Colchester Rugby Club see off Hertford in season opener

The Blacks ran in seven tries to go top of the embryonic Regional 1 South East table.

Hooker Francois Rossouw was the stand-out performer with a hat-trick of tries to earn the player-of-the-match prize from sponsors LOHC Construction. Jimmy Mpailane and Danny Whiteman scored two apiece.

“Over the moon,” was the verdict of head coach Craig Burrows, who was particularly pleased with Colchester's second-half performance.

“A lot of new combinations came together. If we stick to our structures and our game plan we will score tries.”

With 12 of the same players who featured in the big win over Colchester in the final match of last season, Hertford drew first blood as lock Sonny Swift charged down Jayden Boshoff’s clearance kick to run in for a converted try.

Colchester gradually found their way into the game, fast hands by Dylan Read and Boshoff releasing Mpailane to gallop in.

Boshoff, on debut, added the conversion, the first of four successful kicks which were far from easy even on a still day.

The fly-half also kicked a massive 50-22 and generally controlled the game well, alongside Chris Lewis at 12.

The Blacks now enjoyed a period of dominance featuring a couple of typical storming runs by Oli Pickett, back in the team after 18 months away.

From one such surge Pickett went close and with Hertford defenders out of position, Sam Easton found Rossouw out wide and the hooker had a free run to the line.

Rossouw’s second try also resulted from a patient build-up, Read driving into the red zone and Mpailane getting his arms free to release Rossouw, this time in the left corner.

Turning round 21-7 ahead, Colchester soon had their bonus point, Matt Edison, another debutant, finding Whiteman who off-loaded to Mpailane for the try.

Hertford now enjoyed a rare bit of pressure, but their second try was down to an interception close to their own line, Louis Kendrick running 90 metres to score.

Colchester rung the changes with Alex Mitchell - who had made way for Joe McMillan in the first half – returning in place of brother James, Cam Kerr on for Pickett and scrum-half Yuki Takimura making his debut for Corey Button.

Colchester’s final three tries all came from well-executed set-pieces close to the Hertford line.

First Rossouw completed his hat-trick in a driving maul from a line-out, then Whiteman put the icing on the cake with two tries, one from a line-out and one from the base of the scrum.

Of the new players, Burrows praised Boshoff’s “outstanding” goal-kicking and centre Hamish Comonte’s “incredible defence” which led to the former Colchester youth player receiving the coach’s player-of-the-match award, sponsored by The Lexden Crown, jointly with Whiteman.

“Hamish really came out of his shell today,” said Burrows.

On Saturday, Colchester go to Shelford, one of only two sides who finished above them in the league, last season.

Colchester will be hoping for a repeat of last season’s memorable 27-3 win at The Davey Field.

Colchester: Mpailane, Varela, Comonte, Lewis, Flexman, Boshoff, Button; J Mitchell, Rossouw, A Mitchell, Easton, O Pickett, Whiteman, Read. Reps: McMillan, Kerr, Takimura.