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Your support makes all the difference.THERE are those who make their chances and those who simply take chances and at Welford Road yesterday Matt Dawson, the Midlands scrum- half, succeeded in doing both. As he produced this tour de force in front of the England manager, Jack Rowell, it will therefore be a big surprise if he is not awarded his first full cap when England play the Western Samoans at Twickenham on Saturday week.
Indeed, there could be a strong case for including Dawson's club partner Paul Grayson, who also gave a near flawless performance in a match the Midlands dominated from first to last. In addition to his general play at fly-half, which nowadays is almost unrecognisable from the faltering uncertainty of his game before he came under Ian McGeechan's influence at Northampton, Grayson also kicked his goals - three penalties and three conversions.
But it was Dawson who ran the show combining impudence, arrogance, sureness of touch and fleetness of foot in equal measure and at precisely the right time. His passing under pressure was both swift and accurate allowing Grayson the luxury of varying the depth and angle of his positioning behind the forwards. Grayson enthusiastically contributed to the Midlands' spirit of adventure, one which, to give them their due, the Samoans joined in with equal relish.
It made for an entertaining match in which the Midlands back row, working off the advancing base established by their tight five, profited from the space afforded to them. For Tim Rodber it was a rehabilitation exercise following the disappointment of his game against the Springboks and for Neil Back yet another chance to show his incomparable worth in a game of the continuous movement which England are purportedly seeking.
The Midlands, whose control of the first half had been largely unchallenged, led 23-0 at the interval. For all their pressure in that period the Midlands had been restricted to two tries, one of them a penalty try when, for the umpteenth time, the Samoans buckled under the irresistible force of the opposition front row. Midlands were to score another penalty try awarded for the same reason later in the second half. Graham Rowntree's elevation to the England side is now surely a formality.
The second Midlands try scored by Tim Rodber was a beauty. Having held the Samoans down in the previous scrum, Midlands called for and received a classical struck quick heel. Dawson, with a touch on the accelerator, was through the gap before cheekily popping up a reverse pass into Rodber's path. Grayson converted that and kicked 11 more points from three penalties and the conversion of the penalty try. Had it not been for some resolute Samoan tackling, the gap would have been even wider but not even the most dedicated defence could have prevent Matt Allen scoring within five minutes of the start of the second half. Once again the platform was established by the forwards closer to the Samoan line and Dawson, with an enticingly floated pass, had Grayson at full stretch. Rodber was the link to further unravel the defence and Allen was over. So was the match.
The Midlands scrum coupled with the names of Dawson and Grayson were again at the heart of the next try, the two halfs making the hole for Dawson to squeeze in at the corner.
The Samoans' tries by Birtwistle, Telea and Vaega in the final quarter, although purely cosmetic as far as the scoreline was concerned, did highlight the danger of failing to cut the tourists down in the tackle.
Midlands: J Quantrill (Rugby Lions); R Subbiani (Bedford), M Allen (Northampton), B Whetstone (Bedford), H Thorneycroft; P Grayson, M Dawson (all Northampton); G Rowntree, R Cockerill, D Garforth (all Leicester), J Phillips, M Bayfield, T Rodber (capt; all Northampton), N Back, C Tarbuck (both Leicester). Replacement: A Smalwood (Nottingham) for Subbiani, 26.
Western Samoa: V Patu; B Lima, T Vaega, K Tuigamala, A Telea; D Kellett, J Filemu; M Mika, O Matauiau, P Fatialofa, M Birtwistle, F Falaniko, S Kaleta, S Vaifale, P Lam (capt).
Referee: C Thomas (WRU).
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