Streatham-Croydon made an undistinguished start to the 7s season with defeat in the semi-finals of the plate competition at the Old Emmanuel competition on 7 April. Fielding a squad mostly comprising 1st XV players, hopes were high for a successful first outing, but rustiness was apparent in the first game where Streatham only beat a relatively weak ‘Phantoms’ team 34-24, conceding four tries through lazy positioning and missed tackles.

 

With a number of teams having pulled out of the competition, there were only four groups of three teams and Streatham’s second group game pitted against one of the favourites for the competition, the Old ManU Legends, made up of ex-Manchester University students. Streatham were much improved and exerted considerable pressure on their opponents, but three breakaway tries from turnovers in the first half made victory unlikely. After a stirring team talk by captain Garvin Toussaint, a scoreless second half showed the squad’s determination, but meant that they would now be playing in the plate competition.

 

After a considerable wait, Streatham were paired with [team?] in the semi-finals of the plate competition and took a first-half lead through a powerful break by Andy Daniels. [team?] made it 7-7 after the break and a tight game appeared to be going to the wire when an interception in the Streatham 22 handed the opposition a simple try and Streatham were unable to reply in the closing minutes.

 

It was a disappointing end to an unsatisfactory day. Defeat will have reminded Streatham that, for all their 1st XV success this season, there is no room for complacency in 7s rugby and that they will need to be at their best to produce a strong showing in their own tournament on 12 May.