After the highs of last week's Cup final win, today's trip to Weybridge Vandals was a case of back to Earth with a resounding crash and a reality check for many that, when you don't focus on rugby and indeed don't focus more generally, then you lose.

Playing the vast bulk of the game with 14 players - courtesy of an early red did not help - and generally this was a match where the Chipstead squad were the architects of their own misfortune.

Weybridge Vandals are a quality side, as a review of their results this season would attest to, but so is this Chipstead Academy team, and for the coaches the frustration is that Chipstead let the opposition get under their skin; and this cost us.

To say that the game was feisty would be an understatement – with both teams contributing to sour the atmosphere on the pitch with a succession of melees and incidents which tested the patience of the referee on more than one occasion.

It is frequently a cliché of sport but this was a game of two halves.

Electing to receive, Chipstead started brightly but were soon absorbing a succession of Weybridge attacks that started to encroach on our red zone. Ultimately after about ten minutes the hosts were on the scoreboard (5-0). However despite Chipstead being down to 14 players the remainder of the first half saw no additional points by either team. Weybridge were dogged with their attacking intent but our defence held - and real credit to the squad for that.

The second half saw some more yellow cards, with again the discipline on both sides being found wanting. Eventually, in a period when Chipstead were down to 13 players, Weybridge began to realise that holes in our back line gave them opportunities to exploit. So having held them to a single try in the first half, Chipstead conceded four tries in the second (29-0).

In summary, this was an ill natured game with tempers and hackles raised on both sides; and on more than one occasion the referee had recourse to have words with both captains. There is very little else to say about a game that was hopefully an aberration for the Academy and was eminently forgettable from a Rugby perspective.

Next week we have Chobham at home; so that is the opportunity to put today behind us and get back to Rugby.