An impressive display from the forwards laid the platform for Welwyn to turn around a half-time deficit and beat Ruislip 26-24 in a mid-table clash in Herts Middx Counties 1 on Saturday.

The hosts found themselves 24-12 behind at the interval but they produced a controlled comeback in the second half to claim the victory.

“In terrible conditions the boys dug deep after a poor first 20 minutes,” said head coach Gareth Hughes.

“Once we stopped giving away needless penalties we played some good rugby, scoring two good tries in the first half. The second half was very pleasing, keeping them to nil points.

“Our forwards were outstanding and special mention to all four of our front row who absolutely dominated the scrum.”

The anticipated rain was not as bad as expected but there was a strong cross wind that made for a difficult kicking game.

It was the visitors who struck first after kicking a penalty to touch to win a lineout close to the Welwyn line. The home side defended well but Ruislip pushed through for the try which was converted.

A penalty extended the lead but Welwyn opened their account when the ball was passed quickly to Brendon Marume who chipped over the last defender and chased the ball to touch down. Jake Riley converted.

The restart was knocked forward and when Welwyn took advantage of another scrum, a lovely pass from Tom Laing put Tom Hamer through a gap in the Ruislip line, leaving a two on one with the pass going to Riley to score.

However, Riley was forced to leave the pitch with an injured ankle and so Welwyn had to reshuffle their backs, with Chris Kemp coming on at scrum half for his second match after a long spell out with injury.

However, Ruislip responded with two converted tries to lead 12-24 at the interval.

The second half saw Kemp masterminding a controlled comeback by Welwyn, with more use of the centres to crash through their tiring opponents.

The home side also continued their choice of taking scrums for penalties rather than kicking for touch when the opportunity arose.

It was from one of these scrums on the Ruislip 22 that Kemp picked up and sold a dummy to the opposition, giving him a clear run in under the posts. He converted his own try and Welwyn closed the gap to 19-24.

Ruislip were dealt another blow when their tight head was yellow carded. The scrum immediately after meant the visitors had to get their replacement prop onto the pitch and sacrifice their full back for ten minutes.

Welwyn drove the resulting scrum forward and Josh Milton picked up off the back and drove over for a score. Kemp converted and Welwyn were back in the lead 26-24.

The rest of the game was played between the 22s with Welwyn’s forwards controlling much of what was happening and the backs holding strong against any attacks to secure the win.