It was to Harlow’s credit that they made the journey, to face a strong in-form Thurrock side, despite not having a front row. However, the resulting uncontested scrums nullified Thurrock’s normal dominance in the scrum and was always going to lead to a Backs orientated game.
Thurrock’s backline did not disappoint, helping to crush the opposition with 10 tries and Aaron Burns adding 7 conversions. From the very start, Thurrock set the standard for the match, when second Row Tanny Tirana caught the ball from the kick off and powered through the approaching defence to speed off and feed Full Back Alistair Bok for the first of the home side’s haul.
Thurrock’s line out was on form as usual and Thurrock continued to spin the ball wide at every opportunity, opening up the visitor’s defence for four unanswered tries by Tanny Tirana, Ricky Love, Ben Madden and Dan Kemp. With the home side cruising, a number of substitutions were made at half time and, Thurrock resumed control of the match almost immediately, with a try by Adam Towler. Hooker Elliott Keefe and Second Row Karl Warren were superb throughout and secured much of the Thurrock possession and, with Back Row Rob Batho, Thurrock denied the visitors any real mauling opportunities with their aggressive counter rucking and mauling.
Another blistering break from Tanny Tirana led to his second try of the day. The Harlow back row had battled throughout the match and, following a clumsy offside by Thurrock, it was their tenacity that led to a quickly taken penalty and a score under the posts, completely catching Thurrock dozing. This stirred Thurrock into action with a further three tries from Rees Collins, Alistair Bok and Paul McCarthy. With the visitors out on their feet, the Referee blew up with 7 minutes to go. The win saw Thurrock jump to 4th in the league and a chance of a place in the Cup play-offs.
