Witham were caught cold early on and Chelmsford took full advantage, crossing for three quick tries to put the hosts on the back foot. It was a sharp lesson in intensity — but the response showed real character.

George Healy broke the momentum with a strong carry and finish to get Witham on the scoreboard. Although Chelmsford added two further tries before the interval, George struck again to keep Witham in touch heading into half-time.

The message at the break was clear — raise the intensity and compete in every collision.

The second half saw a much-improved defensive display. Witham tightened up around the ruck, tackled with greater aggression and began to win the physical battle. Sustained pressure led to George completing his hat-trick, closing the gap to 15–25 and giving the home side real belief.

For a sustained period, Witham defended superbly — scrambling tackles, strong line speed and players putting bodies on the line to repel wave after wave of Chelmsford attack.

In the closing stages, as legs tired, Chelmsford managed to add two more tries to stretch the final score to 35–15.

The result didn’t tell the full story. The fightback, the defensive resilience and the work rate right until the final whistle were huge positives to take forward.

Plenty learned. Plenty to build on.

#OneClub ?