The opening game of the season could not have started much worse for Norwich. The strength of the Colchester backs took them by surprise as they ran in three tries within 13 minutes, converting one, having deprived the visitors of any ball whatsoever.
Nobody missed tackles but Colchester ran good lines and created space as Norwich were rather passive in defence. A very long afternoon looked in prospect, with numerous Colchester 1st XV squad players that included the 1st XV Captain who was coming back from injury.
Norwich pulled one back on 18 minutes from a lineout in the Colchester 22. Some good recycling of the ball ended with Joe Mynhardt picking up and barging his way over wide on the left. On 30 minutes Norwich lost Centre, Danny Van Staden, to a high tackle that resulted in the Colchester offender going to the bin. This gave a debut to Tim Down in the back row, which moved Dave Micklethwaite to 12.
From a penalty scrum in the Norwich 22, Colchester scored next when they moved the ball to the left and forced their way over. Norwich pulled one back just before half time, through patiently looking after the ball, through several phases, after a lineout just into the Colchester half, before Ollie Youngs finished superbly, wide on the left.
Some words of advice from the coaches at half time, then produced a sparkling display of rugby from the whole team, allowing them to overhaul the hosts and register their first win of the season.
Danny Van Staden was able to return to the field in the second half and scored Norwich’s next try when Kobe Mardon picked up some loose ball and made good headway into Colchester territory, handing over to Van Staden to finish off. Micklethwaite took over the kicking duties and converted.
Van Staden’s brother Callum then got in on the act with intercepted a pass, gave the ball to his brother who outstripped the defence to go over for his second, to level the scores.
Danny Van Staden then got his hat-trick after some excellent work from James McCaskie who put him into space to score. The conversion was added and Norwich took the lead for the first time.
McCaskie and Van Staden were key to the next try as well, making ground on the right before the ball came back to Micklethwaite in the centre who found the defence flat to the line and put a grubber kick in behind them for debutant flanker Louis Fraser to drop on and score. The kick was added.
Norwich then suffered a double blow, losing Ollie Marsters to the bin for a high tackle and Danny Van Staden to an ankle injury, requiring Norwich to shuffle players around again and bring on prop Tobias Sokia for his debut.
Norwich then gifted a try to Colchester, who picked up on a pass that went to ground and ran the length of the pitch to score.
Any thought that things might start to unravel were quickly dispelled when Louis Fraser capped a fine first game with his second try. Norwich were very careful and patient, protecting the ball and finding Fraser in space, wide on the left, to cross over in the corner.
Norwich turned the ball over near the left touchline and some excellent work by the fourth debutant, Charlie Hawkins, created the opportunity for Eddie Montgomery to carve a line through the defence to score. The conversion was added and Colchester lost their scrum half to the bin for backchat.
Norwich capped a fine afternoon with a try for Callum Van Staden when they turned the ball over on halfway and some good work by Youngs and Montgomery was finished off by the rapid Van Staden, with the successful conversion ending proceedings.
