A SECOND-HALF scoring blitz and a brilliant defensive effort underpinned Colchester’s fine bonus point win in blustery Norfolk, writes EDWARD MARRIAGE.

The 43-15 final score may suggest a comfortable afternoon but it was initially anything but.

A much-improved Norwich side - unrecognisable in personnel and performance from the team who shipped 74 points at Colchester earlier in the season - deservedly led 15-10 at half-time.

The match turned on a seven minutes spell in the second half during which Colchester scored three tries, two for man-of-the-match Connor O’Reilly taking the wing’s season total to 13.

But it was the “textbook” defensive effort, keeping the hosts pointless in the second half, which most impressed director of rugby Anthony O’Riordan.

“The defence was the best it’s been all season and hopefully that’s enough to get that love for defence back into us going into Sudbury,” said O’Riordan, a reference to next Saturday’s challenging visit to the London One North league leaders.

The strong wind marginally favoured Norwich in the first half, and with the hosts driven on by former Colchester head coach Ben Scully, who started at scrum-half, Norwich took the lead on six minutes through wing Conan Hoey.

Colchester got on the board when lock Haydn Sykes latched on to a quick tap penalty. Harry Bureau converted and kicked a penalty, the fly-half ending with 13 points on a horribly-challenging day for kickers.

Norwich ended the half the stronger, wing Stu Martin galloping in for their second try, but if the first half was a cagey affair, Colchester dominated the second.

Skipper Dan Whiteman capped a fine performance with a try on 44 minutes. It came from a scrum awarded by the referee after he had inadvertently got in the way of centre Adam Thomas.

The match was effectively over as a contest by the hour mark, the ever-dependable Thomas scoring the bonus point try in between O’Reilly’s brace.

For his first, O’Reilly combined well with Bureau to create the opportunity, while the second owed much to fine work by Alex Gerrard who had come on as a replacement for Sykes.

Young prop Joe Dunster got a debut first team run-out, coming off the bench for Alex Mitchell, while Joe Flexman replaced Toby Eaton at half-time.

Norwich refused to lie down, laying siege to the Colchester line as the clock ticked into added time.

A disciplined defensive set somehow kept the hosts at bay, before Brett Cutbush’s monster clearance kick - a rare 50-22 effort - took The Blacks close to Norwich’s line and led directly to Oli Pickett going over for try number six.

Colchester stay fifth in the league, level on points with fourth-placed Harpenden but with a game in hand.

Sudbury go into Saturday’s match after a weekend off after their match with Chingford was cancelled and the Suffolk side were awarded a walkover.

Colchester will be without O’Reilly and hooker Sam Butler, both on army rugby duty, but O’Riordan is not daunted.

He added: “That’s rugby. We’ve got a good squad which we’ve got confidence in. We’re looking forward to it.”