Millwall 32

Pegasus Palmerians RFC 19

RUGBY: PEGASUS saw their unbeaten league run – which stretches back to November 30 – come to an end as they travelled to face Millwall.

Peg’s London rivals have lost only one fixture all season.

The fixture was one of the season’s key encounters with the winners adging closer to an automatic promotion slot. Unfortunately the Palmerians’ training ground planning and pre-match talk went out the window and they got off to a terrible start. They conceded a converted try from the kick off. Despite this start Peg were pleased with the growing maturity that is developing in this young side.

Earlier in the season an unplanned set-back would have affected the team’s mind-set and control. But not on this occasion. And Peg began to spark, with centre and older statesmen Andy Goode opening up Millwall’s defence and crashing over to level the score.

But Millwall broke the Peg defence by stretching the back line and taking the score to 14-7.

The game was evenly balanced until Pegasus had an unusual lack in defensive concentration, which gifted Millwall an easy five points.

However, the Pegasus forwards pushed on into the their host’s half and under the pressure Millwall forwards professionally collapsed the rolling maul – when an easy three points had been on the cards.

Scrum half Hughes used the advantage to drive his forwards into a better field position and again Goode scored.

Captain Shamu slotted the conversion and the score at half time was 19-14.

In hot conditions on the hard and dry pitch Pegasus rung the forward changes to freshen up the pack.

But Millwall extended their lead.

Then the energised Pegasus pack got to a Millwall breakdown first, won an important turnover and fed Dan Collier who sprinted in. It pushed Pegasus back into contention at 22-19.

The score stayed this way until a frantic last 15 minutes when a yellow card to flanker Broad restrict Pegasus.

Millwall took advantage scoring a dubious knock on try-out wide, where the ref possibly unable to clearly see the knock-on.

Frustratingly, this knocked the stuffing out of the Pegasus team. With 14 men they decided to try and go for broke with some running rugby as the clocked ticked down. But they were cruelly denied the opportunity for at least a bonus point when the Millwall man advantage told.

And with no defence in place, Peg conceded a further try.