There was silence in the jungle. All the prey animals had gone into hiding, waiting with bated breath. The wind whispered through the trees like the last breath of innocence. The heavy air of inevitability lay over the battle ground. A shudder ran down the backs of all those souls who knew what today was. The king of the Wincanton jungle was prowling, gathering his strength, summoning all his might and sharpening his claws. There was an invader in the mist, a newer Huish tiger coming to claim his pelt and confirm domination of Tribute Somerset 3 South. Their last meeting had been a route, the Wincanton Tigers had been humbled, but their blood was up and today, Wincanton were ready for battle.
Wincanton fielded a formidable side, each had proven their worth throughout the season and each knew the challenge that lay ahead. The focus was laser sharp, the bodies were red hot but a sense of calmness prevailed. The changing room felt different today and you could tell just from the warm up that each man wanted to be there, wanted the chance to prove that there was only room for one Tiger in this jungle.
A hush went over the crowd as the whistle blew for the start of the match, with Wincanton receiving, and then the roar of battle commenced. A smart catch of the ball followed by some excellent carries and phases and Wincanton were in the game. Huish however finally found themselves with the ball, but the defense already from Wincanton was ferocious. The tackles powerful and dominant. Huish were being pushed back from the Wincanton 10 meter line. It took Huish 10 minutes to finally break through the line and score through the middle.
Wincanton gathered under the posts and knew that, despite conceding, Huish weren’t invincible. They weren’t the indomitable side that had smashed their way through the league, they had weaknesses and Wincanton were going to shock them. 7-0 to Huish
The intensity of the battle began to take it’s toll on both sides, with Wincanton first losing craig T to a should injury after a monumental tackle, folding his ball carrying opposite man in half. He was soon followed by ET who put his body on the line to dive on a lose greasy ball, only to get a knee to the eye brow, causing the claret to flow. So strong was ET’s hunger for battle that he had to be dragged off the pitch. Thankfully Wincanton had men to step into the breach and gladly took the places of their fallen comrades. It was only after some more intense collisions that Huish found themselves over the line again. 14-0
Wincanton restarted, with the defensive line charging up the pitch, Huish knocked on. Wincanton were in the opposition 10 meter. A huge scrum from Wincanton which held strong all game gave the backs a decent platform to attack from. No.10 Lex and No.12 Callum (both having shifted up one position) ran hard, fast and found some gaps. The forwards followed, working in pods of two and threes and suddenly Wincanton were 5 meters out. Keith Chapman then picked up the ball from the bottom of the ruck and with no guards in place, he charged through, knocking over two attempted tackles before crashing over the line for Wincanton’s first score. 14-5 to Huish.
Huish then scored their third try and the half time whistle went. 21-5.
The moral in the group was high, the players were buzzing and Wincanton knew that today was a special one. But there was still a huge amount of work to be done.
Wincanton kicked off the second half and immediately put Huish under all sorts of pressure. Wincanton had been practicing attacking to win the ball, rather than defending and this new mental attitude was paying dividends. Huish couldn’t get out their half. The game ebbed and flowed with Wincanton winning more than half the penalties. Unfortunately due to the injuries the lineouts weren’t functioning as sweetly the scrums and after two lost lineouts in the opposition 22, Wincanton opted to go for the tap and go. Each forward doing his job and each one putting his hand up to carry the ball.
After close to 15 minutes of play and some exceptional rugby from both sides, Wincanton winger Chan found the ball in his hands, being driven by his teammates over the try line – a wonderful score. 21-10 and Wincanton were right back in this match.
The phases of play and the soft ground began to take their toll and the fitter Huish Team began to make some headway, but not after having to suffer dozens of tackles on the Wincanton 22, the 5 meter line, which also included a superb turnover from Lex. The Wincanton wall had to break and Huish breached the line. 28-10
With 10 minutes to go Wincanton found themselves again having to defend and after some very tired legs and battle weary bodies, Huish found some space on the outside and scored their last try. 33-10.
The next 8 minutes for both teams was one of gritted determination and a desire to not let the standards of the day drop. Wincanton continued to have excellent possession with the scrum seeming to get stronger and the backline finding gaps. The Huish Tigers had met their match and after forcing a knock on decided to kick the ball out, a testament to the brave Wincanton Tigers.
The final whistle went and despite the 80 point turn around from their previous match, Wincanton knew they had a let a couple of trys slip through and perhaps left a league point or two out on the pitch. The effort had been immense against a stronger team who had expected a walkover. The respect from the younger Tiger could be seen in their eyes, and in the firmness of their handshakes afterwards.
Wincanton Tigers despite losing, left the pitch with a stronger bond, something which can only be forged in battle and a knowledge that Wincanton Tigers have the minerals to overcome any challenge that comes their way.
Thank you to all the supporters, of which there were close to 100, with new faces and old. Thanks to Justin and Barry and Terry and the Wincanton Sports Ground Committee and to Mark for the guidance on the day.

Thanks to all those who played: Callum L, James CD, Craig T, Ed N, John C, Ryan W, ET, Woofy, Dave F, Lee M, Mark CD, Jack H, Robbie, Virgil, Snapper, Keith C, Andy B ©, Sam S.