve been building nicely, and after this season, the boys deserve a shot,’
London Scottish
Tries: Law 77
Conv: Bellamy 77
Blackheath
Tries: Hirskyj-Douglas 4, Harding 13, Hughes 28
Conv: Morley 4, 13, 28
Pens: Morley 44, 79
Attendance: 2,115
| 15 | . | Jake Hennessey |
| 14 | . | Tom Hughes |
| 13 | . | Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas |
| 12 | . | Raff Hollister |
| 11 | . | Luke Pollock |
| 10 | . | Sam Morley |
| 9 | . | Jordan Burns |
| 1 | . | Archie Holland |
| 2 | . | Billy Harding (Capt) |
| 3 | . | Corrie Barrett |
| 4 | . | Archie Smeaton |
| 5 | . | Ed Scragg |
| 6 | . | Josh Smart |
| 7 | . | Noah Sloot |
| 8 | . | Finn Osborne |
| 16 | . | Archie Bourne |
| 17 | . | James Cornish |
| 18 | . | Adam Williams |
| 19 | . | Fin O’Sullivan |
| 20 | . | Tom Johnson |
| 21 | . | Ben Charnock |
| 22 | . | Kyle McGhie |
| 23 | . | Hugo Watson |
Photos: Nick King
Graham Cox
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