Hertford travelled last Saturday to Mill Road, the impressive home of Colchester RFC and left with the spoils in a bonus point victory 41-20 scoring six tries in the process.

The Hoe Lane side flew out of the traps and broke the deadlock within four minutes, prop Najee Mundicha crashed the ball up centre field it was then spun right through several pairs of hands before being popped inside to Matt Perks, the big second row finished powerfully for an unconverted score.

Hertford improved their fine start minutes later, full back Sean Taylor broke dangerously and supplied Ben Creasey who struck on the overlap for the try, Taylor was wide with the conversion attempt.

Colchester then had a period of pressure which was rewarded with a penalty for tardy release at a tackle and they opened their account with the three points.

The visitors responded splendidly, with another breakout from their own half which was only halted in the home side’s twenty two by a knock on, but from the ensuing scrum the Hertford pack got the upper hand and tigerish pressure from skipper Josh Corcoran caused the hosts to mishandle. With the put in another muscular scrum allowed number eight Dan Belton to break and find Creasey running an angled line and darting in unhindered. Taylor improved the score with the extra two.

Colchester were the next on the scoreboard with an interception try after Hertford had again broken from their own red zone and were almost in the oppositions when the pass went awry.

Taylor rounded out the scoring for the first forty with a penalty after a Colchester player went offside at a ruck.

Hertford were quick out of the blocks again at the beginning of the second forty, two minutes in a wonderful touch finder from Rob Macpherson-Smith took the visitors deep into the opposition territory, from the lineout scrum half Michael Sargeant orchestrated his forwards well and from the drive Mundicha carried at the back to cross the white wash for the score, Taylor converted expertly from out wide.

Macpherson-Smith then stretched the lead further, with the Hertford back line holding its width well, the fly half spotted a gap and ghosted in under the posts to allow Taylor to slot two easy extra’s.

Perhaps with the confidence of the tries scored, Hertford continued to give the ball some air and in that vein were undone by another interception as the Colchester scrum half tore in for the five points.

This was not much reward for a backline with centre’s Luke Sloan and Stuart Smart to the fore, who had tackled committedly all afternoon.

Never the less Hertford were the next to score and when Belton who had been a constant threat, broke from a short range scrum he was too strong for the defence to prevent him placing the ball over the line, Taylor with another challenging kick obliged with two points.

If Hertford thought that was game done they were mistaken, Colchester rallied, scrapped for every ball and were rewarded for their efforts when their eight went in under the posts, he may well have had another when he broke from half way, but a last ditch tackle from Creasey caused him to knock on with the line beckoning.

The visitors held firm from then on to close out the game, and with the 2nd XV winning a close contest on an adjoining pitch it was a happy bus trip home, with the only negatives being the injury to Matt Perks (Elbow) which will keep him out for a while, like wise to squad members Ollie Cain (Shoulder) and Jack Dempsey (Hamstring), get well soon boys.