LPRFC D2 87 - Fox Valley 7

Two games into the season, and two performances that suggest this Lincoln Park side knows precisely what it wants to do with the ball. A week on from their opening statement, Park returned to open a Fox Valley defence that simply had no answer, running in try after try in a rout that was effectively decided before the game was a quarter old.

The pattern was set from the very first phase. Park scored early, and then scored often, and Fox Valley were never afforded the chance to settle into any rhythm of their own.

A quarter of the game, three tries

The opener had the look of a training-ground move executed to perfection — an interchange through the forwards, Robinson to Glavin to Laux, each carrying the ball through what little resistance Fox Valley could offer, before Nolan arrived in support at scrumhalf to finish it off. It was a try built entirely on quick hands and quicker feet among the pack, and a statement of intent in itself.

Nolan was not done. Sharp enough to sniff out the opportunity, he set up a second only minutes later, this time passing to Bricteux after carving a gap in the Fox Valley line before the visitors had any chance to reorganise. Then came Thomas, quick-thinking enough to spot a tap penalty on offer and scoot over unopposed for Park's third. By the time a quarter of the match had elapsed, Park were already up and running in every sense, the scoreboard beginning to tell a story that would only become more one-sided as the afternoon wore on.

Jahner immaculate off the tee

With so many tries to convert, the boot mattered, and Jahner made sure Park left almost nothing out on the field, missing only two kicks in the entire match — a remarkable return given the sheer volume of chances that came his way. He was not content to simply add the extras, either, getting himself onto the scoresheet with a try of his own, touching down at the base of a powerful five-metre scrum that had driven Fox Valley back over their own line before he ever got his hands on the ball.

Forwards lay the platform

It was the pack that set the tone throughout, particularly in the opening stages, running hard and dominating the set piece to the point where Fox Valley rarely had a clean look at the ball. Leyman was prominent among them, his eager running repeatedly securing hard yards and keeping Park on the front foot.

Backs cut loose as space opens up

As the game progressed and Fox Valley's resistance inevitably began to fray, it was Park's backline that made the most of the space that opened up. Chrisos ran the show from fly-half, distributing crisply and using his boot intelligently to keep Park camped in good field position throughout. Cooley was a constant threat off his shoulder, scoring twice with the kind of well-timed support running that has become his trademark. Out wide, Finnegan and Irazusdabarrena both underlined their finishing instincts, each crossing twice as the game opened up into the sort of afternoon defenders would rather forget.

The verdict

Two matches, two wins, and eighty-seven points to show for this one — it has been about as encouraging a start to the season as Lincoln Park could have hoped for. Sterner examinations undoubtedly lie ahead as the fixtures come thicker and the opposition stiffens, but on this evidence, this is a Park side playing with real belief in its system, and with the depth and variety of threat to back that belief up.