When we discovered we were playing the Huntingdon Stags, on tour from Cambridgeshire, we knew little what to expect. But research revealed a team that had won the Cambridgeshire Cup as U14s & U15s and had narrowly been knocked out this year by finalists Cambridge. Add to that their Tour win at Malton on the previous day and we know they had good pedigree - we would need to be on our mettle!

As it turned out, the early stages revealed a team that was definitely 'on Tour' and still fatigued from the previous day's encounter. Before they had properly woken up, they were in arrears. Drives from Jack, Andy J and Aiden set up good field position, then hands to Joe saw him pop a well weighted pass to Will R's perfectly angled run to break the defence, beat the full back and score. 5-0

No sooner had the game restarted than we were again on the offensive. Adam secured good ball, Andy F & Nathan kept it live with Elliott G making good ground in the loose to set up field position in the Huntingdon 22. Elliott picked from the base of the scrum and broke the gain line, Andys R & J cleared out well. Andy F looked to go himself, but seeing space wide spun the ball to Aiden who crashed through the defence to score. 10-0.

These early set-backs brought Huntingdon to life. Their forwards started competing with greater intent in the loose and for the first time started to win ball on the front foot. Their 10, an England international, broke the line only to be halted by an excellent tackle from Will R at full back. Andy R covered well to prevent their support runners from continuing the momentum. But under pressure we started to make mistakes and conceded penalties. The Huntingdon runners looked threatening and good hands and missed tackles in our midfield soon saw them score on the left wing. 10-5.

Perhaps the spate of recent cancellations had left our skills a little match-rusty, and the errors mounted. Knock-ons and penalties conceded possession and Huntingdon were always quick to give width to their game. First they pressed left, a good tackle from Dom halting that thrust, then with good ball and a couple of forward drives, the ball reached their backs, who once more broke our defensive cover to score a converted try. 10-12.

Shortly after the restart, a dart from Huntingdon down the right and deft chip over the advancing defence saw 3 chasers bearing down on Will R on the 22. But a couple of smart steps saw him evade the danger, break into space & kick upfield. He and Ethan gave good chase to hold up play on the halfway line. Shaun rucked well to well to hold the ball up and win the scrum. Andy R to Will G, off load to Aiden and we were again on the attack.

But this was a game you could not take your eyes off. Back came Huntingdon, again down the right. An excellent tackle from Max B stopped them in their tracks, with Andy R gathering the loose ball and looking to counter. Joe and Will G clearing out well to ensure the ball was not lost in contact. From a lineout came the Huntingdon riposte, with the ball flung wide, a forward pass proving a welcome relief for our over-stretched defence . From the scrum, with Aiden and Nathan proving too strong for the Huntingdon front row, we won good ball. Simple hands at speed saw Will R break the line with a well timed run creating a 3 on 2 overlap. His pass to Max B out of the cover tackle with Andy R free on the left just dropped a fraction low and a knock-on halted a most promising attack.

Whenever we created a period of continuity we looked threatening. At periods we tried to over-elaborate and spilled ball, but at others we did the simple things well. In a game of thrust and counter thrust, it is important to make fewer mistakes than your opponents and the next few minutes belonged to us. Good line out ball from Shaun set up another attack to the right. Adam and Andy J won quick possession and Will G called the play left. Quick hands to Joe, who turned provider again as Max C hit the line at speed and broke the defence. With only the full back to beat, he moved him inside then stepped outside and ran round to score, Will R converting. 17-12. Half Time

The second half began as the first had finished. Huntingdon's robust defence yielded errors from us. Knock-ons and a failure to look after the ball in contact often turned attack into defence. Though Huntingdon's counter rucking was excellent, they were forced to play under pressure too and they conceded a penalty in their 22. Ever alert, Callum took a quick tap and off-loaded for Aiden to crash over and score. 22-12.

Back came Huntingdon again to put us under pressure and under pressure we tried off-loads that were not quite on. Ball went to ground and Huntingdon drove us back, gathering well in the loose. Drive after drive pushed them deep into our 22 before finally breaking the line for a deserved riposte to bring them right back into the game. 22-19.

The game continued to ebb and flow. A good kick and chase from Huntingdon saw Will R gather under pressure from 3 chasers and only good support from James K got him out of trouble. Elsewhere, Elliott G, playing his best game in Ionians colours, was first to react in our 22, falling to secure loose ball and regaining his feet quickly, copy-book style, to avert potential danger. Andy R was resolute out wide whenever they came back at us and Andy J frequently broke tackles to turn their defence and put us on the front foot. James K received quick ball, danced around 2 defenders, off-loaded to Max C, whose run took us back into the Huntingdon half. Several good phases followed, Callum using Ethan out wide as a decoy, made a threatening break. Stephen kept the ball alive at the breakdown and James C, proving a handful and the back of the scrum, was hauled down in their 22 with Ben on hand to crash over from the ensuing ruck 27-19.

Another break from Ben soon afterwards was stopped just inches short and with 3 players on hand to pick up and touch down, only the smallest of knock-ons denied us a try that would have made the last 15 minutes easier.

But Huntingdon were far from beaten. They came straight back at us down the left, a source of progress for them all afternoon. Max B and Andy R made excellent covering tackles, but still they kept coming. When the game cried out for steady heads, our play became a little panicky. Again we surrendered ball too readily and Huntingdon took advantage. We were now playing going backwards and with just 8 minutes left Huntingdon crashed over to draw within a single point. 27-26

The last minutes were inevitably tense! Hard as Huntingdon pressed, Will R, James C & Max B all ran us out of defensive positions to ease the pressure, Stephen G, Ben and Adam tidied up well when the situation required it and the final whistle went with Huntingdon camped just 10 metres from our line.

A terrific game from two terrific sets of players who represented not just their Clubs, but also their counties, with a fine display of attacking rugby. Perhaps nothing better summed up the exhaustion of both teams at the end than skipper Joe's attempt to muster one final effort from his troops and his weary brain (yes, it does exist!) - "3 cheers for ...... whoever they are!!!" And it was wonderful to see both set of players intermingling at the end, enjoying each other's company, before the Stags headed back home. Thanks for coming guys - we very much enjoyed your visit!