Sat 1 Mar 2025
Phoenix 34 Shire Hall 64
On a beautiful sunny day in Taplow, Shire fielded a full side (and pack) and the luxury of 5 finishers. Matt Margot and Will Jellicoe both returned and there was a welcome re-appearance from Chris Wiseman out of self-imposed retirement. Shire started well and took the game to Phoenix. Only 5 minutes were on the clock when the blind side king Ollie Homan-Green crashed over wide on the left. The conversion attempt from Rhys Stewart proved too difficult but Shire were up and running. Only 3 minutes later Luke Jellicoe bamboozled the Phoenix defence to extend Shire’s lead, and this time Rhys added the extra points. 2 minutes later a superb break by Matt Margot put Jamie Mattison away to record Shire’s third try which Rhys also converted. The big Phoenix prop met his match with The Beast aka Will Jellicoe – every time he got the ball, he ended up going backwards! With game only 15 minutes in, Shire secured their try bonus when Luke Barefoot charged down a kick and Jamie Mattison went over for his second try of the game. Another conversion by Rhys took the score to a healthy 26-0 lead and Shire were flying. It was apparent from the touchline that Shire started to become complacent and were attempting Hollywood passes that did not come off. Phoenix deservedly scored a converted try on the half hour to reduce the deficit. After Luke Barefoot took a strike against the head, the ball was quickly transferred to Jonny Parry who left the Phoenix defence in his wake. Rhys added the conversion but two minutes later, a poor attempt to intercept by Luke Jellicoe was deemed a deliberate knock on by the referee and consequently he was shown a yellow card. In nearly the last play of the half, Phoenix exploited the man advantage to score their second try.
Half Time Score: Phoenix 12 Shire Hall 33
Shire made a raft of changes at half time but it was Phoenix who started better and in the very first play of the half recorded their third try of the game and also added the extra points to reduce the deficit to just 14 points. Once Luke Jellicoe returned from the naughty step, Shire’s pattern of play improved and it was a great interchange of passes between Matt Margot and Chris Wiseman that created space for Matt to go over to extend Shire’s lead. The pace in Shire’s backs were proving to be a real problem for Phoenix and after another barnstorming run from Matt Margot, Dan Smedley went over for his first try for the club and with the extra points from Rhys the score had reached 45-19. But Phoenix were not going to let us run riot and on the hour, they secured their own try bonus point when they broke through some weak tackling. Still Shire were not deterred and another fine move in the backs stretched the Phoenix defence and Joe Tett went over for his first try for the club. Rhys’ conversion attempt hit the post but after Ollie Homan-Green had put the Phoenix prop on his backside with an outrageous hand off, a great offload by Matt Margot put Chis Wiseman in for a try. Rhys converted and now it was comfortable. To Phoenix’s credit, they did not give up and with 8 minutes left scored their 5th try but almost immediately, Luke Jellicoe gambled on an interception which this time paid off and sprinted to the line. A further two points from Rhys took the score to 64-29 but Phoenix were not done yet and recorded their 6th try.
A good day at the office for Shire to move them up to 5th in the table. 10 tries scored is excellent but to concede 6 is concerning. If you take away the first 15 minutes when 4 tries were scored, the scoreline would only have been 38-34 to Shire. This was a very competitive game entertaining the crowd immensely. Next up is a home game against Windsor and Shire will be looking for a better result than in November.
Final Score: Phoenix 34 Shire Hall 64
Tries: Ollie Homan-Green, Luke Jellicoe (2), Jamie Mattison (2), Jonny Parry, Matt Margot, Dan Smedley, Joe Tett, Chris Wiseman
Conversions: Rhys Stewart (7)
MOTM: Matt Margot – a catalyst to everything positive to Shire’s play
DOTD: Luke Jellicoe – yellow card!
