On a cold, foggy Billesley Common, Bedford Blues put in a commanding performance to confirm their place in the top eight Championship play-off.
Mike Rayer’s men knew that Moseley were in a determined mood and needed to pick up a victory of their own to stave off a bottom four finish but the Blues showed great enthusiasm in difficult conditions to seal the win.
A penalty try and a score for Ian Vass sent Bedford on their way but they took control of the game very early on and never looked like losing this one.
“I think we knew it would be one for the forwards as soon as we saw the pitch,” said Blues lock Alex Rae.
“We wanted to come here and be professional. At the end of the day I think that we worked our socks off and it paid dividends at the end.
“Our desire and passion for winning is something that we talked about going into this game and although a few things didn’t go as we would have liked, we tackled everything that moved.
“We’ve been concentrating on our driving play in recent weeks and today I though it was terrific and it was great to score from the back of it.
“It was a good result, we picked up the win and now we want to keep the momentum going.”
It became obvious very early on that the forwards were going to enjoy themselves on a very sticky pitch, but no one counted on referee Terry Hall being so involved.
Tristan Roberts did what he has been doing all season by slotting a penalty in the fifth minute to give Moseley the lead.
Despite missing an equaliser in the eighth minute, Brad Davies composed himself well to level the scores in the tenth minute after Moseley were penalised for hands in the ruck.
Things in the scrum were getting a bit heated and Ben Lewitt was sent to the sin bin by the ref when he got tangled up with his opposite number and was judged to have thrown a punch. Roberts converted the resulting penalty but Davies once again levelled the scores immediately with a penalty of his own.
The Blues were nearly caught out at the restart when the ball bounced straight into the path of Ally Muldowney who made yards before recycling it out wide. As the move appeared to break down the touch judges alerted Mr Hall to another infringement and Vass joined Lewitt in the bin for an off the ball incident and Roberts again converted the penalty.
Moseley were enjoying a good spell and when Mike Gillick intercepted a pass he had support all around him but Luke Fielden tracked back well and made the vital tackle before Gillick could offload. Moseley did pick up another penalty though moments later which Roberts dispatched with ease.
Lewitt returned to the pitch as the Blues earned a lineout in Moseley’s 22 and after the ball was taken in the Bedford pack powered forward. As the line beckoned Moseley brought down the maul and Mr Hall ran under the posts awarding the penalty try which Davies converted.
Bedford started to handle the conditions a lot better as the half wore on and Muldowney felt Mr Hall’s wrath next when he became a bit too excitable at a ruck. Once again, Bedford opted for the kicking option and Davies added to his personal tally.
Bedford’s pack were operating well and Nick Walshe controlled things in textbook fashion while also putting his opposite number and the Moseley number eight under extreme pressure from start to finish.
The half came to an end with Roberts attempting a penalty kick from the halfway line but his effort barely made Bedford’s 22 before it was punted to safety.
The second half was a close affair but Bedford were in complete control throughout and Moseley only managed to make it into the Blues 22 on a couple of occasions.
Although scoring wasn’t high on the agenda in the opening 30 minutes, the Blues defence was on tremendous form with Paul Tupai, Sacha Harding, Myles Dorrian, Phil Boulton, Dan Richmond, Vass and Davies all putting in crunching tackles to avert any attack.
With the ball in hand Bedford always looked to push on via wingers Duncan Taylor or Ollie Dodge, but it was Fielden who was catching the eye by being everywhere, collecting kicks and looking to power through on every occasion.
Gillick became the fourth man to be yellow carded when illegally broke up a Bedford attack following a great drive and break by Harding. Davies took the points to secure a seven point lead, but there was still time for a late flurry of activity.
Replacement Gregor Gillanders collected a lineout ball in the 80th minute which was driven forward again before it came to Chris Goodman who made a superb break and then wrapped a pass up to Ian Vass who slid over for the try which Davies converted.
Deep in stoppage time, Moseley made it into Bedford’s 22 and after a series of penalties the home side opted for a scrum and as it came down Mr Hall was already under the posts awarding the penalty try which Robert converted.
The score gave Moseley an important bonus point as they try to avoid the relegation play-off but even their fans will have felt it was a bit more than fortunate.
Scorers. Moseley: Try; Penalty – Con; Roberts – Pen; Roberts (4). Bedford: Try; Penalty, Vass – Con; Davies (2) – Pen; Davies (4).
Teams. Moseley: Bressington, Gillick, MacBurnie, Reay (Thirlby 40), Mensah-Coker, Roberts, Glasson (Taylor 53), Williams, Caves (Oselton 67), Sigley, Muldowney, Stott (Hall 67), Mason (Evans 78), Pennycock (Rowland 78), Wilson. Not used: Norris.
Bedford: Fielden, Dodge, Dorrian, Vass, Taylor, Davies, Walshe, Cecere (Walsh 41), Richmond, Boulton (Seal 60), Tupai (Harlock 65), Rae, Lewitt (Gillanders 72), Harding, Goodman. Not used: Locke, Chudley, Knight.
Attendance: 759
MATCH REPORT V CORNISH PIRATES
A dogged Bedford performance saw the Blues pick up a good win against a tough Cornish Pirates side at Goldington Road yesterday afternoon.
The disappointment of the opening half against Exeter Chiefs last weekend was well and truly forgotten, but Bedford were made to work hard for the win and the Pirates took away a deserved losing point.
The difference between the teams at Camborne earlier in the season was only a point and things were just as tense on Saturday as the game wore on.
Chris Goodman got the Blues only try of the game, but James Pritchard was on fine form with the boot as he hit four penalties and a conversion to wrap up the win.
“I’m please on many fronts today as there were so many positives,” said director of rugby Mike Rayer after the final whistle.
“We battled hard up front, I thought we were determined, we hung in there and we squeezed the life out of them at times. We got the right response from the lads following last week.
“We are a bit disappointed that we didn’t turn our trips into their 22 in more points but these are tough games and that was a good Cornish Pirates side who were hard to break down.
“While only three points ahead it was a bit nervy but it’s better to win games like that than have them going against you.”
The Pirates got the game underway and immediately put the Blues under pressure on the try line but after turning over the ball the visitors were bundled into touch.
Goodman and Ian Vass both put in impressive early tackles to keep the Pirates at bay and Bedford worked their way up the field with a good Brad Davies kick and the follow-up by Ian Davey earned Bedford a penalty which Pritchard slotted with ease.
All of Bedford’s good work was undone seven minutes later at the lineout. Chris Locke had already overthrown one put in, but his second, aimed for Paul Tupai, had too much power and went straight through to Rob Elloway who slid over the line before Rob Cook converted.
Pritchard chipped away at the lead with a second penalty in the 14th minute after the Pirates collapsed a scrum.
Both teams were putting in a good display in the forwards and the Pirates were trying to use the Goldington Road slope to their advantage with some well placed kicks to put the heat on Locke. Thankfully the youngster appeared to have put his earlier mistake behind him and was hitting the mark.
Bedford earned another penalty in the 27th minute when the Pirate scrum went down again but Pritchard’s effort drifted wide. The Pirates made a change in the front row and from then on all looked even at the scrum.
Cook extended the Pirates lead with a great kick from 45 metres out after Bedford infringed at the lineout.
The visitors were reduced to 14 after Laurie McGlone illegally stopped a Bedford attack close to his try line. Pritchard converted the penalty but as the game went into stoppage time Cook replied with a penalty of his own to finish the half 13-9 to the Pirates.
After the break Bedford looked to put a strangle hold on the game with the slope well and truly in their favour. Forwards and backs were working in harmony as the ball was brought forward and a high tackle gave Bedford a penalty which was sent into the Pirates 22.
After the ball was collected, Nick Walshe got things rolling as Bedford strung together eight good phases of play with Sam Walsh, Vass and Luke Fielden all making ground. As the final ruck formed Alex Rae and Ben Lewitt linked well before the ball spun wide to Davey who found Goodman on the wing to go over but there was quite a debate between line judge and referee before Mr Lewis finally raised his arm to signal the try which Pritchard converted.
The Pirates Paul Devlin was carded after the try was awarded for throwing a punch during the grounding but with 14 men the Pirates still held firm.
Cook levelled the scores with a well struck penalty in the 52nd minute after Davey was forced to cling onto the ball following a devastating tackle by his opposite number Alsea Havili.
The game was effectively won in the 56th minute when Fielden was on the receiving end of a particularly high challenge. The referee brought the play back and from 40 metres out Pritchard struck the ball perfectly between the uprights.
If the Blues had lost this game then they would have looked to a move in the 58th minute which should have resulted in a try. Fielden, Pritchard, Vass, Davey and Myles Dorrian were playing the equivalent of the 1970 Brazil football team as they dance their way from one 22 to the other and as Davey took a challenge the ball came inside to Sacha Harding but the big number seven just couldn’t grasp it and the try went begging.
Thankfully the Blues didn’t lose. They continued to dominate possession but the clock ticked away and in truth both sets of fans probably went away agreeing that the result was the right one.
Scorers. Bedford: Try; Goodman – Con; Pritchard – Pen; Pritchard (4). Pirates: Try; Elloway – Con; Cook – Pen; Cook (3)
Teams. Bedford: Pritchard, Fielden, Dorrian, Vass, Davey, Davies (Sharp 65), Walshe, Walsh (Cecere 65), Locke (Richmond 52), Seal (Boulton 41), Tupai (Harlock 72), Rae, Lewitt, Harding, Goodman. Not used: Daynes, Taylor.
Cornish Pirates: Davies, McAtee (Jackson 72), Devlin, Winn (Ireland 63), Havili, Cook, Doherty (Cattle 49), Storer (Franklin 29), Elloway (Prosser 67), Paver (Andrew 59), Pammenter (Holmes 59), Gulliver, Morgan, Betty, McGlone.
Bedford returned to earth with a bump on Saturday afternoon as their barren league run at Exeter continued.
1997 was the last time that the Blues won against the Devon outfit and the Chiefs were once again in an unforgiving mood, wrapping up a bonus before half time but Bedford put in a much better second half performance scoring three tries in the process.
Exeter’s pack certainly had the better of their counterparts in the opening 40, but Bedford will have to put this defeat out of their heads quickly and look forward to the visit of the Cornish Pirates next weekend.
“We didn’t get it right in the first half. There’s not much I can say, but we just weren’t at the races,” said Blues coach Matt Volland after the final whistle.
“Getting any score while 28-0 down at half time is always going to be a challenge, but fair play to the boys, they came out and played some rugby. We made a few mistakes, but the second half display was totally different.
“If we had done that in the first half and stuck to the game plan then maybe things would have been a bit different.
“The good thing about rugby is that you can turn it around the following week and put things right.”
The signs weren’t looking good from the start and although the ever reliable Gareth Steenson missed a penalty in the second minute, he didn’t miss much else for the rest of the day.
Bedford were penalised for bringing down a maul and instead of going for points the ball was put into touch for a lineout. Chad Slade collected the throw before plopping it down to Tom Hayes who set up a drive. There was little resistance and the forwards piled over the line with Slade coming up with the ball and Steenson converted.
Bedford’s first real chance of the half came in the 11th minute following a bit of aerial ping-pong. James Hanks spilled a catch which James Pritchard kicked on before showing good footballing skills to make 20 metres. The full back scooped in the ball and passed inside to Myles Dorrian but as the Australian looked to link up with James Knight the ball knocked on.
The Blues enjoyed a fair bit of possession but they weren’t able to do a great deal with it and then they fell further behind in the 23rd minute. Dan Richmond overthrew a lineout in Exeter’s 22 and the Chiefs never looked back. Clive Stuart-Smith and Andy Miller made good ground before Mark Foster stormed through and his pass for opposite winger Matt Jess who had a clear run and Steenson again converted.
Bedford spent the majority of the half going backwards thanks largely to a huge Exeter pack who were shoving them far too easily. A third try came in the 31st minute and it was a re-run of the opening try. Slade again collected and as the maul went over the line it was Richie Baxter with the ball and again Steenson made no mistake.
The half finished with a fourth try as the Chiefs pack continued to press. A series of rucks set up a maul and hooker Neil Clark went over with Steenson sealing a 28-0 half time lead.
Bedford rang the changes after the break and the introduction of Phil Boulton and Paul Tupai had the desired effect and the Blues suddenly looked hungry for the game.
That said, there was a squeaky bum moment when Richmond took a lineout when no one was ready and the ball fell to Baxter, but a knock on spared the Bedford captain’s blushes.
The Blues recovered and pushed straight up the other end putting together a series of phases which took them deep into Exeter’s 22. A penalty was put into touch and Bedford set up the drive with Tupai breaking off to score an unconverted try.
Exeter got the kick up the bum they needed and within ten minutes they took the game to 35-5 when a scrum was followed up with two pick-and-go moves which resulted in Saul Nelson scoring and replacement fly half Danny Gray converting.
Tupai got the ball rolling for the Blues second try when his quick penalty found Liam Roberts. Bedford rucked well before Chris Goodman made a break and wrong-footed Bryan Rennie to find space. Ian Vass, who tackled superbly throughout, sent Duncan Taylor through and as the ball came back towards the centre of the field Chris Locke was played in to score before Pritchard converted.
Exeter seemed to flag a little towards the end and Bedford exploited this with another try in the 80th minute. Bedford’s scrum, which was strengthened further by the introduction of Marco Cecere held firm before Goodman broke and Vass set the ruck before Tupai scored his second which was converted.
Deep in stoppage time Haydn Thomas went over for a converted try to give the scoreboard an impressive look, but Bedford will still take heart from the second half display.
Scorers. Exeter: Tries; Slade, Jess, Baxter, Clark, Nelson, Thomas – Con; Steenson (4), Gray (2). Bedford: Tries; Tupai (2), Locke – Con; Pritchard (2)
Teams. Exeter: Marsden, Jess, Dollman (Sestaret 69), Rennie, Foster, Steenson (Gray 63), Stuart-Smith (Thomas 47), Sturgess (Moon 71), Clark (Nelson 56), Tui (Budgen 56), Hayes (Gannon 59), Hanks, Slade, Miller, Baxter.
Bedford: Pritchard, Fielden, Knight (Roberts 24), Vass, Taylor, Dorrian, Chudley, Walsh (Cecere 54), Richmond (Locke 69), Seal (Boulton 41), Harlock (Tupai 41), Rae, Gillanders (Lewitt 54), Brightwell, Goodman. Not used: Walshe.
Attendance: 3,781
If ever you needed to see proof of what the Bedford Blues can do then you should have been at Goldington Road yesterday as they swept aside Nottingham.
This fixture is always a tough, bruising affair, but the Blues simply blew their East Midlands rivals out of the water with six tries, six conversions and three penalties.
“What was pleasing toady, as well as the last few games, is that we are sticking to the game plan,” said scrum half Nick Walshe after the whistle.
“We are putting teams under pressure, all areas of our game are improving and we are starting to be clinical.
“We are going through a good patch but it is down to hard work and constantly believing in our ability.”
Nottingham were guilty of giving away too many penalties in the early exchanges, but James Pritchard couldn’t find his direction on the first two attempts but it was a case of third time lucky in the 11th minute.
Referee Rowan Kitt had spoken to the captain’s twice but when John Harlock was judged to have taken a man out in the lineout the lock was on his way to the bin and Nottingham made Bedford pay.
A lineout was taken and the Green and White pack drove forward with hooker Tom Youngs popping up with the ball and Tim Taylor converted.
Bedford’s reply came quickly as Pritchard, with radar well in place, chipped over a second penalty and a try soon followed. Gregor Gillanders took in a lineout and the ball was driven forward before Dan Richmond linked up with Walshe who spotted a charging Harding and played in the flanker to score with Pritchard adding the extras.
John Johnston was sent to the bin when he went in with a shoulder following the restart and Bedford set up the attack. Another lineout saw Gillanders collect before Sam Walsh and Paul Tupai took the ball into a ruck. Walshe, Brad Davies and Myles Dorrian linked up and the Australian played a perfect grubber ball for Pritchard to chase and score before converting his effort.
Former Blues boy Ben Pienaar found himself in the bin for persistent fouls at the ruck and a third Bedford try arrived and again it started from a lineout. This time it was in Bedford’s 22 with Gillanders collecting before Harding and Chris Goodman made the break up field. Six phases of play followed and Ian Davey was on hand to glide over the line with Pritchard converting for 27-7 at half time.
Nottingham knew they had to come out strong in the second half but the Blues were more than capable of stopping them and by the 48th minute the Blues had wrapped up the bonus point and it was probably fitting that Gillanders was the try scorer.
Bedford had turned over ball in their 22 and as it looked as if Ian Vass was going to punt clear he played a delightful chip over the onrushing Nottingham backs. Davey collected the ball and sent another kick forward but he couldn’t chase having been wiped out after the ball had gone. Instead it was Pritchard who collected and as the defence closed in a third chip ahead came and Gillanders was on hand to touch down and Pritchard converted.
With the game in the bag Bedford put on an entertaining display and a fifth try soon followed. Another lineout deep in Nottingham’s 22 was driven forward and as the maul crossed the line it was prop Sam Walsh who scored and Pritchard again converted.
Bedford were reduced to 14 when Dan Richmond was binned for an infringement at the ruck and Nottingham reverted to the tried and tested sticking the ball up the jumper which produced a try for Pienaar. Pritchard added a penalty but Nottingham came back with a try from John Johnston which he quickly converted.
But as Nottingham went looking for a bonus point of their own Bedford struck again when Dorrian intercepted a pass and had a clear run on goal before sliding through the uprights to give Jake Sharp an easy conversion to wrap up a convincing victory.
Scorers. Bedford: Tries; Harding, Pritchard, Davey, Gillanders, Walsh, Dorrian – Con; Pritchard (5), Sharp – Pen: Pritchard (3). Nottingham: Tries; Youngs, Pienaar, Johnston – Con; Taylor, Johnston.
Teams. Bedford: Pritchard, Fielden, Dorrian, Vass, Davey (Knight 55), Davies (Sharp 41), Walshe (Chudley 77), Walsh, Richmond, Seal (Boulton 51), Tupai (Rae 65), Harlock, Gillanders, Harding (Locke 69, Seal 78, Brightwell 80), Goodman.
Nottingham: Savage, Cobden, Casson, Johnston, Streather (Hayter 73), Taylor (Tonks 65), Harrison (Usasz 65), Parr, Youngs (Sammons 73), Du Plessis (Buxton 55), Green (Nimmo 55), Rouse, Hammond, Sherriff (Eggleshaw 59), Pienaar.
Attendance: 2088
MATCH REPORT V B'HAM & SOLIHULL
The Blues kicked off 2010 by flexing their muscles and running in eight tries against bottom side Birmingham and Solihull Bees.
This away game was played at Goldington Road due to a frozen Sharmans Cross Road pitch but the result was a warming one for Bedford.
“It was a good start to the year and it was a great effort by the boys,” said flanker Sacha Harding after the game.
“It was important to pick up the victory and now we have to keep on running. We started a bit slow but we had a chat under the posts and we pulled together to pick up five points.”
Despite the final score line it was the ‘hosts’ who got off to the perfect start when Cameron Mitchell scored in the second minute after being played in by former Blues favourite Ben Patston who converted the try.
James Pritchard responded with a penalty for Bedford before flanker Chris Brightwell open his scoring account in the 20th minute. The England’s sevens star broke away from a driving maul but Pritchard couldn’t add the extras.
Five minutes later and it was 7-15 after Alex Rae went on a blistering run and the ball was recycled to Pritchard to score and convert his effort.
The onslaught continued when Brad Davies crossed the whitewash following a fine break by Luke Fielden.
Patston – who missed two drop goal attempts – slotted a penalty on 32 but the bonus point was wrapped up for Bedford two minutes later. Nick Walshe put massive pressure on his opposite number before Sacha Harding collected the ball and played in Brightwell for his second against his old club to make the score 27-10 to the ‘visitors’.
The second half was all Bedford and it took just six minutes for a fifth try. The Bees were down to 14 after Ross Noonan saw yellow and the Blues took in a lineout and drove towards the line with hooker Chris Locke coming up with the ball and Pritchard converting.
The Bees were under all sorts of pressure but held firm and looked to attack, but in the 63rd minute – and again Birmingham were down to 14 after Rob Bell was carded – Paul Tupai burrowed over from the base of a ruck to score an unconverted try.
As the game fizzled out Chris Goodman got his name on the score sheet and Duncan Taylor got a try in stoppage time to complete the rout.
Scorers. Bees: Tries; Mitchell – Con; Patston – Pen; Patston. Bedford: Tries; Brightwell (2), Pritchard, Davies, Locke, Tupai, Goodman, Taylor – Con; Pritchard (3) – Pen; Pritchard.
Teams. Bees: Penn (Petty 69), Hunt, Mitchell (Tomlinson 66), Lawson, Culpin (McLean 35), Patston, Williams (Brown 47), Long (Preece 79), Phillpott, Reid, Davidson (Cox 41), Ault, Halavatau (Noonan 27), Bell, Clayton.
Bedford: Pritchard, Fielden, Dorrian (Taylor 65), Roberts (Knight 50), Davey, Davies, Walshe (Chudley 58), Walsh (Cecere 71), Locke, Seal (Boulton 65), Harlock (Tupai 58), Rae, Brightwell, Harding (Lewitt 65), Goodman.
Attendance: 1407
Never mind sitting around at home watching the Great Escape and eating turkey sandwiches – this is what Boxing Day should be like.
More than 4000 people crammed into Goldington Road on Saturday afternoon to watch what can only be described as a cracking game of rugby.
The game swung both ways with London Welsh taking the early initiative before the Blues fired back with tries from Ian Davey and Myles Dorrian. Aled Thomas and James Pritchard exchanged kicks all afternoon, but the game was won with ten minutes to go with a fabulous Luke Fielden try.
London Welsh got off to the best possible start in the second minute when Gordon Ross sold the most beautiful of dummies and made a good 30 metres before sending a tantalising chip over the defence which James Pritchard couldn’t deal with and Paul Mackey was on hand to touch down the try before Aled Jones converted.
Bedford, and Pritchard, pulled themselves together very quickly and the Canadian full back converted a penalty from just outside of the Exiles 22 when they were penalised for not releasing the tackle.
Ross had the chance to add three points, but his penalty effort went astray but Thomas did restore London Welsh’s seven point lead when he chipped over a penalty after a forward was taken out at the lineout.
The sensational start to the game carried on when the Blues opened their try scoring account for the afternoon. Luke Fielden intercepted a Welsh attack and after a ruck was formed Nick Walshe sent a beautiful box kick towards the centre field which Gregor Gillanders collected before passing to Ian Davey who showed Thomas a clean pair of heels to score. Pritchard composed himself and added the extras to level the scores.
Two minutes later and things got better for the Blues with another superb try. Again Gillanders carried the ball forward before Walshe and Brad Davies sent Sam Walsh forward. Not wanting to plough into the defence, the prop offloaded to John Harlock who linked well with Chris Goodman and suddenly Bedford were storing forward. Davey took the ball and ran an excellent line before releasing Pritchard and with one man to beat he passed to Myles Dorrian for the Australian to score and again Pritchard converted.
Unfortunately Gillanders took a knock in the build-up to the try and it proved to be his last involvement in the game and Sacha Harding came on to provide more than adequate cover.
Both sides were playing some excellent running rugby with Errie Claassens and Dominic Shabbo testing the Blues defence at every opportunity, but Ian Vass and Brad Davies were throwing in tackles left, right and centre.
Mike Howard was given a yellow card in the 31st minute after another foul at the lineout and Thomas had the chance to reduce the deficit but his penalty effort drifted wide of the uprights. Pritchard wasn’t having the same problem and he coolly slotted a second penalty seven minutes later.
Half time was supposed to be approaching, but due to injury and stoppages the referee found 11 minutes of stoppage time and Welsh used it to their advantage as they piled on pressure at a scrum and after three penalties which Welsh opted for scrums, Mr Roberts ran under the posts for the penalty try which Thomas converted to finish off the half.
Thomas wasn’t having his best day with the boot and squandered a chance to level the scores four minutes after the break, but the Blues gave away another penalty soon after and the full back didn’t make the same mistake again.
Thomas then missed another penalty but he then slotted an effort in the 55th minute, but it proved to be their final score of the afternoon and Pritchard soon levelled the scores with his fifth successful kick of the afternoon.
London Welsh were still piling on the pressure but for a change it wasn’t Bedford making handling errors as first Claassens and then Simon Whatling both let the ball slip from their grasp and Brad Davies put in a momentous tackle to keep the Exiles away from the line.
As the game entered the final ten minutes Harding connected with a tackle so sweetly that the Blues regained possession through Dan Seal and went looking for the winning score. Harding stepped in at scrum half passing to Alex Rae who found Dorrian and the Aussie sent a perfectly weighted kick towards the corner and Fielden slid over to score and Pritchard converted beautifully.
Chris Brightwell thought he had secured a bonus point when he went over with minutes to go but the ref judges that there had been crossing much to the disappointment of the crowd. As the clock ticked down the Blues turned over a late Welsh charge and Walshe punted the ball behind the sticks to seal a much needed and deserved victory.
Scorers. Bedford: Tries; Davey, Dorrian, Fielden – Con; Pritchard (3) – Pen; Pritchard (3). London Welsh: Tries; Mackey, PENALTY – Con; Thomas (2) – Pen; Thomas (3).
Teams. Bedford: Pritchard, Fielden, Dorrian, Vass, Davey, Davies (Knight 72), Walshe, Walsh, Richmond, Boulton (Seal 55), Howard, Harlock (Rae 49), Gillanders (Harding 19), Goodman, Tupai (Brightwell 49). Not used: Locke, Chudley.
London Welsh: Thomas, Shabbo, Mackey, Whatling (Starling 72), Claassens, Ross, Runciman (Lewis 77), Holford, Buckland (George 61), Ward (Boot 75), Powell, Corker (Garvey 46), Mills, Mercer, Brown. Not used: Beach, Evans.
Attendance: 4033.
A second half blitz from Bristol saw the West Country side take all the glory on a freezing night at the Memorial Ground.
The score line probably flattered the hosts who were by no means the better team in the opening half, but their tenacious style of play and clinical finishing ensured that they kept the pressure on Exeter at the top of the table.
Although Bedford were defeated by five tries to one, they will have taken heart from a much improved performance than the one at Goldington Road last weekend.
Ollie Dodge got the Blues only try and James Pritchard kept the visitors in touching distance with a fine kicking display, but a dominant second 40 saw Bris complete the double over Bedford.
It may have been a bitterly cold night, but both teams went into this game with every intension of heating up the crowd with a sizzling first half of rugby.
The Blues started brightly with Ian Davey playing a nice chip over the Bristol back line and immediately putting fullback Arscott under immediate pressure.
Bedford’s persistence paid off when Bristol were caught holding onto the ball at a ruck and James Pritchard swiftly converted the effort.
Bris weren’t going to be held back though and they immediate fired back with the opening try of the game. Myles Dorrian’s pass was well intercepted by Jack Adams before Iain Grieve and Redford Pennycock both carried well into the tackle. When the ball came out to winger Lee Robinson he sent a perfect chip over Bedford’s centres and ran over to score with Adrian Jarvis converting.
The Blues rallied well and Pritchard was given another opportunity from the boot when Bris were caught offside and the Canadian international slotted it home well from nine metres inside the opposition half.
Bedford then extended their lead with a try created by a super kick from Dorrian which will give Arscott nightmares. The high ball bounced awkwardly and it was Davey who collected it before unselfishly passing to Dodge who outpaced the defence to score and Pritchard added the extras.
Nick Walshe was certainly loving playing his old rivals and the evergreen scrum half was having a super opening 40 minutes with everything the Blues did going through him.
Jarvis and Pritchard then swapped penalties with both continuing their 100 per cent record for the game but when Bedford were awarded another some 46 metres out, Pritchard’s effort had the legs but not the direction. Five minutes later and Jarvis’s easy looking penalty effort hit the posts and bounced into Luke Fielden’s hands.
The half finished with Bristol on the ascent, but the Blues defence – thanks largely to Paul Tupai, Mike Howard, Gregor Gillanders and Phil Boulton - held firm to give Bedford a 16-10 lead.
Bristol started the second half in impressive fashion and had a blistering ten minutes. Twice they could have added points from penalties, but each time they sent the ball to the corner and looked to pile pressure on Bedford’s forwards.
The game plan paid off as Mark Irish made yards to set up a ruck and Dan Norton came off his wing to catch Bedford napping before he offloaded to Jack Adams who scored and unconverted effort.
Jarvis added a penalty minutes later and Norton was lucky to stay on the pitch when he seemingly took Dodge out in the air. The ref judged that there had been no intent, but it was Dodge’s last action in the game as he left the field nursing an arm injury.
There was no let up from Bris and Irish was the next try scorer when he piled his frame over the try line following a ruck but Jarvis’s conversion went astray.
As the game wore on The Blues couldn’t find a break through and their misery was compounded when Arscott – who looked to be struggling to walk in the first half – sprinted clear of Fielden to touch down on the wing.
With Bedford’s discipline letting them down and Bris finding gaps left, right and centre, the night was capped off when Jason Spice took a quick penalty five metres out and played the ball wide to replacement Sam Giddens who converted his own try.
Scorers. Bristol: Tries; Robinson, Adams, Irish, Arscott, Giddens – Con; Jarvis (2), Giddens – Pen; Jarvis (2). Bedford: Try; Dodge – Con; Pritchard – Pen; Pritchard (3)
Teams. Bristol: Arscott, Robinson, Adams, Fatialofa (Eves 74), Norton, Jarvis (Giddens 74), Spice, Irish, Blaney (Bellamy 80), Thompson (Crompton 72), Budgett, Winters, Grieve, Pennycook, Montagu (Miller 74). Not used: Sambucetti, Shaw.
Bedford: Pritchard (Knight 53), Fielden, Dodge (Davies 59), Roberts, Davey, Dorrian, Walshe (Vass 71), Walsh (Seal 71), Richmond (Locke 71), Boulton, Howard, Harlock (Rae 63), Gillanders, Goodman, Tupai (Harding 63).
Attendance: 4869
MATCH REPORT V PLYMOUTH
It was meant to be the Christmas special at Goldington Road yesterday afternoon, but the cracker certainly didn’t bang as the Blues suffered another defeat.
The festive period is the time of goodwill, but referee Luke Pearce wasn’t in the sharing mood as he blew up for time just ten seconds into stoppage as Bedford were looking to attack and overturn a late Ben Mercer try.
To be fair, the ref was the least of the problems as once again too many handling errors and dropped ball cost Bedford dearly whereas the visitors took their opportunities to record, what was for them, a famous win.
“We were down in the dumps following last weeks result but for that to happen was a real kick in the guts,” said bitterly disappointed fly half Myles Dorrian after the game.
“Most teams are playing ‘stick it up your jumper’ rugby which is the winter way over here and maybe we should just start doing that a bit more.
“The bottom line was that there were too many dropped balls. Their try in the first half was our mistake, but they created a little bit more after the break. We should have held out though.
“We need to bounce back from this quickly.”
The opening 40 minutes may not have been a rugby classic but there was plenty of action and a hell of a lot of missed chances.
You always know that the Plymouth pack is going to be organised to military precision and they will look to drive on as much as possible, whenever possible.
Likewise, you know that Bedford’s backs like to keep the ball in hand and execute training ground moves when the time is right and the chances present themselves.
Unfortunately, despite both teams executing their preferences well, the occasional error or over eagerness brought moves to a stop far too often.
Plymouth’s Alex Davies will be disappointed that he didn’t convert two penalty attempts in the opening ten minutes when Albion were certainly the dominant force. Bedford were pulled up for not releasing and an infringement at the ruck, but they were given two lifelines by the misfiring fly half.
They may have been off the pace to begin with, but Bedford started to make ground and although Dorrian hit the post with a penalty kick in the 11th minute, he made up for it with a well struck effort 17 minutes in.
After early exchanges of aerial ping-pong the Blues started to keep hold of the ball and put phases together. Nick Walshe was on fine form controlling the ball with Ian Vass and Liam Roberts making an impact. Although the move broke down, the ref was playing an advantage for offside and Dorrian slotted the three points.
Bedford’s backs were certainly in a groove but another unfortunate handling error allowed the visitors straight back into the game. As Walshe, Dorrian, Vass and Ollie Dodge looked to spark another attack, the ball fell loose and Albion winger Liam Gibson showed excellent footballing skills, before collecting and charging for the line to score, but Davies failed with the conversion.
Again Bedford looked lively in attack in the 28th minute with an excellent training pitch move. Luke Fielden switch to number nine and as he fed the scrum, Paul Tupai ignited the move by breaking off and giving Fielden the ball. Dodge and Ian Davey had already moved to the blindside, so the pacey trio set off for the line but Davey knocked on at the final moment.
Mark Lee took over the kicking for Plymouth and he made no mistake with an effort eight minutes before the interval when the Blues were penalised for holding onto the ball at a ruck.
Bedford should have responded with points when Davey made a superb break along the wing and released Roberts. The forwards surged on but Mr Pearce spotted a knock on and Plymouth were given a lucky escape as the half finished 6-8.
A good start was needed after the break, but it was Plymouth who started brighter with Lee converting an early effort after the Blues infringed at the scrum. A bout of handbags followed a few moments later but the penalty went Bedford’s way and Dorrian reduced the deficit to two points again.
Bedford then gave away a silly penalty after Fielden had a kick run down. Just ten metres from their line they were adjudged to have crossed and Lee dispatched his third penalty of the day.
The visitors were certainly enjoying their day and were running the Blues ragged with Gibson being one of the main threats along the winger and skipper Kyle Marriot rampaging forward from his number 8 position.
Despite being on the back foot, Bedford suddenly sparked into life in the 73rd minute as Gregor Gillanders hurtled along the touchline before cutting inside. Brad Davies and John Harlock both carried the ball on from the ruck before Walshe and Davies combined to play in Dorrian with the Australian sidestepping a tackle and scoring under the posts giving Davies a simple conversion.
But the slenderest of leads and the game slipped through Bedford’s hands five minutes later.
A scrum five metres out was superbly challenged by the Blues and as they drove Plymouth backwards and raised their front row the ref blew his whistle. Most expected a penalty in Bedford’s favour, but he spotted a knock on and reset the scrum much to the Blues annoyance. Plymouth’s forwards went through the motions before several drives followed and finally the ball was sent wide to Mercer to score and although the conversion was wide the game was won.
Teams. Bedford: Fielden (Pritchard 74), Dodge, Roberts, Vass (Davies 71), Davey, Dorrian, Walshe, Seal (Walsh 59), Richmond (Locke 59), Boulton, Howard, Rae (Harlock 62), Gillanders, Goodman, Tupai (Harding 71). Not used: Chudley.
Plymouth: Lee, Mercer, Fisilau (Hopper 68), Tu’ipulotu, Gibson, Davies (Hallet 68), Cushion, Porter (Porte 71), Clark (Owen 4), Hopkins, Lewis (Hotson 74), Skelding, Sprangle (Clayton 80), Watts-Jones, Marriot. Not used: Kingdom.
Attendance: 2353
MATCH REPORT V COVENTRY
In the game that nearly never happened, the Blues will wish it hadn’t after a late surge saw Coventry earn a draw that could have easily been a win.
Bedford had looked on top for the opening hour and were putting on a superb defensive display until a couple of lapses in concentration and poor decision making opened the door for Coventry to run in three tries.
The Midland club nearly went out of existence earlier in the week, but they showed just as much fighting spirit on the pitch as off it, but in truth Bedford should have been out of sight.
“We had a crazy ten minutes,” said Blues scrum half and backs coach Nick Walshe.
“The really annoying thing is that teams aren’t beating us, we are gifting them points. We were in complete control of that game but we managed to mess it up.
“In truth we only have ourselves to blame as we had the chances to score more points. Duncan Taylor was through in the first half, we had two-on-one situations and I should have done better in the second when I broke with Ian Vass.
“We were doing some really good things but then we made silly decisions and it has cost us.”
The Blues got off to the perfect start in the fifth minute when Gregor Gillanders and Myles Dorrian linked up well before Dan Richmond stepped into the breach at scrum half and played in Vass who sent a perfectly weighted kick over the defensive line and Ollie Dodge was there to score the unconverted try.
Bedford’s lineout was working overtime in the early exchanges and how happy they must be to have Mike Howard back. The lock pinched two in the first ten minutes and disrupted another to truly put Cov off of their game plan.
As is now usual against Coventry there was a stern bout of fisticuffs with Paul Tupai and Cov prop James Hall having a real go at each other. Referee Darren Gamage sent both to the sin bin to cool down along with Bedford’s Alex Rae who the line judge spotted putting a couple of punches in during the melee.
Bedford’s defence was working overtime and when Cov were awarded a scrum after the ball hit the ref, they once again threw every thing forward only to meet the brick wall that is Richmond and Arthur Brenton was guilty of the knock on.
The Blues weathered the storm well and both teams were stored to 15 with no damage caused. Cov had the territory once again but a lame drop goal attempt from fly half Joseph Carlisle drifted harmlessly wide.
The Blues should have scored as the half came to an end as Dorrian played an inside pass to Taylor but the youngster, who has been so reliable this season, took his eye off the ball and knocked on.
But the Blues did end the half with a try and it was great work from the former Coventry man Dorrian which created it. The fly half received a long pass from Walshe and then he split the defence with a fine arching run before playing in Liam Roberts to score. Dorrian then added the extras to make it 12-0 but he then fluffed an easy looking penalty just before the referees whistle went.
Bedford started the second half as the attacking force and after three minutes Dorrian made up for his earlier blunder by converting a penalty to make it 15-0 after Cov infringed at the ruck.
The home side showed their fighting spirit form the restart and Simon Frewin made a good break along the left wing before ball was brought back into the centre, but once again Bedford’s forwards proved too strong with Phil Boulton and Sam Walsh doing well in their defensive duties.
Bedford matched their defensive superiority with a threatening attack that looked for points on every visit into Coventry’s 22. Tupai was the driving force and his neat work at a maul allowed Walshe and Vass to exchange passes but the return slipped through the scrum half’s fingers in the 55th minute.
Coventry had to score a try and when a penalty was awarded in front of the posts with 20 minutes to go they kicked it to touch in the hope of starting an attack and they got their reward when Hall went over the line from the back of a driving maul.
Coventry had the bit between their teeth and minutes after the first try the comeback was on when a number of missed tackles allowed replacement Drew Locke to break through and set up Aaron Carpenter for the try but Carlisle missed the conversion again.
With the stubborn Bedford defence now looking a little ropey Coventry again showed their intension when a late penalty was put into touch just five metres out but two forwards ran into each other to give Bedford an accidental offside.
There was still drama when Bedford failed to clear their line from the resulting scrum and a scrambled kick went backwards and the Blues had to touch down and give the hosts a five metre scrum.
A huge push from Cov’s pack saw the ball bundled over the line and it was Carpenter who came up with it to claim his second but Carlisle’s night got no better as he pulled the kick which would have won the game and the Blues were fortunate to get the draw.
Teams. Coventry: Winter (Grove 57), Frewin (Hurrell 48), Mackenzie, Apikotoa (Locke 63), Plantey, Carlisle, Walls, Maddocks (Dugard 7), McMillan (Merrigan 41), Hall, Brenton (Herrington 53), McGowan, Carpenter, Bignell (Askew 73), Venter.
Bedford: Fielden, Taylor, Roberts, Vass, Dodge, Dorrian, Walshe (Chudley 63), Walsh, Richmond, Boulton (Seal 67), Howard, Rae, Gillanders, Goodman, Tupai. Not used: Locke,Harlock, Daynes, Davies, Davey.
Scorers. Coventry: Hall, Carpenter, Venter. Bedford: Try – Dodge, Roberts – Con; Dorrian – Pen; Dorrian.
Attendance: 1500
MATCH REPORT V LLANELLI
Now this is how cup games should be. Lots of tries, plenty of passion, some excellent place kicking and a streaker…
Bedford put last weekends defeat against Ulster out of their heads as they beat Llanelli in a thoroughly entertaining encounter at Goldington Road on Saturday.
Both teams were looking to run the ball as much as possible but the Blues outscored their Welsh visitors by five tries to three to bring home a much needed bonus point win.
“It’s good to get a positive result but we are obviously disappointed to have conceded three tries,” said double try-scoring fullback Luke Fielden.
“It was especially disappointing as we set out to tighten up our defence this week and then all three tries came from our own mistakes.
“We played some good attractive rugby when we got on the front foot but we just couldn’t do that all the time.”
Explosive would be the best way to describe the events of the first half which saw six tries being scored and all being converted.
The visitors had the best of the possession in the opening ten minutes but it was Bedford who had an early chance to put points on the board when Llanelli were penalised for hands in the ruck but Myles Dorrian’s effort went horribly wrong.
The Blues didn’t let the early set back get to them though and they opened the scoring from the resulting 22 drop-out. Will Chudley got the ball rolling from a succession of rucks and with Mike Howard and Chris Goodman both carrying the ball well it was finally played wide to Luke Fielden and the powerful fullback crashed over to score with Dorrian adding the extras.
Llanelli certainly weren’t here to make up the numbers in this competition and gave a timely reminder of what their youthful team could do. Following a lineout the ball was played onto the left wing and Johnny Lewis went over before Dan Newton converted superbly.
A few minutes and it was 14-7 to the visitors when they turned over a ruck and sent the ball to centre Scott Williams who galloped over the line before Newton again converted.
The Blues sparked into life and scored their second try following a fumble from Llanelli. Bedford strung seven phases together before Brett Daynes hurtled along the blindside before cutting in and after four more rucks Alex Rae played in Gregor Gillanders to score and Dorrian converted.
It was then Bedford’s turn for a fumble after Dorrian knocked on in a tackle on the edge of the Llanelli 22. Scrum half Tavis Knoyle sprung on the ball and passed to winger Andy Fenby who ran more than half the length of the pitch to score the converted try.
With three minutes of the half to go Bedford levelled the scores with a sixth try. Excellent hands from Chudley, Liam Roberts, Dorrian and Chris Locke saw the ball recycled wide and it was Rae who went over before Dorrian smashed a peach of a conversion.
The second half started with just as many fireworks as the first finished with Daynes going over within three minutes of kick-off. Playing down the slope Bedford got an early lineout and following four rucks Chudley and Dorrian linked up before the ball went to Goodman who unselfishly played in the flanker but the conversion went wide.
Dorrian made up for the conversion miss with a penalty effort in the 50th minute after Llanelli held onto the ball after turning over a ruck.
Minutes later tempers started to flare as Bedford put the pressure on at the ruck. Llanelli’s Adam Powell was very unhappy with his treatment and a few fists went flying around the place and the lock was sent to the bin for ten minutes.
The reduction in numbers seemed to spur the visitors on and their impressive half back combination of Knoyle and Newton continued to create the spaces for attacks and Llanelli added a penalty from the boot of Newton after a Bedford infringement at the ruck.
Bedford could be accused of letting too many chances slip through their fingers and that was demonstrated when the backs broke well after a scrum but an over thrown pass was too far ahead of Duncan Taylor and the young winger was denied a try which he probably deserved.
Llanelli were again reduced to 14 when Duane Eager was, well, a little too eager at the ruck and referee Adrian Hartwell went to his pocket. Instead of going for the easy three points, Bedford went to the corner but the move broke down too easy.
That was soon forgotten though in the 75th minute when Fielden completed the scoring for Bedford with another well worked try. The Blues intercepted a pass as Llanelli looked to break and Replacement Ian Vass sent the ball through Dorrian to the speedy fullback and he went over for his second and Dorrian converted.
The biggest cheer of the day was reserved for the brave man who decided to run end-to-end in his birthday suit (and on a very brisk evening), and Bedford had to hold out in stoppage time as Llanelli looked for two bonus points which some may say they deserved.
Scorers. Bedford: Tries; Fielden (2),Gillanders, Rae, Daynes – Con; Dorrian (4) – Pen; Dorrian. Llanelli: Tries; J Lewis, S Williams, Fenby – Con; Newton (3) – Pen; Newton.
Teams. Bedford: Fielden, Taylor, Burke (Davey 76), Roberts (Vass 58), Knight, Dorrian, Chudley (Walshe 60), Brown (Walsh 55), Locke (Richmond 60), Seal, Howard, Rae, Gillanders, Daynes (Lewitt 55), Goodman (Tupai 60).
Llanelli: J Lewis, Reynolds, Martin, Williams, Fenby, Newton, Knoyle, S Hopkins, Lawrence, A Hopkins, Powell, A Shingler, Edwards, Cudd, McCusker. Not used: Jones, L Lewis, Corsi, White, Eager, Davies, S Shingler
Attendance: 2553
MATCH REPORT V ULSTER
Bedford were given a baptism of fire at Ravenhill on Friday night as an impressive Ulster side showed their class and wrapped the game up within 40 minutes.
There was a feeling that the ‘bigger’ sides in the cup may not have been taking things too seriously, but Ulster certainly didn’t show any signs of that as they put out a formidable team who ran in four first half tries.
Bedford showed a fighting spirit until the end, but the early damage was enough to compound the Blues to an opening defeat in the new cup competition.
“They showed us respect by putting out such a strong team,” said director of rugby Mike Rayer after the whistle.
“I thought that their half back combination was superb, but we made a couple of early errors and we got punished for it.
“We made some line breaks in the second half, but if I am being honest we never had the penetration to bet through a solid defence.
“It’s been a great experience for all the boys to get on a plane and flying over here to play such a team and we will learn plenty from it.”
It didn’t take Ulster long to show their talent and unfortunately it started with a fumbled catch which gave the hosts a scrum in the sixth minute. Number 8 Tamaiti Horua picked up and offloaded to Paul Marshall who played a perfectly weighted grubber kick beyond the Blues defensive line allowing Tommy Seymour to go over for the try and Niall O’Connor converted superbly.
Ulster went straight on the attack with a well placed penalty deep into the Blues 22 and following a drive towards the line a ruck was formed and although it looked as if Marshall was going to cross the line he played in big prop Declan Fitzpatrick to score and again O’Connor converted.
It looked as if it was going to be an extremely long night for Bedford but by the 20th minute the Blues were chipping their way back into the game and a fine break from Chris Goodman saw Ulster defenders bouncing off of the former Bath man before he offloaded to Chris Brightwell but the move broke down.
Three minutes later and the Blues were awarded a penalty for offside and Brad Davies took the points with a well executed conversion.
Ulster put their foot back on the gas and they made their possession count in the 27th minute. Horua continued to be the battering ram and he made ground following a ruck but then the backs took over with quick hands and blistering pace to play Chris Cochrane in at the corner for an unconverted try.
Penalties mounted up against the Blues and Ulster took every opportunity to put the ball in the corner to start an attack. The hosts drove a lineout ball over the line, but the Blues held it up only to see Andi Kyriacou crash over the line from a ruck seconds later and O’Connor added the extras.
The half ended with another penalty going Ulster’s way and from just outside the 22 O’Connor converted to give the hosts a 29-3 lead.
There was no let-up after the break and Ulster’s pack started the half with bags of power and enthusiasm as they ripped into Bedford to gain a territorial advantage.
Fair play to the Blues though, they took in the pressure at a driving maul and won a scrum only to give away a penalty but Ulster made nothing from the opted scrum.
Ten minutes into the half and Bedford showed signs of life as they started to put some good phases together. Ian Vass controlled things at the back of a ruck and Myles Dorrian, Mike Howard and Duncan Taylor all made ground, but the home defence was far too resilient.
Bedford were certainly showing a lot more grit as the second half wore on and after Phil Boulton came on the pack looked to be more assertive. John Harlock and Howard were operating well while Dorrian’s switch to fly half saw a bit more creativity.
The Blues continued to pile forward and Duncan Taylor had the whitewash in sight, but a strong defensive line from the Ravens made sure that he wasn’t rewarded for his effort.
The fluidity that Ulster showed in the first half seemed to have disappeared and Burke again attacked with relative success before passing to Dorrian, but a fine Willie Faloon tackle ended the move and the Blues chance of a consolation try.
Will Chudley broke up a late Ulster surge with his first involvement of the game as he stopped Seymour in his tracks after Jimmy Smith made a super break along the left wing and in fairness it would have been harsh if the Blues had of conceded more points.
It was certainly a learning experience for the Blues and they will take plenty from this game as they prepare to welcome Llanelli to Goldington Road next weekend.
Scorers. Ulster: Tries; Seymour, Fitzpatrick, Cochrane, Kyriacou – Con; O’Connor (3) – Pen; O’Connor. Bedford: Pen; Davies
Teams. Ulster: Schifcofske (Humphreys 66), Seymour, Shiels, Whitten, Cochrane (Smith 61), O'Connor, Marshall (Willis 63), Young (McAllister 63), Kyriacou (Brady 52), Fitzpatrick (Young 76), Tuohy, McComb, Pollock (O’Donoghue 52), Faloon, Horua. Not used: Henry.
Bedford: Burke, Dodge (Taylor 41), Knight, Dorrian (Chudley 73), Davey, Davies (Roberts 53), Vass, Brown (Boulton 50), Locke, Seal, Howard (Rae 68), Harlock, Gillanders, Brightwell, Goodman (Lewitt 73). Not used: Richmond.
MATCH REPORT V MOSELEY
Bedford had to battle the elements as well as a game Moseley side as they brought their losing streak to an end on Friday night.
It certainly won’t go down as a classic but the Blues dug deep and came away with the points from a fixture that is always tricky.
Yes, the wind was swirling and the rain was making the ball nearly impossible to catch but at the end of the day, a win is a win and the Blues definitely needed this one.
“All the lads are elated that we’ve got the four points,” said forwards coach Martin Hynes.
“It seems to have been a long time coming and it was certainly ugly but sometimes that’s the way it has to be. There’s times when you can play fantastic, flowing rugby and lose so we are more than happy with the result.
“After the injury problems that we have had it was also nice to see some of the boys returning. I thought Gregor Gillanders had a great game and Mike Howard made an impact when he came on as did Brendan Burke.
“But credit to the 22, they all played their part and there are guys like Paul Tupai who are still putting in the big hits while carrying knocks and never complaining. It goes to show the spirit in the lads that we have and they never stop plugging away.”
It was never going to be the easiest of games in very damp conditions and it was fair to say that the rain that poured throughout the day and into the night certain played havoc when it came to handling.
The opening exchanges were few and far between but it was clear that both sides wanted to put the opposition under pressure with some tricky high balls and a few knock-ons duly followed.
Bedford were having a fair amount of success at the ruck and Phil Boulton was sharpest to pinch the ball and as the Blues flooded forward, Moseley were caught offside and Brad Davies converted the effort well.
Moseley fired back immediately and it was the slippery ball that played its part. A knock-on from the restart handed the visitors a scrum in Bedford’s 22. The visitor cranked up the pressure with a lineout and scrum, but when they earned a penalty they took it quickly and played it along the line to Mike Gillick who went over in the corner before Andy Borgen converted superbly.
The Blues weren’t performing to the best of their ability but their lineout was functioning perfectly and this led to a series of phases through Ben Lewitt, Dan Richmond and Tupai with Nick Walshe and Davies looking to release the backs as quickly as possible.
James Knight thought that he had got the Blues opening try in the 27th minute when Bedford appeared to turn over a ruck deep in Moseley’s 22 but as the centre went over the ref blew up for hands in the ruck.
Three minutes later and the Blues did cross the try line and it was a fine effort. Tupai broke from the back of a scrum and was supported well by Liam Roberts as he crashed into Moseley’s defence. As quick as a flash Walshe found Gillanders and the returning flanker galloped over the line to score under the posts giving Davies a simple conversion.
Borgen had the opportunity to bring Moseley level in the 38th minute when the Blues were called up for going in at the side, but his effort just didn’t have the legs on it to get over the bar and the Blues went into the break leading 10-7.
Going down the slope in the second half the Blues seemed to be in control of the game as the looked to keep possession as much as possible.
The lineout continued to do its job and the backs certainly weren’t afraid to look for space with Ian Davey and Ollie Dodge both showing pace on the wings.
Davies extended Bedford’s lead with another sweetly struck kick after Moseley were caught offside as the Blues looked to push forward.
Moseley were being put under the cosh and as soon as they got the ball, Bedford’s defensive line pushed forward quickly to force a punt downfield.
The Blues second try followed a well executed lineout when Alex Rae collected the ball and the pack pushed on. A few fans groaned as Walshe sent a high kick Moseley’s way, but the moans turned to cheers as Dodge chased down the ball and set up a ruck in Bedford’s favour. Richmond acted as scrum half to link up with Walshe and his pass found Knight who in turn sent it wide to Luke Fielden who had joined the line. The full back showed a great turn of pace to go through the Moseley defence and he shot towards the line to score and once again Davies made no mistake with the kick.
Unfortunately it was Fielden’s last involvement in the game as he went off injured but with an hour gone the game was pretty much wrapped up and Moseley looked a depleted side.
Ian Vass, Dan Seal, Chris Goodman and Myles Dorrian all featured in the final 20 minutes and the Blues only added another Davies penalty to their tally but it was more than enough to put the game out of reach.
Scorer. Bedford: Tries; Gillanders, Fielden – Con; Davies (2) – Pen; Davies (3). Moseley. Try; Gillick – Con; Borgen.
Teams. Bedford: Fielden (Burke 59), Dodge, Knight, Roberts (Dorrian 71), Davey, Davies, Walshe (Vass 63), Walsh, Richmond (Locke 80), Boulton (Seal 58), Harlock (Howard 66), Rae, Gillanders, Lewitt, Tupai (Goodman 69).
Moseley: Thirlby, Bressington, Spee (MacBurnie 47), Reay, Gillick, Borgen (Roberts 41), A Willams (Taylor 71), N Williams, Oselton (Protherough 58), Sigley (Harden 52), Hall (Muldowney 51), Stott, Mason (Pennycock 61), Rowland, Rodwell.
Attendance: 2282
MATCH REPORT V CORNISH PIRATES
The Blues will kicking themselves after losing by a single point for the third time this season, but no one will be more disappointed than Myles Dorrian who missed a late penalty from infront of the uprights.
The Australian fly half will have nightmares about this one, but the game shouldn’t have been decided on one kick. The Blues played some good running rugby, as did the pirates, but a couple of sloppy errors gifted the hosts two tries when the Blues should have been out of sight.
Bedford kicked off the game and had the best of the opening five minutes with both Ollie Dodge and Ian Davey finding nice breaks through the Pirates line before being brought to a stop.
But it was the Pirates who should have opened the scoring in the eigth minute when Nick Jackson was given far too much space on the right wing before the move came to halt when his inside pass failed to find Mark Ireland.
Bedford continued to have the better possession and Luke Fielden found Dodge in space once again but he was forced to pass into touch. The Pirates won the lineout, but a big up-and-under saw several of the home side offside and Myles Dorrian dispatched the kick to earn the Blues three points.
Unfortunately the Blues then over-kicked a clearance punt which rolled straight out of the Pirates try zone and brought a scrum back in Bedford’s 22. A series of pick-and-go rucks as well as some good handling then led to Blair Cowan going over for the try and Rob Cook converted to make the score 7-3.
Good Bedford defence led to another penalty but this time Dorrian’s effort, from around 45 metres out, hit the post and bounced to safety.
Bedford continued to test the Pirates on the break and Dodge, Fielden, Davey and Liam Roberts all linked up well before a knock on brought the move to an end.
Tempers flaired in the 28th minute when lock Ben Gulliver took a swipe at Ian Vass, who was trying to take a quick penalty, but soon regretted it when Blues skipper Dan Richmond gave him one of his own to think about. Referee David Rose dealt with the incident with a lecture for both players and the game continued.
Bedford’s possession and territory finally paid off in the 35th minute when Liam Roberts went over for a try. A Blues scrum just inside the Pirates 22 was excellently controlled before the backs took the ball over to the left wing.
Bedford’s pack pushed on again before Vass and Dorrian linked up to play in Roberts who seemed to glide through three defenders to score and Dorrian added the extras.
Three minutes later and the Blues went over again. A scrum on the halfway line saw the ball played to Duncan Taylor who had come off his wing and this completely wrong-footed the hosts. Taylor played the ball wide toDavey and he showed a clean pair of heels to run under the posts giving Dorrian an easy conversion.
An over hit 22 dropout allowed the Pirates to have the final flurry of the half as they won a scrum in Bedford’s 22, but some fine defence from Alex Rae, Paul Tupai and Dan Seal ensured that the Blues went in at the break 17-7 up
The Blues had a nightmare start to the second half. The Pirates reduced the deficit to seven when Cook kicked a penalty and Dorrian should have restored the lead with a penalty of his own but his effort drifted wide from in front of the sticks.
To make matters worse the Pirates then scored a try following an almost carbon copy of the overthrown lineout from Nottingham a fortnight ago. Richmond’s throw went long and straight to prop Rudolph Brits who was held on the line, but scrum half Gavin Cattle touched down before Cook levelled the score with a well struck conversion.
Bedford’s discipline became an issue with a penalty awarded for back-chatting the ref and the Pirates worked their way up field before a slightly questionable try was scored by the hosts.
Davey touched a big kick giving the lineout to the Pirates and Rhodri McAtee took it quickly, although it didn’t appear to cross the five metre line, to Ben Gulliver who bulldozed his way over but Cook couldn’t convert.
The introduction of Nick Wwalshe had the desired effect and the Blues started to strangle the Pirates defence. A wave of pick-and-go rucks followed up to the try line and it was Sam Walsh who went over for his second Blues try of the season from close range and Dorrian added the extra two.
Again Bedford shot themselves in the foot by handing the Praites a penalty just outside the 22 and Cook slotted it with seeming ease to take the score to 25-24.
Cook then attempted a drop goal from just outside the 22 and although it drifted wide the fly half knew he’d have another chance as an advantage was already being played but it was his turn to hit the post with his place kick.
Bedford headed into straight into the Pirates 22 and looked to be edging their way nearer-and-nearer to the tryline once again but following nine phases of play the ball was knocked on relieving the pressure.
Trailing by one the Blues were awarded a penalty in the 80th minute, 20 metres out and dead centre but inexplicably Dorrian’s effort once again went wide.
The Blues piled on the pressure in the final moments but the Pirates defence held firm to see out the win.
Teams. Cornish Pirates: Davies, McAtee (Winn 68), Jackson, Ireland, Havili, Cook, Cattle, Franklin, Ward, Brits (Storer 53), Pammenter (Collins 53), Gulliver, Cowan, Betty, McGlone. Not used: Elloway, Evans, Holmes, Doherty.
Bedford: Fielden, Taylor, Dodge, Roberts, Davey (Knight 70), Dorrian, Vass (Walshe 60), Walsh (Brown 68), Richmond, Seal (Boulton 51), Harlock, Rae, Lewitt, Daynes, Tupai. Not used: Locke, Goodman, Davies.
Scorers. Pirates: Try; Cowan, Cattle, Gulliver – Con; Cook (2) – Pen; Cook (2). Bedford: Tries; Roberts, Davey, Walsh – Con; Dorrian (3) – Pen; Dorrian.
Attendance: 2465
MATCH REPORT V EXETER
BEDFORD tasted defeat for a second weekend on the trot as the league leaders took the spoils at Goldington Road.
Too many errors cost the Blues dearly in the first half and despite being the stronger team after the interval, they just didn’t have enough to break down the Chiefs defence.
“I thought that we were the only ones playing rugby,” said Blues flanker Alex Rae after the game.
“Errors cost us and we weren’t clinical enough when we had the ball in hand.
“Exeter came here and tried to get a front foot on the game, kick points when they could and unfortunately we helped them by coughing up the ball.
“The first half took a lot out of both teams but I thought that we looked fresh after the break and we started well but too many errors came in.
“We are really disappointed with the result especially after what happened last week as well. Hopefully the tide will turn when we go to the Cornish Pirates.”
The Blues found it difficult to get out of first gear during the opening 15 minutes as the visitors showed why they are topping the table with a perfect record.
Playing down the slope the Chiefs used it to their advantage as they strung phase after phase of play together and Richie Baxter really should have done better when he carried the ball along the line, but Myles Dorrian was there to put in a great tackle.
Bedford’s lineout was letting them down badly early on and Exeter probably couldn’t believe the amount of possession and territory that they were being given.
Exeter continued to push on and they got the games opening try in the 29th minute. The Chiefs were continually knocking on the door and a succession of scrums led to Tommy Hayes charging towards the try line and although he was held up, Haydn Thomas burrowed his way over the line and Gareth Steenson converted.
Steenson continued to put pressure on the Blues by kicking deep into the Bedford 22 and when Phil Boulton was penalised for coming through at a ruck the ball was put into touch and the process of a second try began.
Hayes was again involved as he took in the line out before the powerful pack drove over the line and James Scaysbrook popped up with the ball and Steenson again converted.
Things got no better for Boulton as he was sin binned, but the Blues suddenly sprung into life during stoppage time.
Rae, Ollie Dodge and Dorrian were all involved in taking the ball forward before John Harlock powered his way through a stunned Exeter defence. Paul Tupai and Sam Walsh both looked to gain an advantage, but the Chiefs were penalised for offside and James Pritchard converted the points as thewhistle blew.
Whatever was said at the interval seemed to work and Pritchard added three more points when the Chiefs were caught offside yet again.
The Blues started to make the most of their possession and even when they lost the ball, big hits were still made as they scrambled to win it back.
The hard work paid off in the 52nd minute following a well worked scrum which saw Tupai break away and link up with Liam Roberts. Duncan Taylor – who continued his fine form from the game against Nottingham – carried the ball forward and following a nice move between Ben Lewitt and Dan Richmond the backs took over with the ball finally coming to Dodge to score, but it was a little out of Pritchard’s range.
Trailing by just three points the Blues started to get more adventurous in their play and instead of kicking away possession as they did in the first half, the ball was played wide to Taylor and Ian Davey to try and penetrate the back line.
The introduction of Dan Seal saw some brute force put into the front line, but the visitors were content to suck in the pressure and then kick to touch whenever needed.
Exeter made good territory in the 70th minute and Lewitt was harshly penalised for a deliberate knock-on when the ball popped out of a Chiefs scrum and Steenson made no mistake with his penalty kick.
Five minutes later and the Blues had a good opportunity to attack when a deliberate knock-on went their way and Dorrian kicked long to touch. The lineout ball was taken in well by Rae at the five metre line, but as a maul formed the ball fell to the ground and Exeter’s Matt Jess punted clear.
As the game went into stoppage time the Chiefs found the narrowest of gaps and broke clear, but a fine covering tackle from Dorrian forced a knock-on to relieve the pressure, but then the Blues fumbled at the scrum and the put in went Exeter’s way.
As the front rows engaged the scrum went down and referee Rob Debney awarded a penalty to the Chiefs and Steenson put the game out of reach with another successful kick.
Scorers. Bedford: Try; Dodge – Pen; Pritchard (2). Exeter: Tries; Thomas, Scaysbrook – Con; Steenson (2) – Pen; Steenson (2).
Teams. Bedford: Pritchard, Taylor, Dodge, Roberts, Davey (Knight 75), Dorrian, Vass (Walshe 65), Walsh, Richmond (Locke blood 30-37), Boulton (Seal 62), Harlock, Spencer, Rae, Lewitt, Tupai. Not used: Daynes, Casson, Davies.
Exeter: Lewis, Jess, Dollman (McKenzie 61), Cornwell, Foster, Steenson, Thomas (Stuart-Smith 72), Sturgess (Murphy 80), Clark (Alcott 61), Budgen, Bentley (Tomes 61), Hayes, Slade (Miller 41), Scaysbrook, Baxter. Not used: Moon.
Attendance: 3297
MATCH REPORT V NOTTINGHAM
Bedford suffered stoppage time agony as Luke Sherriff reared his head to deny the Blues what would have been a first ever win at Meadow Lane.
With the clock ticking away and the Blues leading by six, a lineout on the five metre line was overthrown and Sherriff made no mistake and then Greig Tonks kept his cool to kick the hosts to victory.
It was a tough result on the Blues, but in truth it was their mistakes which contributed to each of Nottingham's tries and referee Greg Garner's indifferent approach to officiating certainly helped neither side.
An early big up-and-under put Duncan Taylor under pressure but the youngster did extremely well to take it in and Bedford won a penalty which James Pritchard dispatched with seeming ease.
Unfortunately it then went a bit pear-shaped for the Blues. After winning a scrum, Luke Fielden – who had stepped in at scrum half - looked to pass to Pritchard after breaking well but Tim Streather intercepted and his pace carried him clear but Tonks couldn’t convert.
Another big kick and another fine Taylor catch led to another Bedford penalty for not releasing the tackle but this time Pritchard’s kick drifted just wide of the uprights.
Pritchard had another penalty attempt when Nottingham were caught offside in the 14th minute, but again it swung narrowly wide. But on the third attempt the Candaian international made sure after Craig Hammond stuck out a cheeky boot to trip Ian Vass at a ruck.
Ben Lewitt must have thought it was Christmas when he intercepted a pass following a Nottingham scrum, but his legs could carry him to the try line and he was penalised for holding onto the ball too long.
Nottingham regained the lead in the 28th minute and there was more than a touch of fortune about it. A big punt looked to be heading straight for Vass’s hands but the ball bounced off them and into the path of Chris Earnshaw who chipped the ball forward and scooped it in to score and Tonks converted to make it 12-6.
The Blues bounced straight back though and thoroughly deserved their try. A scrum in the Nottingham 22 led to eight phases of play before the ball was worked to replacement James Knight who stretched over the line to score and Pritchard added the extras.
The Blues showed some strong defence as twice the Green and Whites looked to drive there way over the line and only a concerted effort by the whole Bedford pack stopped what looked to be a certain five points.
But Nottingham did go in leading at the break when Tonks converted a penalty from in front of the sticks after Lewitt was penalised for offside.
The hosts got the second half underway and within three minutes they extended their lead to 18-13 with another Tonks penalty. The Blues fired back quickly, although Alex Rae will have been disappointed to have knocked on when he was played in by Knight, but it didn’t matter too much as Nottingham were offside and Pritchard added three more points.
A last ditch tackle stopped Rohan Nirmalendran from a certain try following a well worked backs and the Blues forwards reacted quickly to turn over the ball and clear the line.
Bedford started to apply a bit of pressure up front and it paid off with a second try. Phil Boulton, Lewitt and Rae all carried well, before Vass spotted a gap and powered over the line with Pritchard converting to make it 23-18 to the Blues.
Taylor was having a flying game and when a deep Pritchard kick put his opposite number under pressure, the dreadlocked winger put in an excellent challenge to earn Bedford a penalty and Pritchard kicked with ease.
Nottingham got their third slice of luck in the 68th minute when the ball flew out of a Bedford scrum on the five metre line and fly half Tim Taylor pounced like a cat to score the try but Tonks couldn’t convert from the left touchline.
Nottingham’s Taylor looked to be on his way to scoring again when two chip and chases over the Blues defence sent him galloping for the line, but the Blues Taylor pipped him in the race to set up a 22 dropout.
Ollie Dodge broke free along the left wing in the 71st minute and as the ball was played inside Nottingham knocked on. Following a free-kick from the scrum, Bedford were awarded a penalty and Pritchard struck it beautifully to make the score 29-23 to Bedford.
As the game entered the final minute, Tonks sent a lovely kick deep into Bedford’s 22 to add pressure on replacement hooker Chris Locke for the lineout and it told as he overthrew the ball to Sherriff slid over the line to bring the score to within one before Tonks struck the hammer blow with a well struck conversion.
Scorers. Nottingham: Tries; Streather, Earnshaw, Taylor, Sherriff – Con; Tonks (2) – Pen; Tonks (2). Bedford: Try; Knight, Vass – Con; Pritchard (2) - Pens; Pritchard (5).
Teams. Nottingham: Nirmalendran, Cobden, Tonks, Earnshaw, Streather, Taylor, Usasz, Du Plessis (Buxton 59), Sammons, Cole (Fowkes 41), Green, Rouse, Hammond, Sherriff, Hemmingway. Not used: White, Marshall, Barnard, Rostron, Raven.
Bedford: Pritchard, Fielden (Knight 19), Dodge, Roberts, Taylor, Dorrian, Vass (Walshe 65), Walsh, Richmond (Locke 67), Boulton, Spencer (Daynes 60-70 blood), Harlock, Rae, Lewitt, Tupai. Not used: Seal, Brown, Davies.
MATCH REPORT V ROTHERHAM
It truly was a case of stealing victory from the jaws of defeat on Saturday afternoon as Bedford took the spoils at Clifton Lane.
A fine kicking performance from Rotherham’s Jonny West looked to have sealed victory, but a try from the unlikeliest of sources deep in stoppage brought the points Bedford’s way.
Sam Walsh, the ex-Titan prop who has never scored a try for Bedford, latched onto an inside pass from replacement scrum half Ian Vass to cross the whitewash and when James Pritchard slotted the extras the game was won.
“I think it’s been about three years since I last scored a try,” said Walsh after the game.
“We always knew that this was going to be a tough game and they smashed into us from the first minute until the 80th.
“It’s a difficult pitch to play on and although we made a few mistakes early on and probably should have come away with a few more points when we were in their 22, I’m just happy that we’ve picked up the win.”
The Blues didn’t get off to the most fantastic of starts when a long Luke Fielden punt up the pitch rolled out of play and brought a scrum back on the edge of Bedford’s 22. Following several scrums the ref blew for a penalty for a binding offence and West converted.
What happened in the next eight minutes could only be described as frustrating. The Blues set up camp in the Titans 22 and after five scrums and a successions of rucks the ball was knocked on and Rotherham cleared their line.
West doubled the hosts lead in the 18th minute after Bedford were penalised for not releasing a tackle but they soon scored the games opening try.
The Bedford pack looked a solid unit when Alex Rae took in a lineout ball and they powered towards the line with Dan Richmond and Paul Tupai both getting their hands on the ball. After the maul appeared to be hauled down, Will Chudley saw a gap just to the left of a pile of forwards and darted over for the score which Pritchard converted.
Chris Goodman was forced of with a rib injury following the conversion and Rotherham weren’t behind for too long as they went straight on the attack.
Myles Dorrian got caught in the no man’s land behind the Blues goal posts following a decent kick from Michael Whitehead and when the scrum went Titans way Steve Swindall broke clear to power over and West added the extras.
Nigel Conroy fell foul of the referee’s patience and was yellow carded for failing to bind at a scrum. Moments later a try looked a certainty when Bedford won another scrum on Rotherham’s five metre line, but their seven-man pack stood firm and pushed the Blues off the ball.
Bedford were then reduced to 14 when Alex Brown was carded for the exact same offence as Conroy and Rotherham rounded off the first half with another West penalty.
The second half was much of the same with the home side making things extremely difficult for the Blues and looking to find an early breakthrough.
Credit to Bedford, they held firm with reduced numbers and when their front line was restored to full force they got their reward when Dorrian, who was on particularly fine form, scored the Blues second try of the day.
Bedford won a good lineout ball and a dozen phases of play followed with the likes of Harry Spencer, Alex Rae, Brett Daynes, Ollie Dodge and Dan Richmond all taking the ball on before Vass played in the Australian fly half who side-stepped two players and crossed the line and Pritchard converted to make it 16-14.
West, who was the standout Titans player, restored a five point lead when he struck an excellent drop goal just outside the 22, but Pritchard again narrowed the difference with a penalty conversion.
Referee Michael Tutty may need a new pea for his whistle following this match with the amount of penalties that were awarded, but it was to Bedford’s advantage when Adam Kleeberger was caught a couple of metres offside and Pritchard once again added the points.
A minute later though and West restored Rotherham’s lead with a superb penalty effort from just inside his own half.
Pritchard had an effort from just outside the 22 in the 77th minute, but he sliced his attempt and it went wide of the uprights.
With the clock ticking away, West must have thought that he had wrapped up the win when he kicked a fifth penalty from the right of the posts.
Giving up isn’t in Bedford’s vocabulary though and when the ball was knocked on by a Titan hand at the restart the Blues applied the pressure to drive onwards. Ben Lewitt, Chris Locke and Fielden all powered towards the try line, but it was the vision of Vass and power of Walsh that created the final moment of joy for the visitors and Pritchard’s cool head to wrap up the victory.
Scorers. Rotherham: Tries; Swindall – Con; West – Pen; West (5) – Drop Goal; West. Bedford: Tries; Chudley, Dorrian, Walsh – Con; Pritchard (3) – Pen; Pritchard (2).
Teams. Rotherham: Whitehead, Feeley, Hunt (Farmer 16), Buckley, Swatkins, West, Chivers, Conroy, Batty (Quigley 75), Alescott, Challinor, Hayter, Kleeberger (Burrows 78), Du Plessis, Swindall. Not used: Jenkins, Voisey, Couldbeck, Rhodes.
Bedford: Pritchard, Fielden, Dodge, Roberts, Davey, Dorrian, Chudley (Vass 48), Walsh, Richmond (Locke 69), Brown (Seal 66), Spencer, Rae, Goodman (Daynes 26), Lewitt, Tupai. Not used: Harlock, Veenendaal, Taylor.
MATCH REPORT V B'HAM & SOLIHULL
The old cliché of ‘it’s a funny old game’ is normally reserved for football but it seems quite appropriate to describe yesterday’s events at Goldington Road.
Scoring eight tries would normally mean that it had been a good day at the office but in truth there is still plenty of work to be done.
Birmingham and Solihull may be facing their toughest battle off the field to stay in existence, but they gave the Blues plenty to think about as they exposed a number of cracks in the defence.
“We’re not completely happy with that performance but we will take the result,” said fly half Brad Davies at the end of the match.
“Our defence was a little under par today and full credit to Birmingham because they threw the ball about a bit and made a game of it.
“We’ll take the five points and move our attention onto next week.”
Saturday was Ladies Day and the Blues turned out in Pink to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month and it looked as if the performance was going to be as stunning as their kit.
Three minutes in and Bedford opted for a scrum following a penalty and the ball was played wide to Ian Davey to open his account for the season.
Although Davies missed the conversion attempt he made amends for it a few minutes later when he slotted a penalty after the Bees were pulled up for hands in the ruck.
Credit to the visitors though, they didn’t let their heads drop and they should have scored a try when Cameron Mitchell broke clear but Rod Petty dropped the pass and let Bedford off the hook.
Simon Hunt converted a penalty for the Bees in 15th minute, but Bedford responded with a well worked Luke Fielden try. The full back took in a Bees clearance punt and then offloaded to Davey who found a bit of space before linking well with Liam Roberts and as he used the slope to his advantage he released Fielden to sprint clear and Davies converted.
Again Hunt brought the visitors back into things with a penalty, but then Fielden fired back from the restart with his second try. Duncan Taylor collected the kick and it was the catalyst for the try. Darryl Veenendaal, Davies and Ian Vass linked well before a huge pass found Fielden and he powered over in the corner – just out of conversion range.
The Bees continued to be a thorn in the side and following a yellow card for Paul Tupai, who bore the brunt for persistent team fouls, Hunt was played in by Jimmy Williamson for the score which he also converted.
The bonus point came next for Bedford though and it was the reintroduction of Tupai which created it. Three attempts without the number eight were all held up over the line, but when the Samoan returned his break led to Alex Rae and Chris Goodman – who replaced the injured Sacha Harding – both going over with the former Northampton man taking the credit and Davies converted.
Before the whistle there was time for a fifth and a second for Davey who galloped half the length of the field after being played in by Vass for an unconverted effort.
Following the break Davey continued his good work by securing his hat-trick. A Blues scrum was passed along the line and with an overlap created by Taylor and James Pritchard, Davey simply sprinted along the left wing and then under the posts. Pritchard took over kicking duties and slotted with ease.
A series of changes followed for both teams and after a period of disjointedness it was the Bees who struck next. Phaffing around at the scrum led to a free kick going to Birmingham and Rod Connolley ploughed his way over but Hunt didn’t have the range for the conversion.
The visitors luck was in as dropped tackles by Bedford started to mount up and Chris Brightwell got a deserved try for his constant harassment of the Blues defence as he found a gap and crossed over with Hunt adding the extras.
With the visitors starting to narrow the gap the Blues finally started to make their possession count and after Tupai broke from a scrum the backs took over with Pritchard playing in Taylor and the dreadlocked youngster did well to stretch over the line for the score which Pritchard then converted thanks to a nice deflection off the upright.
Davey wrapped up what was a good day for him with a fourth try which came largely thanks to the work of replacement Myles Dorrian. The Australian, who was playing at centre, slipped the grasp of two Birmingham defenders before slipping the ball to the winger who danced his way over the line and Pritchard converted well.
Ronnie McLean was lucky to stay on the field after a cynical off the ball challenge on Davey who was winning the chase to a peach of a Pritchard kick, but it would have been very unfair on the Bees if they lost by any more.
Mike Rayer knows that he will have a tough week ahead as he prepares the team for what is certain to be a much sterner challenge as the Blues head up to Rotherham next weekend.
Scorers. Bedford: Tries; Davey (4), Fielden (2), Rae, Taylor – Con; Davies (2), Pritchard (3) – Pen; Davies. Birmingham & Solihull: Tries; Hunt, Connolley, Brightwell – Con; Hunt (2) – Pen; Hunt (2).
Teams. Bedford: Fielden (Pritchard 45), Taylor, Roberts (Knight 54), Vass, Davey, Davies, Veenendaal (Dorrian 64), Walsh (Lilley 54), Locke (Richmond 72), Boulton, Harlock (Spencer 54), Rae, Harding (Goodman 10), Lewitt, Tupai.
Birmingham & Solihull: Culpin, Hunt, Tomlinson (McLean 62), Mitchell, Akinluyi, Petty, Williamson (Brown 62), Long, Reece (Gardner 77), Davis (Dowding 62), Davidson, Ault (Halavatau 50), Brightwell, Connolley, Earnshaw (Clayton 21). Not used: Martin.
Attendance: 3180
MATCH REPORT V LONDON WELSH
The disappointment of a first defeat of the season was compounded by a second at Old Deer Park on Saturday afternoon.
March 2002 was the last time that Bedford tasted defeat against the Exiles on their turf but they found it tough going against a rejuvenated Welsh side who are enjoying a purple patch of their own after being docked five points before the Championship kicked off.
One point may have been the difference last weekend, but London Welsh broke the Blues resilient defence early on and never looked back.
Two tries from Luke Fielden kept the Blues within touching distance, but they couldn’t keep hold of the ball long enough to make their attacking flair pay.
“We are disappointed especially because we gifted them two tries in the first half,” said director of rugby Mike Rayer after the final whistle.
“Our play was frantic and lacked cohesion but the bottom line is that we made too many errors. We either gifted them possession or passed it straight to them.
“We had large chunks of that game but we made the wrong calls in wrong places on the pitch. We’re not a young side, we have experience and now we have to sit down, watch the DVD and hold our hands up.”
After a relatively slow start, the Exiles had the first chance to take the lead after Bedford were penalised for not releasing the tackle and full back Aled Thomas dispatched the penalty with seeming ease.
You certainly can’t say that Bedford aren’t attacking minded and Luke Fielden brought the Blues to life when he spotted the slightest of gaps and made a superb run along the left wing before chipping ahead, but the Welsh defence scurried back and cleared the danger.
Bedford continued to press and set up ruck-after-ruck before a neat – or lucky – Will Chudley cross field kick fell straight into Fielden’s hands, but the speedster couldn’t find a way around the stubborn Exiles defence.
After more than six hours of rugby without conceding a try the Blues line was finally breached by Paul Sampson. Myles Dorrian appeared to have time for a low kick, but it ricocheted off a Welsh boot and bounced beautifully for scrum half Nick Runciman who played the ball along the line to Sampson and he darted wide of the defence and over with Thomas converting.
It took less than three minutes for the Blues to reply and it was no surprise that Fielden was the scorer. A lineout ball was collected and driven forward before Chudley and Dorrian went down the blind side to play in the winger and Dorrian converted.
The Exiles went straight into Bedford’s 22 and after three scrums their number 8 Tom Brown appeared to go over but as he did so the ball slipped away from him at the last moment.
The hosts scored their second try in the 33rd minute but once again there was a hint of luck. The Blues were deep in the hosts 22, but as they played the ball along the line Runciman intercepted and kicked on for Errie Claassens to chase. The former Rotherham man beat Chudley in the race and showed good footballing skills to put the ball over the line before diving on it for the score which Thomas converted.
Despite some fine tackles from the likes of Ina Vass and Sacha Harding, the Blues were finding it a tough day at the office and Claasens made another fine break just before halftime, but this time the defence was there and the South African couldn’t find a way through.
Bedford came out for the second half knowing that they had to start taking their chances and Dorrian added an early three points with a sweetly struck penalty.
Unfortunately, three minutes later an infringement at the scrum gave Thomas a chance from in front of the Blues sticks and he made no mistakes with his effort and then added another when Bedford failed to release a tackle.
Dorrian had the opportunity to level the second half scoring, but his effort drifted wide and then things got even worse for the Blues.
Bedford couldn’t keep the ball in hand and as they set a ruck the ball popped out on Welsh’s side and following a storming run by Dominic Shabbo the ball was handed to Claassens for his second try which went unconverted.
Welsh’s Simon Whatling was given a yellow card in the 65th minute after a series of penalties against the Exiles for not releasing the tackle and with the extra man the ball went along the line to Fielden and he went over for his second and Dorrian converted to make it 28-17.
Despite a number of promising looking attacks it was the only score added with the numerical advantage as the Blues just couldn’t finish anything off against an impressive Welsh defence which held firm for a deserved win.
Scorers. London Welsh: Try; Sampson, Claassens (2) – Con; Thomas (2) – Pen; Thomas (3). Bedford: Try; Fielden (2) – Con; Dorrian (2) – Pen: Dorrian.
Teams. London Welsh: Thomas, Sampson, Shabbo (Starling 71), Whatling, Claassens, Ross, Runciman, Williams, George (Gotting 68), Holford (Ward 67), Corker, Powell (Garvey 78), Mills, Beach (Hills 47), Brown. Not used: Lewis, Mackey.
MATCH REPORT V BRISTOL
There was heartbreak at Goldington Road yesterday afternoon as 4,000 people turned up to see a cracking game of rugby that unfortunately slipped away from the Blues.
Four minutes into stoppage time and fullback James Pritchard had the opportunity to give Bedford victory with a penalty attempt from 40 metres in front of the sticks, but his effort drifted left.
It was a cruel afternoon for the Canadian international who had already missed two earlier efforts and a conversion, but the Blues still have plenty to remain positive about.
“We had all the ball, played them all the way up the hill and they had to defend for their lives, but they got away with it in the end,” said Bedford centre Ian Vass.
“We knew that they were going to bring a pressure-kicking style to the game, but we like to play attacking rugby and we did that.
“There were a few things which didn’t go our way, but we might get them next week.
“I think the gap is narrowing between the Premiership and the Championship and that’s due to the squad sizes and people wanting to come and play in this league.
“It’s not the end of the world, we created lots and maybe should have finished one or two more but we had two kicking chances at the end and unfortunately we missed them.”
The first half was an incredibly close affair with both sides piling into each other with as much force and power as possible.
Bristol took control of the early possession but when Bedford got hold of the ball they made the territorial advantage.
James Pritchard had the chance to put Bedford into the lead in the fifth minute after the visitors were penalised for holding on, but the kick drifted agonisingly wide of the uprights.
From the 22 dropout the Blues looked to go straight on the attack with Ollie Dodge, Myles Dorrian and Paul Tupai all looking to break through the stubborn defence which turned out to be a little too strong.
Bristol looked to gain some ground with big kicks, but the Blues immediately went on the attack with Ian Vass and Brendan Burke linking up well.
Bristol always looked dangerous when their pack got hold of the ball and Roy Winters nearly found a way through if it hadn’t been for a fine slap tackle by Dorrian which stopped the lock in his tracks.
Bedford continued to rattle the visitors through massive challenges by Sacha Harding and Ben Lewitt and it took until the 17th minute for Bristol to get in the Blues 22.
Brendan Burke picked up a nasty knock to the ankle and had to be replaced by Luke Fielden and moments later Bristol took the lead when Adrian Jarvis converted a penalty after the Blues were caught offside.
Despite the setback the Blues re-gathered and went through eight superb phases of play started by Pritchard and orchestrated by Will Chudley. But as the Blues started to ask questions, the visitors overturned the ball at a ruck and cleared their line.
It was up the Blues end next and it was the home teams turn to put in some fine defensive work as Bristol looked to maul their way over from a lineout but Bedford held strong.
Five minutes into stoppage time and Jarvis hit his second penalty of the day to give the visitors a 6-0 halftime lead.
Whatever was said at the interval worked and Bedford came flying out of the blocks with the games only try.
A lineout was gathered and Chudley played in Dorrian who spotted the slightest of gaps and made a dash for it. His run brought the Blues 35 metres and with plenty of support, Dorrian drew in the defence before releasing Pritchard and he then offloaded to Fielden whose pace carried him over for the unconverted try.
Bristol had the chance to add points moments later, but Jarvis’s seemingly trusted boot let him down from in front of goal.
Despite playing up the slope, Bedford continued to be the attacking force in the game and Bristol knew they were not going to get a rest.
That said, it was squeaky bum time when Lee Robinson had a clear route to the Blues try line in the 57th minute, but referee Greg Garner pulled it back for a forward pass.
Fielden thought he had scored a winning try in the 69th minute after Vass put a delightful chip over the top but Dan Norton got the benefit of the doubt and a 22 drop out was awarded.
With the final moments being played in Bristol’s 22, Pritchard missed a penalty following an infringement at the scrum and then Dorrian had a go at a drop goal, but that faded wide.
As the seconds ticked away Bristol looked to be on the attack, but the whistle went for offside giving Pritchard the chance to steal victory, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.
Scorers. Bedford: Try; Fielden. Bristol: Pens; Jarvis (2).
Teams. Bedford: Pritchard, Dodge, Burke (Fielden 20), Vass, Davey, Dorrian, Chudley, Walsh (Lilley 58), Richmond (Locke 64), Boulton, Tupai (Spencer 71), Rae, Harding, Lewitt, Goodman. Not used: Harlock, Veenendaal, Davies.
Bristol: Arscott, Robinson, Adams (Fatialofa 66), Eves (blood – Fatialofa 50-66), Norton, Jarvis, Spice (Shaw 68), Irish (Crompton 54), Blaney, Thompson, Sambucetti (Phillips 51), Winters, Grieve, Merriman (Perrycock 75), Montagu. Not used: Hayes, Davies.
Attendance: 4,067
MATCH REPORT V PLYMOUTH
Bedford made it three wins out of three after administering a bit of a thumping to Plymouth Albion on Saturday afternoon.
The Blues are yet to concede a try this season but they will be concerned with the number of errors being made and penalties given away.
“It was painful at times,” said Blues director of rugby Mike Rayer after the game.
“At 17-3 our discipline went to pieces, there were mistakes and the game meandered. Yet by the end we worked out the best way to score and we looked good.
“One positive is that we kept them try less, but they were unfortunate not to get one. It could have been 17-12 or 17-15 at one stage and then it would have been a very different game.
“It was a poor day at the office at times and I find it remarkable that we can be so bad and so good in one half of rugby, let alone one game.”
Following a very staggered start Plymouth were gifted a scoring opportunity when a kick wasn’t dealt with by James Pritchard and the hosts were rewarded with a lineout five metres out, but Albion’s traditionally reliable collect and drive failed and the Blues cleared with ease.
Bedford responded to the slow start with the opening try in the 17th minute. Brendan Burke took the ball down the blindside before it was recycled to the right wing and after Liam Roberts was denied, Will Chudley scooped the ball from the back of the ruck and found a gap to sneak through before Pritchard converted.
Five minutes later and from a seemingly comfortable drive by the Blues, they gave away a penalty when Boulton came in at the side of the maul but Kieran Hallett’s kick drifted right of the posts – although the crowd didn’t seem to think that it did.
Once again the Blues responded by going straight up the other end to score a second try. An overthrown Plymouth lineout fell to Sacha Harding and his driving run found 20 yards. The ball was played through Alex Rae, Ben Lewitt, Brad Davies and Brendan Burke before Chudley and Phil Boulton drove for the line. The try came on the third attempt when Chris Locke collected and pounced over and again Pritchard converted.
Bedford’s captain then went on to extend the Blues lead with a penalty to make the score 0-17 at the break.
Albion started the second half brightly and former Bedford man Hallett converted a penalty from ten metres inside the Blues half after Paul Tupai was penalised for not releasing the tackle.
Plymouth continued to put Bedford under pressure and the Blues penalty count started to rise, but Hallett couldn’t convert an effort on the 60 minute mark or another one moments later.
Despite Plymouth’s possession the Blues fired back with a fantastically well worked try. Replacement Gregor Gillanders got the ball rolling when he took in a lineout but it was the pace of Chudley and Myles Dorrian followed by a sweet exchange of passes between Roberts and Burke that led to the Irishman scoring under the posts with Dorrian converting.
Two minutes later and the bonus point was secured as Ollie Dodge went on a blinding 30 metre run, beating several Albion defenders, before kindly popping the ball to Dorrian who scored and then converted.
Bedford wrapped up the convincing win in stoppage try with a fifth try. The pack had flooded forward and although the ball was spilled, Ian Davey improvised well by slapping the loose ball back to Burke and he played in Roberts to score with Dorrian adding the extras.
Scorers. Plymouth: Pen; Hallett. Bedford: Tries; Chudley, Locke, Burke, Dorrian, Roberts - Cons; Pritchard (2), Dorrian (3) - Pens; Pritchard
Teams. Plymouth: Kingdom (Cushion 58), Griffiths, Mercer (Nava 64), Fisilau, Gibson, Hallett, Tu'ipulotu (Lee 68-73), Rice (Porte 64), Clark (Owen 68), Hopkins, Skelding, Hotson, Stephen (Clayton 58), Sprangle (Waterhouse 68), Marriott.
Bedford: Pritchard (Fielden 64), Dodge, Burke, Roberts, Davey, Davies (Dorrian 64), Chudley (Veenendaal 76), Walsh (Harris 76), Locke, Boulton, Harlock, Rae, Harding, Lewitt (Gillanders 55), Goodman (Tupai 37). Not used: Richmond.
Attendance: 2303
MATCH REPORT V COVENTRY
Bedford's tremendous start to the Championship season continued yesterday as they thumped near neighbours Coventry at a packed Goldington Road.
Six tries secured a bonus point win for the Blues who showed that they will certainly be a match for any team in the new league.
“It was a very pleasing return to Goldington Road for me,” said Ben Lewitt after the whistle. “But I’d forgotten just how much the hill takes it out of you.
“We set out to put in a performance and I felt that our backs were clinical in their finishing as was Paul Tupai.
“It was a great performance and we are really pleased. To have played 160 minutes of rugby and not to have conceded a try in that time is great – we want to keep that going.”
It was certainly a feisty first half with referee Michael Tutty probably being the busiest man on the field as he sin-binned three players.
James Pritchard had the chance to give the Blues an early year, but his kick was pulled just to the left of the posts but in the seventh minute Bedford had a numerical advantage when David Maddocks was yellow carded for throwing a punch.
Bedford swarmed forward through Dan Richmond, Alex Rae, Sam Walsh and Phil Boulton before Will Chudley linked up with Ollie Dodge and Ian Davey to play in Brendan Burke who glided over the line before Pritchard converted.
The home side continued to play attractive rugby with Lewitt, Gregor Gillanders and Ian Vass all showing quick hands on the ball before a knock-on brought the move to a halt.
Coventry rode their luck a little and were fortunate not to be penalised when Pritchard appeared to be pulled back as he chased a Myles Dorrian punt, but the ref caught them in an offside position moments later and the Canadian international converted the three points.
Two minutes later and Tupai picked up a yellow card for ‘a high swinging arm’ but the Blues covered well and didn’t concede any points while he was off the field.
When Chris Goodman was carded for hands in the ruck on the half an hour mark, Coventry full back Ben Russell chipped the ball over for the points and following an infringement at the scrum in the Blues 22 he did exactly the same to bring the score to 10-6.
Bedford finished the half stronger and Pritchard kicked another three points following a high challenge on the lively Will Chudley before the refs whistle signalled the break.
The second half was one-way traffic as the Blues ran in five tries without reply.
The first came for Paul Tupai as Bedford’s pack mauled their way over the line and it was the Samoan international who came up with the ball.
Eight minutes later and ‘Toops’ had a second when the ball was popped to him at the back of a ruck and he bulldozed his way over.
On the stroke of the 58th minute Pritchard scored his second try of the season following a superb run by Ian Davey and then five minutes later the barrage continued as the impressive Chris Goodman crossed the line. Tupai, Gillanders and Lewitt were all involved in the build-up before Dodge galloped clear and played in the big number eight.
Coventry’s misery was completed in the 80th minute when replacements Darryl Veenendaal and Sacha Harding exchanged passes before Brad Davies piled his way over to give Pritchard an easy conversion.
Scorers. Bedford: Try; Burke, Tupai (2), Pritchard, Goodman, Davies – Con; Pritchard (3) – Pen; Pritchard (2). Coventry: Pen; Russell (2)
Teams. Bedford: Pritchard, Dodge, Burke (Roberts 72), Vass, Davey, Dorrian (Davies 64), Chudley (Veenendaal 72), Walsh (Brown 64), Richmond (Locke 64), Boulton, Tupai (Spencer 68), Rae, Gillanders, Lewitt (Harding 68), Goodman.
Coventry: Russell, Hurrell, MacKenzie, Lewis, Plantey, Hayes (Locke 68), Walls (Jones 46), Maddocks (Davis 54), Merrigan (McMillan 54), Roberts (Dugard 46), Brenton (McGowan 58), Dechartres, Venter (Pons 54), Bignell, Miller.
Attendance: 2852
MATCH REPORT V DONCASTER
The Blues kicked off the inaugural Championship season in fantastic style yesterday afternoon with fine win over Doncaster.
Tries from Gregor Gillanders, Sacha Harding and James Pritchard contributed to the win, but the Blues defence was on inspired form as they restricted Doncaster to just a handful of chances.
“It sounds ridiculous, but we are little disappointed not to have come away with a bonus point,” said scrum half Nick Walshe after the game which unfortunately finished prematurely for him.
“It was a perfect start to the season. In the week we said that coming here and winning 3-0 would be great.
“I’m really pleased at how the boys played and the fact that we didn’t concede a try.
We’ve worked hard on our defence and it showed out there as they only had a couple of chances.
“We gave away a few penalties in the second half and they came back into it, but the boys dug in really well, came up strong and we played some really good rugby.
“As I said, it was a great start but now we have to build on this as we have a hard game at home to Coventry next week.”
The game was only three minutes old when Walshe picked up a hamstring injury that forced him off the field and youngster Will Chudley was certainly thrown in at the deep end, but it’s fair to say that if you are good enough, you’re old enough and Chudley proved that.
Despite the shake-up to personnel Bedford soon regrouped and in the sixth minute Myles Dorrian gave them the lead with a beautifully struck penalty from ten metres inside the Doncaster half.
Three minutes later and the scores were level when James Brooks converted a penalty attempt after Phil Boulton was penalised in the ruck.
To use the old cliché, it really was end-to-end stuff and the Blues had a great opportunity when Ollie Dodge came off the right wing and looked to score in the opposite corner, but a fine Douglas Flockhart tackle averted the risk.
Ian Vass was on fine form and as he spotted Ian Davey free on the left flank the inside centre sent a beautiful chip over Doncaster’s back line, but Davey’s foot went into touch as he brought the ball in.
Doncaster could have opened a lead in the 22nd minute when Alex Rae was penalised for offside, but Brooks’ effort hit the upright and Bedford cleared the danger.
Bedford looked to exploit a lineout deep in Doncaster’s 22, but the throw was deemed to not have been straight but moments later James Pritchard gave the Blues the lead when he chipped over a penalty just right of the posts.
The only try of the half came close to the whistle, but Bedford had definitely been on the back foot in the build up. Doncaster were knocking on the door before being penalised for offside and Dorrian punted the ball into the Knight’s 22.
Rae took in the lineout ball and Bedford’s pack pushed on. Dan Richmond came out with the ball and popped it to Chudley who played on to Dorrian kicked the ball into Brendan Burke, but the ball fell lovely for Gregor Gillanders and the flanker forced his way over to score but Pritchard’s conversion hit the post.
The second half saw Doncaster trying to set up camp in Bedford’s half and ruffle a few feathers in the pack – especially Sam Walsh and Phil Boulton - but the Blues weathered the storm and struck early with a try.
Doncaster were penalised for not binding at the scrum and Dorrian found touch with his mighty boot just on the halfway line.
Gillanders scooped in the lineout ball before laying it to Chudley who found Dorrian. Ollie Dodge came off of his wing and was presented with an acre of space as he broke the defence before passing to Paul Tupai who unselfishly played the ball on to Harding and he won the race to the line but Pritchard didn’t have the range on the kick.
By their own admission, Bedford gave away too many penalties as Doncaster started to dominate territory. In the space of six minutes the Blues conceded three and Brooks had brought the score back to 12-16 as he slotted each effort with precision.
Heads could have dropped, but Bedford proved they are built of sterner stuff and they immediately went on the attack. Pritchard fired the ball over Doncaster’s heads forcing his opposite number Roger Davies to deliberately knock-on and the Canadian international swept the penalty through the sticks.
The Blues completed the scoring in the 71st minute with a lovely third try straight off of the training field. Replacement Chris Goodman broke from the back of a scrum and passed to Chudley who then went on a superb arched run and just as it looked as if he was going to pass wide, Pritchard came inside and took a short ball before crossing the whitewash besides the posts, giving himself an easy conversion.
Doncaster continued to press but a string of challenges from Alex Brown, Liam Roberts, Ben Lewitt and Chris Locke stopped the hosts from coming close to scoring.
The Blues will be delighted with this result and the performance which created, but they face just as tough a task next Saturday when Coventry come to what should be a packed Goldington Road.
Scorers. Doncaster: Pen; Brooks (4) – Bedford: Try; Gillanders, Harding, Pritchard – Con; Pritchard - Pen; Dorrian, Pritchard (2).
Teams. Doncaster: Davies, Wright, Briers, Tonga’uiha, Flockhart, Brooks, D’Arcy, Davies, Boden (Lawrie 72), Ta’u (Toke 41), Kenworthy, Smith (Townson), Kettle, Grainger, Boyde (Griffiths 54). Not used: Hallam, Warnock, Armitage.
Bedford: Pritchard, Dodge, Burke, Vass (Roberts 76), Davey, Dorrian, Walshe (Chudley 3), Walsh, Richmond (Locke 76), Boulton (Brown 72), Harlock (Spencer 76), Rae, Gillanders, Harding (Lewitt 67), Tupai (Goodman 67).
Attendance: 1248
MATCH REPORT V CAMBRIDGE
THE Blues capped off their pre-season campaign with a comfortable win over Cambridge at Wests Renault Park yesterday afternoon.
Bedford ran in five tries through James Knight, Gregor Gillanders, James Pritchard and a pair for Chris Locke, but in all honesty they could have doubled that with the amount of chances that they had.
“We are a bit disappointed with the tries we conceded,” said Blues director of rugby Mike Rayer. “But we’ll go away and have a look at it and make sure that we don’t leave those kind of holes next week.
“The bottom line is that we created plenty of chances, especially in the second half, but we butchered a few of them.
“We did well in the contact area and at times we got a bit of quick but when we got to the five metre line we squandered a few chances.
“A few of the lads got some game time under their belt and I thought that the front row of Alex Brown, Mike Guess and Lockey worked well.
“We’ve also scored five tries away from home against a team who are probably going to be one of the best in league below ours.”
Cambridge started the game the brighter side and it took just three minutes for former Blues favourite James Shanahan to cross the whitewash. Cambridge’s player coach latched on to a Stefan Liebenberg pass when the scrum half saw a gap down the blind side and Shanahan went over unopposed for an unconverted try.
It didn’t take too long for the Blues to reply courtesy of Knight. Duncan Taylor had taken a fine catch in the air before Darryl Veenendaal released the backs with Ian Davey coming off his wing to switch passes with Ian Vass before Knight went over, but Pritchard couldn’t convert.
Cambridge continued to press forward but in the13th minute Bedford struck again.
Pritchard collected a knock-on ball in the Blue’s 22 before galloping half the length of the field. The fullback then sent a kick into Cambridge’s 22 and their centre Craig Evans couldn’t do anything as the Blues swarmed all over him and retrieved the ball. From there Veenendaal passed to Gillanders and the big flanker slid under the posts giving Pritchard an easy two.
Bedford continued to dominate possession in the first half and their pack were far stronger than the hosts, but the Blues were lucky that a few lapses of concentration didn’t result in Cambridge scores.
An odd loose pass and the occasional eye off the ball saw Cambridge regain possession and push on but superb tackling from Ian Davey, Chris Goodman and Sacha Harding soon smothered any attack.
Bedford scored a third try before the break and it came from a well placed lineout. Gillanders was the intended target and he took brilliantly before releasing fiery scrum half Veenendaal. A ruck followed before Myles Dorrian and Taylor linked well to release Davey who broke through three tackles before being brought to a halt in Cambridge’s 22. The ball was recycled quickly and Pritchard went over but couldn’t convert his effort.
Cambridge regrouped well during the interval and a series of personnel changes gave them a boost as the game restarted. Shanahan and Darren Fox continued to be thorns in Bedford’s side but the hosts still couldn’t find a way through the Blues defensive line.
On the hour mark Bedford extended their lead and it was the pack who proved to be instrumental. A lineout ball came in and the organised pack - which was bolstered by the introduction of Phil Boulton, Sam Walsh, Alex Rae and Paul Tupai – barged their way forward with Locke touching down but extras were missed.
The game looked to be in the bag, but if there is one thing you can say about Cambridge, it is they that are tenacious and didn’t back down at all.
It was another former Blue - James Hinkins – who got the ball rolling as he tried to break through from the wing before being stopped in his tracks. But from the ruck the ball was played along the line to Handre Schmidt who broke the Blues defence to score and Evans added the extras.
Within five minutes the Blues scored their fifth and final try and it was an almost exact replica of their fourth. Locke again sent a great lineout ball to Gillanders and again he was at the back of the maul to score but this time Pritchard found his range.
The fans would liked to have seen a couple more tries and it looked as if they would when Nick Walshe, Brad Davies and Knight all worked to play in Knight, but he was held just short of the line.
Moments later it looked like try number six when a quick lineout from Bedford caught Cambridge unaware with one defender facing three Blues, but a forward pass to Gillanders was spotted by line judge and ref and the game came to a close minutes later.
If Bedford were going to miss their chances then today was the day to do it as next weekend’s trip to Doncaster may not see them have as many opportunities to squander as the Championship finally kicks off.
Scorers. Cambridge: tries; Shanahan, Schmidt – con; Evans. Bedford: tries; Knight, Gillanders, Pritchard, Locke (2) – con; Pritchard (2).
Teams. Cambridge: Wheatcroft, Marcisauskas, Dodge, Evans, Lombaard, Shanahan, Liebenberg, Laws, Pearl, Cooper, Rudski, Hurrell, Legge, Fox, Archer. Replacements used: Reeves, Brown, Otter, Kolakowski, Powell, Hunter, Hinkins, Schmidt, Patston.
Bedford dominated proceedings at Billesley Common on Saturday afternoon to seal their place in the top eight promotion play off. Here’s how the other teams in the Championship got on.
Friday night saw an explosive game at the Butts Park Arena as Coventry overcame Birmingham & Solihull 24-7. Tries from James Hall, Phil Mackenzie and Alex Shaw secured the win for Cov while Ben Russell converted all three as well as adding a penalty. Simon Hunt got a consolation try for the Bees which Rickie Aley converted but the game was marred by a mass brawl deep in stoppage time.
There was only one other game on Saturday afternoon and it finished in a 13-13 draw between Plymouth and London Welsh. Kieran Hallett gave Albion a 6-0 lead before Dominc Shabbo brought the Exiles back into it with a 13th minute try. A penalty try for Plymouth was converted by Hallett just before the break, but Aled Thomas kicked a penalty and then scored a late try to ensure that the spoils were shared.
Bristol travelled to Nottingham on Sunday afternoon and came away with yet another victory. Sam Giddens, James Phillips and Redford Pennycook got the tries for Bris while Adrian Jarvis converted two and kicked a penalty in the 22-16 win. The Green and Whites did earn a bonus point though thanks to a Daniel White try which was converted by David Jackson who also kicked two penalties and in the 79th minute Greig Tonks added another penalty.
Exeter continued to keep up the pressure on Bris with a 30-15 win away to the Cornish Pirates. Two tries for Richie Baxter and one apiece for Andy Miller and Neil Clark sealed a bonus point win while Gareth Steenson kicked ten points. The Pirates replied with three tries of their own through Blair Cowan, Ben Gulliver and David ward.
The final game of the weekend saw Doncaster beat Rotherham 27-20 at Castle Park. Adam Kettle and Stephen McColl scored tries but the star for the Knights was Alistair Warnock who scored a try, converted all three and kicked two penalties. Rotherham did get a losing bonus point thanks to tries from Neil Chivers, Jon Feeley and Jonny West who also kicked a conversion and a penalty.
Having lost by a single point at Camborne earlier in the season, Bedford Blues were run close once again by the Cornish Pirates but this time they came out victors in a close competition. Backs coach Nick Walshe gives his view on the game and the upcoming fixture against Moseley.
“We are really pleased with the win, but what was really good about it was the fact it was so hard fought against a very decent side. It was a close game and we came out on top when previously we hadn’t.
“We definitely bombed a few chances. People will remember Sacha dropping the ball close to the line. If he hadn’t I’m sure he would have gotten close to the posts and we could have got a ten point advantage.
“Having seen the DVD we’ve seen another couple of opportunities where we’ve kicked in the 22 when we shouldn’t have done. We should have kept the ball and possibly gone on to score in that phase or the following one.
“During the second half I think they only got in our 22 once so we felt in control but on the score line we just couldn’t get away from them. I felt pretty comfortable that they weren’t going to score but it was tense with it just being a three point difference.
“The Pirates defended really well and made it difficult for us. On another day – like Nottingham when we did take our chances – we could have had another couple of tries, but it’s important that we are creating these opportunities to score. We took the wrong options at times and we probably kicked too much.
“Against Exeter I thought we got a bit out-muscled, out-powered and out-passioned. This weekend we didn’t. Our defence was excellent, the forwards were very physical around the breakdown and the scrum was good going forward, and the backs were generally much better.
“It was important to get the physical backlash and the boys certainly stepped up.
“We want to finish in the top four this season – third preferably. You’ve got Bristol and Exeter who have all their finances, facilities, squad numbers etc, so it is no disgrace coming behind those two like we did last year with Leeds and Exeter.
“It doesn’t really make a difference as long as we finish in the top eight, but for pride we have to keep a winning momentum going and we just want to win as many of our league games as possible. Where ever we end up is where we start the play-offs from.
“This weekend coming is just as important as we want to win away from home. In the play-offs you will need to win one or two away games and we can put down a marker on Saturday.”
It wasn’t the prettiest of wins at Goldington Road on Saturday afternoon but the Blues will be more than happy to take four points off of the Cornish Pirates as the battle for play-off places continues. Here are the other results from around the Championship this weekend…
Moseley continued their push to finish in the top eight with a good 19-7 win away to Rotherham. Tries from Nathan Bressington and Justin Mensah Coker got the Midland club on their way before Tristan Roberts kicked three second half penalties. Jon Feeley crossed the whitewash for the Titans and Jonny West converted but it was little more than a consolation score.
London Welsh went five points clear of the Blues in third place with a comprehensive 51-17 win over Coventry at Old Deer Park. Tries came through a brace for Dominic Shabbo along with one a piece for Charlie Gower, Matt Corker, Paul Sampson and Errie Claassens as well as a penalty try. Aled Thomas converted five of the tries as well as kicking two penalties Simon Frewin and Romain Plante got tries for Coventry while Fangapatu Apikotoa kicked a penalty.
Exeter’s winning ways continued as they brushed aside Nottingham 42-12 at Sandy Park. Tries from Mark Foster, Clive Stuart-Smith, Andy Miller and two for Matt Jess sealed a bonus point win while Danny Gray added 17 points from the boot. Greig Tonks and Tim Streather got tries for the green and whites with Tonks converting the second.
On Sunday Bristol extended their lead at the top with a hard fought win over Plymouth. Bris picked up a bonus point thanks to tries from Sam Giddens, Lee Robinson, Luke Eves and Junior Fatialofa with two of the four being converted. But Plymouth stayed in touch thanks to a Ben Mercer try and three Kieran Hallet penalties, but Bristol held firm to win 24-14.
Birmingham & Solihull were forced to call off their game against Doncaster which leaves the Yorkshire club needing to catch up on three more games and the Bees two more before the season finishes.
Despite a second half revival the Blues endured a pretty disappointing trip down to Exeter at the weekend. Trailing 28-0 at the break Bedford scored three second half tries, but still came off second best to a strong Exeter side who are still pushing for the top spot. Blues director of rugby Mike Rayer gives his views on the performance and the upcoming game against Cornish Pirates.
“We are extremely disappointed with our first half performance. We didn’t turn up physically and I’m at a loss to explain that because its all we spoke about during the week. We showed second half what we could achieve if we applied ourselves properly.
“People need to look at themselves and understand that if they have the jersey they can’t be giving up because of a poor attitude going into any game. We are getting near the business end of the season and people need to start getting desperate to keep hold of their shirt and some guys let themselves down.
“The plan was always to give Phil Boulton a half as we wanted him to get back in the groove. He knew that he had been off the pace in the last couple of weeks and this was an opportunity to put a marker down and he did pretty well.
“I didn’t want to bring Paul Tupai on that early but I felt that I had to. We needed a bit more of a sting in our tail up front and I thought he brought bucket loads on with him in the second half.
“I don’t like to single players out, but I thought Ian Vass was tremendous in midfield. He was trying to get up, put people under pressure and he was putting his body on the line. I didn’t see that across the board much and it was extremely disappointing.
“In our preparations we spoke about having to go through the whole game wearing your heart on your sleeve and all the other little clichés that we coaches like to use, but it was sadly lacking in the first half. While we put it right after half time it was too little too late.
“There were some positives. The try that Chris Locke scored was as good as any other that you would have seen at the weekend. It was a really good try against a good defensive side. It showed that we are capable but we were far too tentative in the first half.
“It’s a simple game and we have to get on the front foot at times and be bloody minded about going forward and going hard. Nobody seemed to want to pick up the mantle in the first 40 minutes but thankfully we showed a bit of pride and saved a bit of face in the second half.
“Hynesy constantly says to the lads to ‘get desperate before you have to’ and that quote was very true on Saturday.
“Looking ahead to the Cornish Pirates I’m quite clear in my thinking. Boys will lose their jerseys and guys who I think are ready and deserving of it will come in and I’m expecting a backlash.
“Consistency is something we strive for and always has been. I’m fed up of hearing ‘on our day we are a good side’. You can’t just expect to turn up ‘on the day’ and do it, we’ve got to have a bit more mental toughness about us so that we expect performances rather than hope for them.
“It’s not going to be completely knee-jerk this weekend. We did some good stuff and we need to build on that as well as what we did against Nottingham. There will be changes and I expect a bit more off certain individuals. If the players are hurting this week – good, because they should be.
“We’ve got a great opportunity this weekend to get stuck straight back into things against a side who came here last season and out-passioned us. It’s also a team that we lost to by a single point earlier in the season.
“We need to put the Exeter game to bed very quickly and make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”
CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND-UP
Bedford slumped to defeat in Devon and following other results they finished the weekend in sixth place. Here are the rest of the results from the Championship.
Bristol continued their good run with an away 16-27 victory over Coventry on Saturday afternoon. Lee Robinson, Ross Johnston (2), Redford Pennycock and Junior Fatialofa got the tries but only one was converted by Tom Arscott. Coventry replied with a try from David Askew as well as three penalties and a conversion from Fangapatu Apikotoa.
It was the battle of the boot in the Midlands derby between Moseley and Birmingham & Solihull with the hosts taking the points 25-24. Nathan Bressington scored a try before Tristan Roberts kicked a conversion and six penalties in this thrilling encounter. Rickie Aley converted three penalties for the Bees while Simon Hunt scored two tries and added a conversion and a penalty of his own.
London Welsh recorded a good win on the road as they overcame Doncaster 10-17 at Castle Park. Aled Thomas kicked four penalties for the Exiles while Michael Holford scored a try in the 43rd minute. The Knights’ points came thanks to a Hudson Tonga’uiha try which was converted by James Brooks who also kicked a penalty
On Sunday the Cornish Pirates were run close by Rotherham, but held on to pick up five points. Jonathan Bentley, Richard Bright and Paul Devlin all crossed the line and a penalty try was also awarded at Camborne Rec while Rob Cook kicked a penalty and three conversions. Rotherham did pick up two points thanks to four tries from Nigel Conroy, Jon Feeley, Jon Skurr and Tom Allen while Michael Whitehead and Matthew Rhodes both converted one apiece.
Nottingham recorded their second win on the trot, but Plymouth ran them close. A penalty try and one for Jack Cobden got the ball rolling for the Green and Whites while Greig Tonks converted both and kicked two penalties. Rory Watt-Jones scored a try for Albion which Alex Davies converted as well as kicking four penalties, but the game finished 20-19 to Nottingham.
Bedford Blues put their one point defeat against Nottingham at Meadow Lane earlier in the season well behind them as they thumped the Green and Whites 51-19 at the weekend. Director of rugby Mike Rayer gives his views on that game and the upcoming fixture against Exeter Chiefs.
“There was no doubt that we did some really good things and we executed far better than on any occasion this season.
“People probably look in and see the tries which are the end product but there was lots of good stuff being done off the ball which is pleasing, our kick chase and kicking as a whole was a hell of a lot better and there was plenty of variety.
“The lineout functioned at nearly 100% and that was important. There’s still work to be done at the scrum but it’s an ongoing process. Scoring off of a driving lineout was very pleasing as the forwards have put in a lot of work for several weeks now.
“Overall it’s about getting the balance right. We are renowned for our attacking flair behind the scrum but I don’t think that the forwards get the respect that they deserve. I thought they were great at the breakdown, slowing down Nottingham with some great tackling and the second guy in contesting hard, often resulting in turnovers. Also they were very effective in carrying and ball presentation which helped our continuity in attack.
“It was unfortunate that Nottingham got their first try as John Harlock went a little bit early and mistimed it. While we defended the initial drive well, Nottingham re-gathered and drove over – it was hard to stop.
“After that I thought there was a lot of really good stuff in our organization and technique. In the second half we put in big defensive effort, went on the counter attack and scored three good tries.
“All 22 players involved stepped up for the full eighty minutes. What was especially pleasing was our reaction to Nottingham going down to 13. We played with a lot of tempo including a play from deep that resulted in Ian Davey's try, we were pretty ruthless in that period. Taking your chances when people are in the bin often will decide an outcome of a game. Moving forward we also need to learn those lessons with regards to our discipline.
“Looking ahead to Exeter you have to say that there is slightly less pressure on us as we are clearly second favourites going down there. It’s not been the happiest of hunting grounds for us although we were very unlucky in the cup last year.
“You have to respect where Exeter are in the league and what they do. The good thing for us is that there is competition for places and we’ve said to the lads that there will be changes. I want everyone fighting fit and people carrying bumps don't need to play.
“We need to start gearing up for the play-offs, but we certainly aren’t going there to roll over. It’s always about belief when you play teams like Exeter and Bristol because when it comes down to it we’ve got a lot of quality in our squad. We’ve lacked confidence in the past but there should be no reason for that now. We are getting our house in order and there are certain things in our game that are really good at the moment.
However, we'll have to play even better than we did on Saturday. Nottingham may have been a bit rusty but Exeter certainly won't be, especially on their own patch.”
NEW FACES AT GOLDINGTON ROAD
With the transfer deadline just around the corner, Bedford Blues have strengthened their squad with six new signings.
During the Summer the Blues established a new link-up with Saracens following similar deals with Leicester Tigers and Northampton Saints.
Players such as Harry Spencer, Alex Brown and Tom Casson have already been at Goldington Road this season but now Owen Farrell, William Fraser, James Short, Jamie George, George Kruis and Jake Sharp have all signed dual registration papers with the Blues.
Farrell, 18, is the son of former England and Saracens star Andy who plays at 10 or 12 having switched codes like his father. Fraser, 20, is a 6ft 2ins flanker who has represented England at Under 16 level and Short, 20, plays on the wing and has also played in the Sarries first team.
George, 19, offers extra cover at hooker and has played for England Under 16s and 18s. Kruis, 19, can play in the second row and back row while Sharp, 18, plays at fly half and has also played in the first team.
Speaking about the signings Blues director of rugby Mike Rayer said: "Our relationship with Saracens has developed very nicely and although we may not see these boys before the end of the season, they are a good tool to have in the future."
COACH'S CORNER - BEES
Bedford started the New Year with a convincing 10-49 away win against Birmingham& Solihull on Saturday afternoon. The game was moved to Goldington Road from Sharmans Cross due to a frozen pitch and the Blues certainly seemed to enjoy their run out. Director of rugby Mike Rayer gives his view on the performance and the week ahead.
“It was bit surreal really. People were turning up and we still had blowers on the pitch trying to ensure that the game went ahead. We’d been training all week on an icy surface and we were lucky not to pick up any injuries. Thankfully the game did go ahead and we were delighted with the outcome.
“You really can’t put a price on five points at this time in the season. It gave the boys the chance to have a good run out and go through a few things. Defensively, and with the exception of the first five minutes, I thought that we looked pretty good. It was a poor start and we are extremely disappointed with it but after that we grew quite well and scored some good tries.
“No disrespect to Birmingham, but after half an hour we were in control and we had the game in the bag. It’s good to be in control for long periods regardless of who it is against as you can control the pace and tempo.
“I thought Birmingham played some good rugby at times and tackled really well and it certainly wasn’t as easy as the score line suggested. It was a bit of a confidence boost for the boys and now we have two games at home to prepare for off the back of this victory.
“London Welsh was a massive win for us especially after the disappointment of the Plymouth game and the second half of the Bristol game. We’ve got the building blocks in place and now we have to take steps up the ladder and crank up our performances.
“We made some changes against Birmingham and you had to expect a bit of rustiness but someone like Chris Locke got 80 minutes under his belt and by the end of the game we had Will Chudley, Duncan Taylor and James Knight all making an impact on the match. A lot of young lads picked up some experience but we also had the bonus of Marco Cecere and Ben Lewitt coming back.
“I think that we are going to have some real headaches on our hands going into this weekend’s game. With Mike Howard and Gregor Gillanders coming back there could be some real fights going on in training to get a hold of a jersey.
“Rotherham are going to be really tough and we had to go right to the death to win the game up there. They have got a great set of forwards and we know that they are a lot better than their league position suggests. It’s going to be hard on Saturday afternoon.”
COACH'S CORNER - LONDON WELSH
The Blues rounded off 2009 with a 30-23 victory over London Welsh at Goldington Road on Boxing Day but what did scrum half and backs coach Nick Walshe make of the performance?
“It was definitely hard fought and it was one of the most physical games that I have ever been involved in. We knew it would be tough, we knew they would try to bully us and we knew that they would try and dominate us up front but I thought that we stood toe-to-toe with them and did really, really well.
“We were up against it at times but we came through it and I think that it goes to show the character of the team that we have here. We’ve been scratching around a bit lately but as coaches we knew it had nothing to do with attitude or commitment and we proved it on Saturday by being more clinical. We scored some really good tries but we also had a little bit of luck and we got the result which was great.
“We targeted Tom Brown (number 8) and Gordon Ross (fly half) as they are the two key players for London Welsh and they made the difference when we played down there earlier in the season.
“Brown made yard after yard in that game and although he had some thundering runs on Saturday I felt we coped well. I remember one point where he took in a kick and ran at us full pelt only to meet Myles Dorrian, Mike Howard and Paul Tupai and they just belted him and I felt that really summed up our day and the attitude of the players.
“Brown didn’t control the game like he did last time and Ross played okay and did some good stuff but he didn’t influence the game like he can do and I think our guys dealt with things quite well.
“I’ll speak about this possibly being a turning point in our season after the next game. We weren’t at our best this weekend but sometimes you just need to get that win. What did it for me, and hopefully the guys will take a lot of confidence from it as well, is that we defended really well, battled really hard and took our chances when we had them. If we can continue in that vein, make the chances, finish them and defending well, then it could be a turning point.
“What was really pleasing was seeing all of the lads smiling in the changing room after the game. They put in a hell of a lot of effort and got the rewards for a change. Confidence comes from winning and you get momentum from winning so hopefully we can carry that into the next few weeks against Birmingham & Solihull, Rotherham and Nottingham. We’ve got the chance to get some wins out of those games.
“You can look at the kicks that London Welsh missed, but we’ve been in games when we’ve missed kicks and James Pritchard hit the post with an effort. They could have scored them all and on paper they could have won the game, but you don’t know what the reaction would have been from our players.
“We probably gave away too many penalties and a couple of needless ones. Mike Howard’s sin binning was unnecessary, Chris Goodman gave a penalty away but the ref was looking for it. On another day he might have got away with it. We’ve got to be careful because it would have been a shame to have put in all that effort and lost.
“Overall I’m pleased with the win and although the performance wasn’t a classic, picking up the victory was the most important thing especially against a damn good team like London Welsh.”
COACH'S CORNER - PLYMOUTH
The Bedford Christmas party was ruined on Saturday afternoon when Plymouth Albion picked up the win at Goldington Road. Blues director of rugby Mike Rayer shares his views on the result and the performance by his players.
“There was definitely a bit more than 11 seconds of injury time to be played but ultimately we came up short because we made too many errors yet again. Our inability to hold onto the ball is stopping our rhythm and we are not putting sides under pressure.
“We can only look at ourselves in that sense. We made in excess of 25 errors and that is far too many. It’s frustrating for coaches but it is also frustrating for the players. We practice our core skills hard Monday, Tuesday and Thursday but unfortunately we are not transferring it onto the pitch and it is creating a stop-start style of rugby that doesn’t suit us.
“Inevitably, with the contact these days, you will turn ball over but the bit we have to get control of is the unforced errors. We aren’t catching the ball before contact. Nobody means to do it or means to drop the ball, but we have to look at ourselves and apply ourselves for the duration of the game.
“The four games that we have lost by single scores this year have mostly been down to our errors and it’s nothing to do with the opposition.
“It’s easy to pinpoint where things are going wrong when you see 25 occasions where we’ve turned the ball over. It results in a scrum or, as was the case on Saturday, with the harshest penalty of all and that is conceding a try following the mistake.
“In regards to the argument about our style, obviously, we are promoting a lot of ball in hand. If we were kicking the ball away mindlessly all the time then there probably would be fewer errors. We are trying to be more pragmatic at times and tactically I don’t think we were far away at the weekend. We made a lot of right calls and good decisions but unfortunately we never hung onto the ball. When we did we scored a great try.
“We also saw that one error compounds another. There was one occasion where we knocked on in their 22, they kicked ahead and then we knocked on just outside our 22. We made two errors and all of a sudden we were under the cosh.
“You don’t deserve to win if you don’t take your chances. I thought Plymouth were very effective and vastly improved from earlier in the season. Their lineout and driving maul was very effective and we knew that it was coming but we didn’t handle it particularly well. We’ve got to hold our hands up to that whether it was a coaching point of view or a player application point of view, but we also have to come up with the answers.
“We haven’t turned into a poor team overnight. We just aren’t getting the results. Games are decided by fine margins and whereas last year we were winning the close games, this year we are losing them. It’s only a couple of points on many occasions, but we have to keep battling, rolling up our sleeves and keep working hard.
“Now we have to look forward to a tough game away at Bristol on Friday night. We have to get our handling right, put together some phases and have a bit of faith. What’s the point in turning up if you don’t believe that you can win it?
“Bristol are a top side and we know it won’t be easy. There is no doubt that we will have to be at our very, very best if we want to take anything from the game.”
COACH'S CORNER - COVENTRY
The Blues drew against Coventry at the Ricoh Arena on Friday night, but what did director of rugby Mike Rayer make of the performance and the result?
“There is no question that the boys put their bodies on the line in the first half, we held them up really well when we were down to 13 men and we also scored a couple of really nice tries to give us a bit of a lead, albeit a little flattering at 15-0.
“The last 20 minutes however, we were pretty average . We didn’t deal with the high ball well at all, made poor decisions and we never really squeezed or threatened to put the game out of sight. If we had done that then we would have won the game.
“It was really disappointing that we lost our shape completely and I still can’t believe that we got a draw out of it in the end. Their outside half was probably our best player...
“It’s easy to be negative and highly critical and there’s no doubt the lads were extremely dissapointed at the end of the game, but for 60 minutes there were positives as we created plenty of opportunities, but we just weren’t there with the finishing off. It means that we are scratching around for wins, but it’s that time of year I suppose.
“The weather is horrendous at the moment, but it is the same for both sides on a field and we have to learn to deal with it and start controlling the lead when we have it.
“We need to start applying ourselves more and really go for the jugular which is something that we didn’t do on Friday. We just didn’t get the field position in the second half and we were made to pay.
“There is no doubt that individual errors are costing us at the moment. Fortunately or unfortunately it’s not the same people every week!
“But we will learn from it. For example we’ve got a young number nine who has come on who is full of enthusiasm. We needed control and direction at that point but I’m sure he will learn and be better for the experience. He wasn’t alone though as some of our senior players also got caught up in the madness of that last quarter.
“As for Saturday we know Plymouth are on a bit of a roll at the minute. They went down to London Welsh recently and won and then backed it up with a couple of good performances in the British & Irish Cup before getting the win against Rotherham on Saturday.
“They are going to be full of confidence and they will come here with there usual game plan and try and implement that on us. The pressure is on us and we have to take the game to them and try and play for extended periods rather than fits and starts. We need to take control of the game and get the scoreboard ticking over.
“We are looking for consistency in our selections at the moment, but the lads can’t just rock up and think that they are going to start. They will be judged on form and fitness and if we need to make a change then we will.”
COACH'S CORNER - ULSTER
The British and Irish Cup kicked off on Friday with the Blues tasting defeat against Ulster at Ravenhill. After watching the DVD of the game backs coach Nick Walshe gave his view on how the result.
“I think that Ulster put a good side out and I think that we didn’t start particularly well in that we conceded two early tries and after ten minutes we were 14-0 down and it was always going to be an uphill battle. It was a bit disappointing as we didn’t want to give them such a good start but we were playing a decent side who were very slick.
“I don’t think that we played to our best in the first half and at times we defended well and at times we didn’t. Ulster were very clinical in the first half scoring four tries out of six chances which was fair play to them and you tip your hat as we were beaten by the better side in the opening 40 minutes.
“At half time the game was pretty much gone but we sat the lads down and said that we needed to show some pride and have a crack at these guys. Nil nil in the second half just proves what we could have done and although we didn’t look massively threatening we did have opportunities. We just needed a bit more composure.
“We wanted to do well in this competition and we will keep on going. Ulster were a good side and a professional outfit but they could slip up and we have to make sure that we are up there.
“It’s a bit of an old cliché but it was a good learning curve for us. When we are up against it we have to consolidate a bit and we did that in the second half. We did some good stuff with line breaks but unfortunately we didn’t score which was a shame for us and all of the supporters who travelled over to Belfast for the match. I thought we applied ourselves well and those are the positives that we have to take out of the game.
“In the forwards a lot of people got the chance to play and get game time under their belts while we were also able to rest a couple of guys who have been playing a lot of rugby. We’ve got some selection headaches as a lot of people put in good individual performances and others have had a break so I suppose it’s fair to say that the game worked out well for us.
“This week we are back at Goldington Road and it’s always great to play here, but what’s exciting about this competition is that a lot of guys haven’t been to places like Ulster and they haven’t played teams like Llanelli so we want to put on a good performance."
Bedford Blues are pleased to announce that Chris Brightwell has joined the club from Birmingham and Solihull.
Born in New Zealand, Brightwell grew up playing for Hawks Bay and Wellington's Development side before moving to the UK last year. His father Tu was a blindside flanker for the Poneke Colts and Premier teams in the 1980s, so son Chris followed in his footsteps.
Following an ankle injury early in his career, Brightwell went on to start 23 consecutive Premier matches, thirteen at No. 8 and ten at blindside. In those he has scored 113 points, including eight tries and 73 points with the boot as Poneke's second goal kicker in 2007.
Brightwell - whose mother is English - has just been called up to the England 7's Squad for the IRB Sevens World Series legs in Dubai and South Africa in December.
He also becomes the second player to move from Sharmans Cross to Goldington Road this season following the Blues capture of prop Dan Seal last month.
The back row forward has been a shining light for the Bees this season and put in an impressive performance, scoring a try along the way, when Birmingham and Solihull played the Blues last month.
Bedford director of rugby Mike Rayer said: "Chris is an excellent addition to our squad and we are extremely pleased to have him with us. Anyone who was at the game in October will no doubt have noticed Chris's performance as he constantly harassed us from start to finish.
"Strength in depth is always important and we have seen recently just how crucial it can be given our injury list. Chris is a first rate player and he will add extra competition for starting places and I think that is very healthy for this club."
COACH'S CORNER - PIRATES
Sunday's defeat against the Cornish Pirates was the Blues third one point loss of the season. Here are Nick Walshe's views on how things panned out.
"We were seriously disappointed when the final whistle went because it was another game - and we are saying this far too often - that we should have won.
"If I'm being perfectly honest I have to say that in the first 30 minutes we were a little soft in defence. We had to understand that the Pirates were playing into the wind and we know that when you do that you are going to keep hold of the ball.
"They had scrums in their 22 and in two or three phases they were making 60 or 70 yards meaning that our one-on-one tackling wasn't aggressive enough and then when we were in the position to make tackles we dropped them which is really frustrating.
"We didn't squeeze them and ended up 7-3 down when we shouldn't have allowed them into our 22 to score what was a good try. In the last ten minutes of the half we played really well, scored two great tries and showed what we could do with the ball.
"Right at the end of the half we were forced to defend and we showed again what we could do by smashing them backwards.
"At 17-7 I have to say that it probably wasn't quite enough at half time but I felt that going into the wind, and sometimes we play better in the second half, things weren't too bad.
"We came out, were sloppy for ten minutes and their try came through a mistake just like Nottingham. We missed a kick at goal which would have brought it back to ten points and then we got set back again. Their third try was another mistake where we went to sleep a bit and missed tackles but it was another try that we gifted them.
"You can hold your hands up for the first one, but we gave them two more which is annoying.
"What was tedious about the third try was that we have a policy of trying to take lineouts quickly at times but referees don't like it, so why was this allowed? the fact it didn't go five metres and we fell asleep certainly didn't make things any better.
"We came back into the game with Sam Walsh going over to finish a well worked try. We were patient in their 22, kept the ball and did well. We then got a very kickable opportunity that we didn't take and that was the end of the game.
"It is really frustrating because we are doing enough to win games, we aren't being outplayed and we are the ones playing the most rugby in these games but for some reason we are making errors that are costing us dearly. If we reduced these mistakes by 25 per cent then we would be winning games.
"But it is a loss. We can't get away from it and we have to keep being positive. As coaches we believe that we are going in the right direction.
"The players are doing 80 per cent of what we want them to do really well, but the other 20 per cent is being done very badly instead of not so well and I think that is what is killing us at the moment. Their atitude is great and we aren't getting thumped or outplayed by any team, but we need to learn lessons from these results.
"One thing that was pleasing from the weekend was getting into the red zone and comng away with points. We did that especially well for Sam Walsh's try and all of the players were focused. It was an area that we wanted to improve on and we did it.
"This week we need to be bold and really take the game to Moseley. We have to play some damn good rugby and beat them. We aren't going to go into our shells, kick the ball away and hope they make mistakes. We are going to get out there and play."
COACH'S CORNER - EXETER
Saturday's match against Exeter was a tough one but having watched the DVD of the game Blues director of rugby Mike Rayer is satisfied with the players performance and is looking ahead at the bigger picture.
“We are all obviously disappointed and flat following the game at the weekend, but a lot of it is born out of frustration from the week before as well. We put a lot of effort in to the Exeter game and to come away without even a bonus point was disappointing because the players showed terrific character.
“We were really under the cosh at times on Saturday and for long periods. It was a furiously physical game especially in the contact area and it wasn’t until the second half that we started to find space and get some tempo and pace in the game.
“We made an inordinate amount of errors again from our kicking game down to ball in contact being lost – it was more than 25 errors. For us to beat a side like Exeter we have to be 90 per cent, at least, accurate in what we are doing. Everyone makes mistakes and in an intense game like that a lot of them were forced by Exeter and their defence and we can’t hide form that.
“It was always going to be an uphill task for us, but for a side like us with our resources and the current injury problems that we have, we had to be almost perfect in our execution and we weren’t. There’s no blame attached to that, we just didn’t execute certain things particularly well. If we had of done then we would have been a lot closer, no two ways about it.
“I think when all’s said and done I can’t fault what the players have done. They’ve put their bodies on the line for us again and given their all for the cause. We just need to get that error count down if we are going to beat the top sides.
“Saturday was a good old humdinger with both sides going at it hammer and tong with nothing being given. Some decent rugby did break out at times but it was infrequent.
“Exeter put us under pressure in the first half and squeezed the life out of us, although at 14-3 at half time I wasn’t overly disappointed – I was quite happy in fact. Going down the slope in the second half I thought that if we scored an early try then we could go on and win the game. At 14-11 we only needed another penalty, but we couldn’t find that extra scoring chance and they came up the other end and kicked two penalties.
“I don’t think there will be any hang-ups from this result. Of course you are disappointed but there aren’t any hang-ups, we move on.
“There are positives and the biggest is that the guys who are sore and aching and carrying bumps are rolling up their sleeves and keep churning out performances. We really don’t have any alternatives at present and that says something about the spirit and tenacity of the lads that we have got here. Yes, we do make mistakes but it’s not for the want of trying.
“We’ve given the guys a few days off this week to recuperate mentally as well as physically. The squad has shouldered a lot of work over the last few weeks and it’s important that they have a break and step away from it.
“As coaches we know that it’s going to be a long season and that we have to look after some of the players. So with a bit of luck on the injury front and the lads hopefully freshened up after a mini break we look ahead to another tough fixture this weekend."
CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND-UP WK9
Bedford’s defeat to Exeter was certainly a disappointment, but other results around the Championship meant that the Blues held on to fourth spot in the table.
The league’s first televised game of the season saw Bristol overcome Coventry in an eight try mauling. A hat-trick in 30 minutes for Tom Arscott was followed by tries for Dan Norton, Jason Spice, James Phillips, Luke Eves and Jack Adams while Adrian Jarvis kicked three conversions in the 46-28 win. Coventry replied with tries from Joe Carlisle, Joe Merrigan and Scott Roberts. Carlisle also kicked two penalties and Ben Russell added two conversions and a penalty.
Rotherham caused a bit of a surprise at Clifton Lane when they defeated Cornish Pirates 29-20 yet only scored one try. Neil Chivers crossed the whitewash and Michael Whitehead kicked a drop goal, but it was Jonny West who stole the show with six penalties and a drop goal. The Pirates points came through tries from James Doherty and Blair Cowan while James Moore kicked ten points.
The second surprise of the weekend came as Plymouth got the better of Nottingham. Albion scored five tries in the 31-25 win through Keni Fisilau, Ben Mercer, Ruairi Cushion, Sean Stephen and Keiran Hallett who also added three conversions. The green and whites scored three tries through Ben Johnston, Greg Sammons and Tim Streather while Tim Taylor added ten points from the boot.
Doncaster continued their recent fine form as they defeat London Welsh 20-9 at Old Deer Park. A Matt Williams try got the Knights on the right path after five minutes before a penalty try was awarded on the 54 minute mark. Alistair Warnock kicked two penalties and two conversions to take all the points to Yorkshire. Aled Thomas kicked three penalties for the Exiles.
The final game saw Moseley beat Birmingham and Solihull in a closely fought Midlands derby which ended 16-23. Ronnie McLean opened the scoring for the Bees and Simon Hunt added the extras before going on to kick three penalties. But Moseley proved to be too strong and they responded with tries from Neil Mason and Nathan Bressington while Tristan Roberts kicked two penalties and Andrew Borgen added seven points from his boot.
Next week Coventry welcome London Welsh to the Butts Lane Arena on Friday night before Doncaster v Birmingham & Solihull, Moseley v Rotherham Titans and Plymouth Albion v Bristol all play on Saturday. The weekend is rounded off with Nottingham welcoming Exeter to Leicetser Tigers’ Welford Road and Bedford travel to the Cornish Pirates.
COACH'S CORNER
Delight and relief were the two words that Blues director of rugby used to sum up Saturday’s narrow win against Rotherham at Clifton Lane. After reviewing the DVD he shared his thoughts on how the game panned out.
“I was really pleased that we came away with the victory and we had to show a lot on tenacity to hang in there.
“It appeared that things were conspiring against us before the game. Mark Lilley went down with flu on Friday, Brad Davies woke up with inflamed tonsils and was ruled out by the doctor, Phil Boulton got stuck in traffic and didn’t even get to the game and then about 15 minutes into the game Chris Goodman got injured. Brett Daynes came in for what was his debut and I thought he did really well.
“The disruptions have an impact though and it was frustrating early on that we didn’t take our chances and build up a lead. We put a lot of pressure in Rotherham’s 22 but we didn’t finish the chances off and back Rotherham came.
“We knew that they would be a tough nut to crack especially after their performance the week before and we had talked about that during the week. They came out with a huge amount of pride and they defended like it.
“We didn’t deal with the high ball particularly well and they were straight onto us. The number eight picked up from the scrum, we missed the tackle and we were a few scores behind.
“We scored a decent try in the first half but I felt that we should have picked up at least another one which would have made it a lot more competitive and we would have been a lot happier at half time.
“Second half we conceded penalties and fair play to their lad, he never looked like missing anything and he dropped a goal as well to keep the scoreboard ticking over every time we got back into the game.
“I have to say that Myles Dorrian’s try, we went through about eight to ten phases for that and it was a really good team try where we showed a lot of patience as well as heart and endeavour.
“They came back with two penalties and it looked as though the game was slipping away from us at 25-20, but we dug really deep and I was pleased for Sam. I didn’t realise it was his first try for the club and he was playing like a man possessed against his old club. One of the lads said that we’ll have to tell him we’re playing Rotherham every week.
“I was pleased for the youngster, for Vassy and some of the Senior guys. Toops was pretty much playing on one leg and really taking the fight to them. It was a big day for Alex Brown and Harry Spencer and I’m sure that they learnt a lot from it.
“The stats show that we made between 55 and 60 tackles during the game so that means that we dominated possession. Huge credit to Rotherham, they brought a lot to that game and were tenacious in defence as well as stretching us at times.
“All-in-all we are delighted with the win. We hung in by hook or by crook and maybe we got our Bristol game back. You work hard all week and sometimes things go for you and sometimes they go against you.
Looking ahead we face Nottingham this weekend and we have certainly had some humdingers against them and we are yet to break our duck at Meadow Lane.
"Glenn Delaney has done a good job. He has them really well organised upfront and they are also playing with plenty of width and pace.
"We are in the midst of three really hard games of rugby against Nottingham this week, then Exeter and then the long trip down to Cornish Pirates the week after that so it was a relief to win on Saturday and we can look ahead with some confidence.
"Nottingham will be favourites as they are in a purple patch and probably the form team in the league at the moment so it shows the size of the task ahead of us.
"It is made all the more difficult with the number of injuries that we have and we will be lucky to get 22 players out there at the weekend.
"I also went to watch the Colts play on Sunday against Ampthill and they got pushed us all the way. It was a good local derby and I thought that Ampthill were terrific showing bags of guts throughout.
"It was a bit of a wake-up call for the Colts as they may have thought that they were going to turn up and win easily but they had to work hard. They came through and scored some quality tries at the end but I think they have realised that it was very different from playing other academy sides when they are underdogs. When they are the favourites and people want a piece of them then it's a lot tougher and they have probably learnt a valuable lesson."
LADIES DAY
Following the 53-25 win over Birmingham & Solihull the players and management moved into the Blues Marquee to witness a rather unique auction of rugby tops.
Jersey's worn by Dan Richmond, Harry Spencer, Chris Goodman, Myles Dorrian and James Knight raised well over £700, but there was also a very late and inclusion to the sale.
Auctioneer Sam Roberts got a bit of a surprise when a bright pink autographed bra was handed over by a mystery female fan. It transpired that prop Marco Cecere and former Goldington Road favourite Billy Twelvetrees had - after a lot of persuation - agreed to put their signatures on either cup. The undergarment was sold for £30 to Sarah Irvine, the wife of Bedford Blues chairman Geoff.
The Bedford Blues Ladies Day was once again a roaring success and everybody at the club would like to thank the fans for supporting the initiative.
CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND-UP WK7
Friday night saw two hard fought games opening the Championship weekend. At the Butts Lane Arena Coventry were pipped to the points by Nottingham 13-18. Tries from Rohaan Nirmalendran and Andrew Forsyth as well as five points from Greig Tonks and a Tim Taylor penalty saw the green and whites to victory. David Maddocks and Jamie Miller replied for Cov while Tommy Hayes kicked a penalty.
In the other game Bristol overcame Moseley 19-9 in front of 5,149 fans. Tom Arscott got the games only try for Bris and Adrian Jarvis kicked four penalties and a conversion. Tristan Roberts got all of the visitor’s points via penalty kicks.
Doncaster finally got their first win of the season away to Plymouth Albion 6-19. Kieran Hallett kicked two penalties for Plymouth but a penalty try and one from Andy Boyde as well as 11 points from Alistair Warnock wrapped up an important win for the Knights.
London Welsh continued their good form with a 34-10 victory over the Cornish Pirates. The Exiles ran in six tries through Robert Lewis (2), Dominic Shabbo, Simon Whatling, Dorian Williams and Errie Claasens while Gordon Ross kicked two conversions. The Pirates points came from a Rhys Jones penalty, a Wes Davies try and a James Moore conversion.
Exeter rounded of the weekend with a 22-51 win at Birmingham & Solihull. Paul McKenzie, Chris Budgen, Josh Matavasi, Sean Marsden, Tommy Hayes, Richard Bolt and Hayden Thomas got the tries for the Chiefs while Danny Gray kicked five conversions and two penalties. The Bees scored three tries through Mitchell Culpin, Rod Petty and Cameron Mitchell while Leopold Halavatua kicked a conversion, Simon Hunt hit a penalty and Ronnie McLean landed a conversion.
COACH'S CORNER
It was a disappointing weekend for Bedford as they slumped to defeat against London Welsh at Old Deer Park. Backs coach Nick Walshe has looked back over the DVD and took time out from the Blues preparations for this weekend’s game against Birmingham and Solihull to share his views on the loss.
“Before I watched the video I thought that during the first half we had played okay. I thought that we had been the team that looked more likely to score and had put pressure on while playing in the wind, but they got two tries, which I thought were against the run of play. Second half we started quite well getting the penalty and at 17-10 I thought here we go, but then they had a purple patch.
“Having watched the video, to be honest, it doesn’t make for pretty viewing. We made a hell of a lot of mistakes and we can’t expect to win the big games making the types of errors that we did especially away from home. We pretty much gifted them all of their points and they didn’t have to do a great deal. What they did do well was put us under pressure and force us into making errors.
“I don’t think we particularly went into the game concentrating on what we wanted to achieve. We talked about it a lot during the week and we knew that they were going to come hard at us, but we didn’t execute what we had planned which is disappointing. I don’t know whether we were being a little complacent thinking that we were just going to turn up and win.
“As I said I think we gifted them their points. The first try was unlucky. Myles had a kick that was charged down and Sampson did well to finish it off, but it was against the run of play. Then we were on the attack and they got an interception, again it was against the run of play. Second half the try came from about four or five missed tackles. I just don’t think that we were 100 per cent there and you won’t win games like that.
“When we played Bristol we worked really hard and put into practice everything that we had done in the week. It was more disappointing that we lost that match because we deserved a lot more. This weekend I don’t know if there was a bit of a hangover from the Bristol game or whether we thought we would just win because of the performance the week before.
“You can’t take anything for granted and that was proven on Sunday when Exeter smashed Bristol at Bristol. It shows that you have to fight and work hard for every single point in this league and for every victory.
“I don’t think that we were really there, but if we had of been and if we had shown the same attitude and mentality as we did against Bristol then I’m certain that we would have won at London Welsh.
“We as coaches are very disappointed but now we have to analyse everything and look at how we can get better. Defeat does hurt but it can also give you the little kick up the bum that you need sometimes. The other great thing about sport is that you have to move on straight away and start preparing for the next game and that’s what we will be doing.
“There’s still a long way to go and we don’t want anymore performances like we put in at the weekend because we know that we are better than that.
“Against Birmingham and Solihull we really have to expect the unexpected. They have nothing to lose. Yes, they are in dire straits off the field but they are still a team of proud men who want to pull on the jersey and they will certainly want to beat us. I don’t think it’s a given, we’ve still got to perform and we want the performance to be good.
CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND-UP WK5
For the first time in a long time the Blues took nothing away from their weekend fixture, but there were certainly some interesting results from around the Championship this weekend.
Friday night saw a Midlands derby and it was Moseley who came out on top against Coventry. A try from Jonny May along with three penalty tries saw Moseley to a 25-28 win with Rob Thirlby kicking all four conversions. Cov’s points came courtesy of two Will Hurrell tries and one apiece for Jamie Miller and George Crook who also kicked a penalty and a conversion.
Doncaster slumped to a fifth consecutive defeat – this time at the hands of Nottingham. Tim Usasz, Ben Johnston and Luke Sheriff got the tries for the Green and Whites while Greig Tonks kicked eight points. The hosts got a consolation try through Chris Hallam with Alistair Warnock converting.
Plymouth Albion started October in fantastic style with a win over the previously unbeaten Cornish Pirates. Tries from Danny Porte and Ben Mercer along with a Kieran Hallett penalty and drop goal secured a 16-8 win. Pirates replied through a Rhys Jones penalty and a Rhodri McAtee try but it wasn’t enough for a losing bonus point.
Birmingham and Solihull’s problems continued on the pitch as well as off them. Only 377 people turned up to see Rotherham win 0-29 with tries from Tinus Du Plessis, Bradley Hunt, Matthew Challinor and Matthew Farmer. Jonathan West completed the scoring with three conversions and a penalty.
The final game of the weekend saw the only remaining 100 per cent records go head-to-head as Bristol played host to Exeter and it was the Chiefs who came away with theirs still in tact. Tries from Matt Cornwell, Richie Baxter, Phil Dollman and Simon Alcott as well as 15 points from Gareth Steenson’s boot sealed a 26-35 win. Junior Fatialofa and Dan Norton touched down for Bris and Adrian Jarvis kicked 16 points.
COACH'S CORNER
The dust has settled following Saturday's thrilling encounter against Bristol which was played in front of a magnificent 4,067 crowd at Goldington Road. Blues director of rugby Mike Rayer has had the chance to review the game and he gave his thoughts on how everything went on the day.
"It doesn’t matter how many times you re-watch the DVD you can’t change the result but it’s not about that, it’s about identifying areas where we could have been better and review some of the stuff that we did well.
"By-and-large, particularly in the second half, we looked at some of the things that we wanted to do during the game and the boys did them. That’s great for us as coaches as they have taken on what we said during the week and they have taken it into the big game.
"Given the amount of time that we have with the lads, for them to have gone and done this, it is a real positive. It didn’t all go well, but the lads called it and had a real go.
"We tried to get a message on because first half, tactically, we got it wrong. We kicked the ball into touch and giving them the throw and their lineout was very efficient and we couldn’t get near the ball to turn it over. We wanted them to keep the ball in the park and they succeeded in doing that in the second half. Maybe we should have done better going down the slope in the first 40.
"But that’s being hyper-critical. We did so much good stuff with the ball in hand, some of the other kicking was good and the chase was excellent. In terms of territory we may have edged it in the first half, but in terms of possession we hardly touched the ball and that’s credit to Bristol.
"We missed a couple of half chances early on and we have to learn from them. Hopefully we can get this right when we play London Welsh this weekend and other teams beyond.
"We made nearly 70 tackles in the first half and that shows how much of the ball that Bristol had. It was a big stint and the boys really had a hard day at the office. Second half we made 30-odd so that shows that we kept the ball in hand longer.
"There weren’t many line-breaks during the game. They got on the outside of us a couple of times and had a disallowed try but then we looked quite dangerous on the counter attack. But for a stray pass on the lineout move we pulled or the bounce of the ball from kicking over the top things could have gone our way but that’s life
"At the end of last year we were on the end of fortunate wins like Moseley in the fog and Leeds, we can’t get too despondent about it. It’s a funny shaped ball and sometimes it doesn’t go with you. We didn’t take our chances and you don’t win games if you don’t take your chances.
"We do need to put one thing straight. Two years ago we would have been walking out of here as pleased as punch with that performance. Two years on and the expectation of what we have built up and what we’ve done – and that’s not just me, it’s everyone from the grounds man to the chairman to the cleaner – is so high that people expected us to win and we came up a point short. We’ve come a long way and that’s something we’ve got to learn to deal with. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but we can’t lose sight of where we’ve come from yet we are expected to beat the 13th team in England.
"Okay, our kicker’s had a poor day at the office but it was just a poor day. I think he’s probably the record point scorer at Bedford, he can kick them with his eyes closed and is practising more than ever. I’ve got no doubt in James Pritchard’s ability as an international goal kicker and he will come through it.
"We missed a drop goal and other half chances and they all add to the pot. Goal kicking is a big responsibility and it always will be but he stepped up. Did he miss it on purpose? I think we all know the answer.
"We are four games in and we have lost our first. All I’m concerned about is getting into the top eight. The players put an unbelievable amount of effort into that game and I know the fans are disappointed but no more so than the players.
"We’ve got to pick ourselves up off the floor and although it was a gut-wrenching loss it wasn’t a demoralising loss if we had lost by 50 points say. We know that we did a lot of good stuff but we also know there is a lot to work on.
There may have been disappointment at Goldington Road on Saturday afternoon, but there were plenty of interesting results from the rest of the Championship after round four.
Exeter extended their winning streak to four games as they beat Plymouth in a closely fought Devon derby. Three tries from Paul McKenzie, Richard Baxter and Bryan Rennie as well as eight points for Danny Gray and seven for Gareth Steenson took the Chiefs to 30 points while Albion racked up 24 through a try from Geoff Griffiths and 19 points from Kieran Hallet including a try and a drop goal.
Despite a fine kicking display from Jonathan West (17 points), Rotherham were beaten at home by London Welsh. Ross Batty got a try for the Titans, but scores from Ben Thomas, Dominic Shabbo and a penalty try helped the exiles to a 22-28 win with Aled Thomas kicking 10 points and Gordon Ross kicking a drop goal.
Moseley inflicted a fourth defeat of the season on Doncaster as they won 33-25. The home side took five points thanks to tries from Rob Thirlby, Jonny May, Nathan Bressington and Andrew Williams while Tristan Roberts kicked three penalties and two conversions. The Knights replied through a Dougie Flockhart brace and a Glen Townson try with Alistair Warnock kicking seven points and Stephen McColl adding a penalty.
Sunday saw both home teams winning. The Cornish Pirates were run close by Coventry but tries from Wes Davies, Jonathan Bentley and Rhodri McAtee along with a penalty and conversion from Bentley sealed a 20-14 win. Coventry scored a try through Jamie Miller while Ben Russell kicked two penalties and Fangapatu Apikotoa scored a drop goal.
It was a long trip down to Plymouth and certainly not the prettiest of performances, but Bedford came away from Brickfields with the maximum five points. After watching the DVD of the game, director of rugby Mike Rayer had the chance to reflect on the game.
“It took a while for both sides to settle down and it was a little bit disjointed for the first 20 minutes or so but then we scored a decent try after putting in some quality phases and then we went in at the break 17-0 up in control of the game.
“For whatever reason, after the interval we lost our shape, gave a lot of penalties away and then our lineout just didn’t seem to function. Thankfully it is nothing that we can’t put right and we weren’t worried at any point during the game – it was more frustrating.
“Once the players decided to keep the ball in hand and play with a bit of pace and power, moving it around a bit, we unlocked their defence. It would have just been nice to have done that a bit earlier.
“To have gone down there and put in a polished performance for most of the game would have been nice at this point of the season, but obviously we are thankful that in the end we pretty much did the business and got the five points.
“The last two weeks we have trained really hard and the boys looked a bit tired for that 20 minute period at Plymouth, but we burst into life in the last ten.
“We know going into the Bristol game that we need to get more organisational work done and that was always the plan. We’ve got some really big games coming up and we need to start fine-tuning.
“I’m not worried about this weekend as the big games tend to take care of themselves. The lads won’t need any extra motivation and it’s more a case of holding them back this week so I don’t have to worry about them falling flat. The intensity will be three-fold, but there won’t be any problems with that.
Director of rugby Mike Rayer officially cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony of Bedford Open Door on Monday afternoon.
Bedford Open Door is a registered charity providing free and confidential counselling to young people between the ages of 13 and 25. Counselling is provided by a team of fully trained and experienced volunteer counsellors.
Mike was joined by Blues squad members Ollie Dodge, Will Chudley, James Knight and Duncan Taylor who were given a tour of the new facilities in Tavistock Street which the charity moved into earlier this year.
Speaking at the opening Mike said: “There are a lot of crossover between the work carried out by Bedford Open Door and sport especially when you look at things such as injuries, family issues and dealing with mind, health and body.
“My job has seen me working with a lot of young people to help them fulfil their potential and counselling certainly helps that process no end.
“There are lots of issues in young people’s lives that can lead to things such as depression and mental health issues, and the work carried out by Bedford Open Door should be recognised and supported throughout the town.
“I wish the charity well and hope that they can continue the fantastic work that they do for many years to come.”
CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND-UP WK3
On Friday night the Cornish Pirates continued their impressive start to the season by beating Doncaster Knights 10-21 at Castle Park. Blair Cowan scored a brace for the visitors while Rhys Jones kicked 11 points. Adam Kettle got a consolation try for the Knights and James Brooks kicked the conversion and a penalty.
Tries from Paul McKenzie, Matt Jess and James Scaysbrooks helped Exeter Chiefs to a Friday night win against Coventry. Gareth Steenson added 12 points from the boot in the 13-27 win while Fangatapu Apikotoa scored a try for Cov and Ben Russell converted eight points.
London Welsh are now in positive points after beating Birmingham and Solihull 37-12 at Old Deer Park. The Exiles ran in five tries with two apiece for Paul Sampson and Tom Brown while Erie Claassens also touched down and Aled Thomas kicked 12 points. Ronnie Mclean converted his own try and Rod Petty added a late score.
Moseley suffered a third defeat as Nottingham visited Billesley Common. A brace for David Jackson and one each for Tim Streather and Tom Youngs led to the 20-31 win with Greg Tonks converting four and Tim Taylor kicking a drop goal. Moseley replied through a penalty try and a Neil Mason touchdown with Tristan Roberts converting both and kicking two penalties.
COACH'S CORNER
The season may only be two weeks old but the Blues have picked up where they left of in National Division One and are the early table-toppers of the Championship. Backs coach Nick Walshe has been particularly pleased with the start to the campaign and what is looking forward to what lies ahead.
“First of all I’ve got to say that the crowd was awesome on Saturday and I think it was one of the highest opening fixture attendances ever for the Blues which is great.
“It is early days yet, but I’d much rather be at the top of the table than the bottom and we will be doing all we can to stay there. We’ve got a lot of challenges ahead and I believe every game is a big game and we thrive on these challenges. To stay at the top we have to keep winning.
“We did a pretty good job on Saturday. It was by no means perfect and we made quite a few errors. But we’ve got to look at the bigger picture and we’ve got to keep improving as I think there is plenty to work on.
“We need a little bit more concentration and a couple of times we were guilty of kicking the ball away when perhaps we shouldn’t have. We need to go through the phases more because when we do we can be very dangerous.
“Maybe I’m being a bit pedantic from a coach’s point of view. We scored 42 points and we didn’t concede any tries again which is great, but we’ve got to keep pushing forward.
“There are bigger challenges to come every week no matter who you are playing. We need to keep getting better and I believe that we can.
“You have to give the guys huge credit because we work hard on our defence. It does pay off and defence wins games. A lot of it is mindset, a willingness to work for each other and stand next to your mate, toe-to-toe with the opposition and tell them that they are not going to get over our line.
“Looking ahead to the Plymouth game I think it’s fair to say that we broke our hoodoo in the West Country last season. But it is another hard challenge though. Plymouth are a good side, as are all teams in this league, and they will play a certain way against us and keep it reasonably tight. We have to work hard in training on our defence, on our attack and cutting out the errors.
“As long as we have a good mindset in defence and try to restrict them as much as possible then it will keep us in a good position so that when we attack we can be patient, go through the phases and be clinical.
“It is a case of keeping the momentum going, working really hard and being prepared for a physical battle because it always is down there. If we can get a good standard and performance then we know that we can beat teams.
“We need to be consistent and we will be pushing that this week. Anybody can beat anybody in this league and anyone can slip up so we have to make sure that we don’t get ahead of ourselves.”
The second week of the Championship has come to an end with Bedford sitting top of the table thanks to their 42-6 win over Coventry at Goldington Road. Here’s a quick look at how the other teams in the league faired.
Birmingham and Solihull suffered a second defeat but they ran Bristol close in this 36-40 result. Bris scored six tries including two for Jack Adams and one each for Dan Montagu, Jason Spice and Dan Norton as well as a penalty try while Adam Jarvis kicked eight points and Mark Davies converted one. The Bees scored a bonus point thanks to tries from Rob Connolly, Reece Spree and Ronnie McLean as well as five penalties and three conversions from Mark Woodrow.
Saturday’s other fixture saw Exeter win at home 32-20 against Doncaster. Gareth Steenson was on form with the boot as he kicked 22 points while tries came from Matt Jess and Josh Matavesi. The Knights scored a penalty try and a Bevon Armitage effort as well as ten points from James Brooks.
On Sunday Rotherham bounced back from their opening day defeat to see off Plymouth at Clifton Lane. Pete Whackett and Luther Burrell scored the tries with Jonny West kicking 19 points in the 29-16 win. Marriott pulled a try back for Albion while Kieran Hallett kicked three penalties and a conversion
Cornish ran wild on Moseley as they scored nine tries in this 57-24 win. Chris Morgan (2), Jimmy Moore, Wes Davies (2), Rhys Jones (2), Aisea Havili and Carl Rimmer got the tries while Jonny Bentley kicked five conversions and Jones got one of his own. Moseley got a bonus point thanks to tries from Nathan Bressington, Andrew Borgen, Ryan Wilson and Justin Mensah-Coker with Tristan Roberts converting two.
London Welsh suffered a second defeat of the season as they were beaten 23-16 at Nottingham. Tom Youngs and Nic Rouse got the tries for the hosts which were both converted by Greig Tonks who also kicked three penalties. The Exiles replied with a try and two penalties from Aled Thomas and a Paul Sampson try.
COACH'S CORNER - DONCASTER
Following Saturday’s opening day victory against Doncaster Knights, Blues director of rugby Mike Rayer cast his eye over the events of the game and what lays ahead in the Championship season.
“The win was important but we knew that it wasn’t going to be the end of the world if we lost. To get four points was very pleasing because you never know how things will go until the whistle goes but I certainly saw some positive things from us.
“To go to Doncaster, especially after last year’s episode, and not concede a try was top drawer really. We are pleased, but it is just one win and that’s all it is, there’s no way in the world that we can get carried away.
“We did what we had to do and it wasn’t pretty at times but we played the game and took our chances. We bombed one clear cut chance early on and I thought it wouldn’t be our day especially when we missed a couple of kicks.
“We scored the first try with a bit of luck but I thought that the other two finishes were fantastic. At half time we spoke about exploiting the space that was available to us which we did with the second try but the third was down to what Nick Walshe and the backs have worked on during training.
“Nick was very unfortunate to pick up the injury that he did but Will Chudley took his chance with both hands. Sometimes these things have a habit of happening and your hand is forced but we knew what Will could do and good on him.
“When Doncaster pulled it back to 12-16 there was still a good 20 minutes to go and nothing against Toops and Sacha, I just felt it was the right call to get Ben Lewitt and Chris Goodman on. It was a big call that could have back fired, but they are quality players and maybe this is the difference between this season and last.
“The players who came on all stepped in and gave us a solid background. It was great to be able to go to the bench at that point and Pritchard’s score was certainly crucial as it gave us some breathing space.
CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND-UP WK1
The Blues got off to a terrific start to the Championship season, but how did the other teams in our league get on?
The league officially kicked off on Friday night when Coventry welcomed Rotherham to the Butts Lane Arena. Tries from Chris Lewis and Will Hurrell, two penalties and a conversion from Ben Russell along with a Tommy Hayes drop goal helped the hosts to a 21-12 win with Peter Wackett and Colin Quigley scoring tries for the Titans while Michael Whitehead converted one.
On Saturday Plymouth welcomed Birmingham and Solihull to Brickfields with the home team running in 33-10 victors. Tries from Ben Mercer, Geoff Griffiths, Tyler Hotson and Alex Davies wrapped up the win with Kieran Hallett kicking 11 points. Mark Woodrow scored all of the Bees points with a try, a conversion and a penalty.
Exeter set their stall out with a 25-50 away victory over Moseley. The Chiefs scored seven tries through Emyr Lewis, Brett Sturgess, Hoani Tui, Matt Jess, Mark Foster, Neil Clark and a penalty try while Gareth Steenson converted six and slotted a penalty. Nathan Bressington scored two for Moseley while Andrew Williams got the other and Tristan Roberts kicked ten points.
On Sunday Nottingham suffered an opening day home defeat as Cornish Pirates number eight Blair Cowan scored twice and Jonathan Bentley kicked four penalties and a conversion. A converted Jack Cobden try and a penalty apiece for David Jackson and Greig Tonks wasn’t enough as the Green & Whites slumped to a 13-24 loss.
Coach's Corner pre Doncaster
Bedford finished their pre-season schedule with a good win over Cambridge on Saturday afternoon and with the Championship set to start this weekend director of rugby Mike Rayer took time out to reflect on the friendly game and what lies ahead when the Blues travel to Doncaster.
“It was another step on the ladder ready for this weekend. In a way pre-season matches are glorified training games and I don’t take too much notice in the results elsewhere or our own to an extent.
“I felt that it was important to get a win at the weekend and I thought that we won well. On reflection Cambridge were a better side than they were given credit for. They played some good rugby early on and they had some chances along the way that they probably felt they should have taken.
“The biggest aspect for me was bouncing back from the slow start and the try that we conceded. We had a lot of young players out on the field and they recovered quickly and stepped up the play to be leading 17-5 at halftime.
“We had the bonus of strength in depth and being able to bring players off the bench in the 50th minute. I thought that we looked strong and powerful going into the final quarter.
“We did make some mistakes defensively and dropped off a lot of tackles, probably more than I wanted to. I’m hoping that the focus and edge will be there this weekend and we won’t drop as many tackles because if we do then we will get hurt badly, but I’m confident that we won’t as many mistakes.
“It doesn’t get much more tough or physical than it will against Doncaster and I’m not looking back to the results last season either here or there. It’s a big task and we know that we can’t go there with anything les than 100 percent to get something out of the game.”
RFU Press Release Issued by Dave Barton, 26th Aug 09
ENGLISH Rugby's new Championship was launched today (Wednesday) with the ultimate prize - a place in the Guinness Premiership.
The 12-club tournament, formerly National Division One, was unveiled at Twickenham Stadium - where the final will take place on May 8, 2010 with a new trophy and promotion on offer.
RFU Chief Executive Francis Baron said: "The RFU Championship will be a vital part of the structure of rugby in this country.
"Significant investment from the RFU and Premier Rugby Ltd, coupled with more matches and television coverage under the SkySports contract, will give the clubs more financial security than ever before and create a vibrant and viable structure to take the game forward."
RFU Elite Rugby Director Rob Andrew said: "The Championship will provide quality rugby for spectators as well as developing players, coaches and referees in a competitive and professional environment.
"Ten of England's Under-20 squad at this year's World Championship in Japan, including captain Calum Clark (Leeds Carnegie) and Henry Trinder (Moseley) played in this league last season so it plays a vital role in the future of the England team."
A fixture list dovetailing with the British & Irish Cup will give the clubs a season-long competitive fixture list culminating in the Championship play-offs.
RFU Tournament and Competitions Director Terry Burwell said: "This is an important development in taking league rugby in England to a new level and has multiple benefits for everyone involved. We have worked hard with the clubs to get to this stage and we are looking forward to the inaugural Championship season."
Geoff Irvine, RFU Council representative for the Championship Clubs, added: "This is a new and exciting concept. The clubs are throwing themselves wholeheartedly into making this competition a success.
"All the teams have recruited well and if we thought it was tough league last year it's going to be even tougher this season - there will be no place to hide."
How the Championship works
Reduction from 16 to 12 clubs
Bedford Blues, Birmingham & Solihull, Bristol Rugby, Cornish Pirates, Coventry, Doncaster Knights, Exeter Chiefs, London Welsh, Moseley, Nottingham Rugby, Plymouth Albion, Rotherham Titans
League programme (22 matches)
* all teams playing 22 matches (11 home & 11 away)
* 4 points for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 bonus point for either a) scoring * 4 or more tries or b) losing by 7 points or less
* top 8 teams from league progress to promotion play-offs
* teams 9-12 from league progress to relegation play-offs
Promotion play-offs (8 matches)
* 2 pools of 4 teams playing 6 matches (3 home & 3 away)
* 4 points for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 bonus point for either a) scoring * 4 or more tries or b) losing by 7 points or less
* teams ranked 1, 4, 5 & 8 from league play in Pool A
* teams ranked 2, 3, 6 & 7 from league play in Pool B
* after 6 pool matches, top 2 teams from Pools A & B progress to semi final and then the winners to the final
* semi final draw - 1st Pool A v 2nd Pool B & 1st Pool B v 2nd Pool A
* promotion play-off matches scheduled March 13 - April 17
* semi finals May 1 & final May 8 at Twickenham
* winner of Championship final promoted to Guinness Premiership subject to fulfilling entry criteria
Relegation play-offs (6 matches)
* 1 pool of 4 teams playing 6 matches (3 home & 3 away)
* 4 points for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 bonus point for either a) scoring
* 4 or more tries or b) losing by 7 points or less
* relegation play-off matches scheduled for March 13 - April 17
* after 6 pool matches played, lowest ranked team is relegated to newly-named National Division One (level three)
SQUAD NEWS
A Bright & Welcome addition to Blues Squad:
Bedford Blues are pleased to announce that Chris Brightwell has joined the club from Birmingham and Solihull.
Born in New Zealand, Brightwell grew up playing for Hawks Bay and Wellington's Development side before moving to the UK last year. His father Tu was a blindside flanker for the Poneke Colts and Premier teams in the 1980s, so son Chris followed in his footsteps.
Following an ankle injury early in his career, Brightwell went on to start 23 consecutive Premier matches, thirteen at No. 8 and ten at blindside. In those he has scored 113 points, including eight tries and 73 points with the boot as Poneke's second goal kicker in 2007.
Brightwell - whose mother is English - has just been called up to the England 7's Squad for the IRB Sevens World Series legs in Dubai and South Africa in December.
He also becomes the second player to move from Sharmans Cross to Goldington Road this season following the Blues capture of prop Dan Seal last month.
The back row forward has been a shining light for the Bees this season and put in an impressive performance, scoring a try along the way, when Birmingham and Solihull played the Blues last month.
Bedford director of rugby Mike Rayer said: "Chris is an excellent addition to our squad and we are extremely pleased to have him with us. Anyone who was at the game in October will no doubt have noticed Chris's performance as he constantly harassed us from start to finish.
"Strength in depth is always important and we have seen recently just how crucial it can be given our injury list. Chris is a first rate player and he will add extra competition for starting places and I think that is very healthy for this club."
INJURY UPDATE
Lock Mike Howard is set to go under the surgeon’s knife for a second time as he battles his way back to full fitness.
Earlier this month the 23-year-old had successful surgery to solve a problem with a disc in his lower back, but on Wednesday he is set to have a second operation to repair a hernia.
Howard said: “The back operation went well and I was up and about walking in the hospital garden the next day.
“I spent three nights in hospital before returning home to Norwich for a fortnight but I have been back for a week now.
“If all goes well following the hernia operation I hope to be back in full training by the end of November and pushing to play by December.”
Harlock Gets His Chance:
Bedford Blues have confirmed that lock John Harlock has signed for the club on a short-term deal.
The 28-year-old former Birmingham & Solihull, Peterborough and Cambridge player made a winning debut for the Blues playing 62 minutes during Saturday's 67-5 win over Rosslyn Park.
Harlock suffered a serious injury while playing for the Bees and was released by mutual consent last year but the policeman has battled back to full fitness and has been awarded a three month contract at Goldington Road.
Blues director of rugby Mike Rayer said: "We have been very impressed with John since he arrived on trial and his performance on Saturday helped us make our mind up.
"I think that he will add another dimension to our forward play as he is a big, strong lad who can really make an impact in the contact area."
Harry Spencer joins Bedford Blues on loan:
Saracens second row Harry Spencer has joined Championship club Bedford Blues on loan.
The 21-year-old has already tasted first team experience with Sarries after making his debut for the club last season against Llanelli Scarlets, but the 6ft 7in lock will now join up with Bedford Blues for the season.
“Harry is a very talented young player and at this stage of his career, we feel he needs to get some game time and we’re delighted to have this arrangement with Bedford,” explained Saracens Director of Rugby Brendan Venter. “This is a deal which makes sense for the player and both clubs involved.”
Standing at an impressive 6ft 7ins tall, Spencer, 21, is known as 'Tree' by his Sarries team mates and 'Big H' by his former school friends at Ivybridge Community College.
Having joined the North London outfit from Plymouth Albion in Summer 2007, Spencer was loaned to Southend to gain some valuable first team experience.
Although Premiership starts have been a bit tougher to come by, Spencer did make a spectacular impact in a pre-season friendly against Toulon last year when he ran in two tries during a 32-27 win at Stade Félix-Mayol.
Blues director of rugby Mike Rayer said: "We are delighted to welcome a player of Harry's stature to Goldington Road and I'm sure he will make a big impact.
"He has a has a good pedigree as well as having the benefit of Premiership experience and regular starts for the Saracens 'A' team.
"Harry is a young player with plenty of drive and I believe he will play an important role in our pack this season."
Spencer has been training with his new team mates at Goldington Road and attended the rugby camp in Norwich last weekend.
Howard to miss start of season:
Bedford Blues can confirm that lock Mike Howard will miss the start of the inaugural Championship season due to a back injury.
The 23-year-old, who recently represented England Counties on a tour of the Far East, has had a scan to his injury which revealed that he could be out of action for up to four months.
Howard will undergo an operation next week before starting a programme of rehabilitation.
Squad List:
The Blues are back in training and we have listed below the 27 confirmed members of the squad for next season. However loan players are still to be confirmed and there is the possibility of some additions from the players currently on trial through the summer.
| Phil | Boulton |
| Brendan | Burke |
| Marco | Cecere |
| Will | Chudley |
| Ian | Davey |
| Brad | Davies |
| Ollie | Dodge |
| Myles | Dorrian |
| Luke | Fielden |
| Gregor | Gillanders |
| Chris | Goodman |
| Mike | Guess |
| Sacha | Harding |
| John | Harlock |
| Mike | Howard |
| James | Knight |
| Ben | Lewitt |
| Chris | Locke |
| James | Pritchard |
| Alex | Rae |
| Dan | Richmond |
| Liam | Roberts |
| Harry | Spencer |
| Duncan | Taylor |
| Paul | Tupai |
| Ian | Vass |
| Darryl | Veenendaall |
| Sam | Walsh |
| Nick | Walshe |
Another Good Man arrives at the Blues:
The building process has continued at Goldington Road this week after Bedford Blues announced the signing of Bath number 8 Chris Goodman.
The 24 year old has played 43 times for the West Country outfit and brings a wealth of Premiership experience to a Blues scrum which will be a force to be reckoned with next season.
The Blues beat off competition from a host of clubs to capture Goodman and director of rugby Mike Rayer couldn't have been happier with his capture.
"As soon as I said to Nick Walshe that Chris was available he recommended that we sign him," said Rayer.
"We weren't looking to be honest but when his agent got in touch we decided that it was a great acquisition. He is young, played a lot for Bath and will add strength and depth the pack.
"If he is half as good as people say then I am very excited."
Goodman made his Bath debut in the opening round of the Parker Pen Challenge Cup against L’Aquila in the 2003/4 season and continued to make steady progress, notwithstanding an injury-induced break in 2004/05.
Having been a member of the inaugural Junior National Academy, Goodman was a part of the England U19 side that reached the semi-finals of the U19 World Cup for the first time in 2003/04. He also received a call up for the England U21 World Cup side later that summer, graduating in 2005 to England’s U21 squads for the Six Nations and World Championships.
Rayer added: "When a quality player becomes available it is definitely worth a punt. We haven't rushed into this signing and have given it plenty of thought. We now have five top notch back row players."
Lewitt Returns, Botha departs:
Blues fans will be saying hello to one former favourite and goodbye to a current one after Ben Lewitt signed from Northampton Saints and Mouritz Botha signed for Saracens.
Lewitt, 29, who played at Goldington Road in the 2004/5 season, stands at around 6ft 4ins tall and can fill any position across the back row.
Having spent four years with near-neighbours Northampton Saints, Lewitt was released earlier this month along with former Blues loanees Will Harries and Phil Hoy.
One person who is delighted with the signing is director of rugby Mike Rayer who said: "This is a great signing for us, of a true former favourite of the fans."
"Ben is desperate to make an impression on the club and get some rugby under his belt. It is also great for me as he will add a shed load of strength to the pack."
"We are already big and strong, but to add a someone who can play at six, seven or eight is a real boost."
But as one player arrives another leaves and Blues fans will be disappointed to learn that Botha is leaving the club to join the South African revolution at Vicarage Road.
'Mo' joined the Blues in 2006 from Bedford Ath and has been a hit with the Goldington Road faithful ever since. The 27 year old lock played a key role in securing the Blues a third place finish last season chipping in with half a dozen tries in 24 starts.
There had been rumours that clubs were interested in Botha, but with one year remaining on his contract a move had looked unlikely.
"I can say that Mouritz has gone for an undisclosed fee," said Rayer.
"He had a year to go on his contract but we negotiated a deal after Saracens came in with an offer and we fully understand Mouritz's position. It is a great opportunity for him and we wish him well. "
"We are, of course, disappointed as we have invested a lot of time and resources on his development but that is the way of the world."
Botha is the third Blues player to sign for a Premiership club after Billy Twelvetrees joined Leicester Tigers and Karl Dickson joined Harlequins.
Rae of Sunshine lifts the Blues:
Bedford Blues have continued to strengthen their squad for the first Championship season by capturing Northampton Saints starlet Alex Rae.
The 23-year-old, who stands at an impressive 6ft 5ins, plays lock or flanker and captained the Northampton Wanderers side to the Guinness 'A' Championship this year.
During the Saints tenure in National Division One in 2007/8, Rae was instrumental in the Northampton scrum and started 31 times - a record only bettered by Bruce Reihana - scooping a league and cup medal along the way.
Rae made 10 substitue appearances for Northampton in the Guinnes Premiership last season whilst also starting one European Challenge Cup and one EDF Energy Cup game.
Coventry-born Rae also spent part of the season on loan to Nottingham and made his debut against the Blues at Goldington Road in a game that Bedford won 23-16.
Blues director of rugby Mike Rayer said: "This is a wonderful signing for us and I am delighted that Alex will be at Goldington Road next season.
"For a young lad he has a wealth of experience and is a quality player who will fit in well with our style of rugby."
Championship Ready Blues:
Bedford Blues have continued the strengthening of their squad for next year's inaugural Championship season by agreeing deals with four more current players.
Flanker Sacha Harding, second row Mike Howard, prop Marco Cecere and winger Ian Davey are all set to sign on for another year at Goldington Road.
Blues director of rugby Mike Rayer also confirmed that he was in the process of negotiating deals with centres Liam Roberts and James Knight as well as academy players Duncan Taylor and Darryl Veenedaal.
Prop Sam Walsh has also been offered a new contract although discussions are still underway.
With the agreements already in place and new signings - Mike Guess, Luke Fielden and Myles Dorrian - Rayer has 19 committed players.
He said: "These players want to stay on which is great news for us."
New boys from up the road
By Simon Hutchinson, Beds on Sunday
Bedford Blues have travelled along the A428 to secure two more signings for next season.
Top scoring fullback Luke Fielden and tight head prop Mike Guess have both agreed to sign for the Blues from near neighbours and high flying Division Two side Cambridge.
Fielden, 24, has been a sensation for the Wests Renault Park team this season having run in 19 tries so far and is a product of Cambridge’s mini and south section.
He can play anywhere in the backs and is also something of a sevens specialist having scored against Northampton Saints for Newcastle Falcons in 14 seconds at the Middlesex Sevens.
Guess, 25, signed for Cambridge last summer from Division Two rivals Southend after impressing in their league fixtures and also featured in the pre-season friendly against Bedford at Goldington Road.
The former Gloucester man has represented England at U16,U18,U19 and U21 levels, while also previously playing for Bracknell and Barking.
Director of rugby Mike Rayer said: “Both have had good seasons for Cambridge, we’ve been to watch them and all the reports that we’ve had back are good.”
There was also more good news for Blues fans after Rayer confirmed that Phil Boulton had put pen to paper on a new deal.
“He’s been the cornerstone of our pack,” said Rayer. “I’m conscious of the work load Phil has had this season so to have two tight head props in position now is above my wildest dreams.
“We are still talking to a number of other players and we hope to agree a new deal with Sacha Harding and a few others soon.
“It’s fair to say that six weeks ago I didn’t think that we would be where we are with signings, but that is credit to the chairman who has let me loose with the budget even though we still don’t know what is happening next season.”
Bedford had already captured Coventry’s Australian fly half Myles Dorrian as well as resigning Gregor Gillanders, Ollie Dodge, Chris Locke and Will Chudley.
Rayer also confirmed that the Blues would be maximising their links with Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers next year while also developing a new union with Saracens in the hope of bringing some loan players to Goldington Road.
Blues begin building for new challenge:
With only one match remaining the Blues look to bolstertheir squad for the 2009-10 season with the signingof Coventry's 26-year-old Australian fly-half Myles Dorrian.
Myles joins a core of players already under contract - James Pritchard, Dan Richmond, Mouritz Botha, Paul Tupai, Nick Walshe, Brad Davies, Ian Vass and Brendan Burke.
Mike Rayer has also secured the signatures of Ollie Dodge, Gregor Gillanders, Will Chudley and Chris Locke on new deals.
INTERNATIONAL TICKETS
Allocation of Tickets:
Applications are processed with priority given to season ticket holders although every effort is made to try and ensure that 'ordinary' Club members receive some tickets for one of the matches. This can usually be achieved but with only two home matches this season this may be difficult this year.
There is no limit to the number of tickets for which you may apply but tickets are usually allocated in pairs and it is rare for a Club member to receive more than this. If a member applies for tickets for more than one game every effort is made to ensure that they receive an allocation for at least one of the games although this is not always possible.
Warning:
The RFU ruled that our allocation of tickets for this season would be reduced by 10% but that this reduction is suspended for one year. This followed the actions of one of our members who attempted to sell tickets allocated to him by the Club on e-bay.The ruling means that any breach of RFU regulations this season will result in much stronger penalties being imposed by the RFU in following years.
May I remind all of you lucky enough to be allocated tickets that you should not sell the tickets on to a third party. If the tickets fall into the wrong hands and the club is reported to the Rugby Union we are in danger of losing our future allocation of tickets. If you are unable to use your allocation please contact the club – there are always club members desperate to attend the matches who have not been so lucky.
The RFU are taking very strong action to eradicate the sale of tickets on the black market. These include monitoring sites such as e-bay, buying tickets from illegal sources to ascertain their origins and monitoring unlicensed hospitality companies.
For those of you fortunate to be allocated tickets I hope you enjoy your day.
Training Camp - Captain's view
Blues players and coaches headed to Norfolk on Friday for a rugby camp and team bonding weekend before the pre-season schedule begins against RosslynPark at Goldington Road this Saturday.
The three day excursion was anything but a break though and Captain Dan Richmond believes that the trip came at exactly the right time for the squad.
“The camp went even better than can be expected, especially from a coach’s point of view,” said the Blues skipper.
“There was quite a bit of travelling and a lot of hard work but the lads all responded to it and got on really well. All-in-all it was an excellent weekend.”
Norwich Rugby Football Club hosted the Blues and in return Bedford’s coaches offered some valuable tips and advice for their forthcoming London 2 North East campaign.
Away from the training field a sporting theme continued with an 8-a-side cricket competition which was whole-heartedly endorsed by the squad.
“It went down really well and it would be fair to say that there were some batting displays that England could have learnt from. It also helped having a couple of our Aussie players contributing with a bit of sledging,” said Richmond.
“A lot of guys are raring to go and the fixture against RosslynPark can’t come quickly enough for us. There is a lot of competition for places and everybody wants to stake their claim for a start.
“We haven’t set ourselves any sort of a goal yet for, but even if the league system hadn’t changed I think that we would have to be aiming for a top four finish.
“Looking back, if we hadn’t dropped the points that we did last season then it could have been a real nail biter. This year we have to make sure that we are consistent throughout.
“We are very confident with the squad that we have, the strength in depth that we possess and we will continue to try and play fast, exciting rugby.”
MINI COMPETITION TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Tickets are £10 each
First Prize is a new Mini First car provided by Elms BMW Bedford.
Employees and their immediate families of Bedford Rugby Club Limited are not eligible for entry in the competition
Tickets are not to be sold to persons under the age of 18 years old
12 months Free Insurance offer by the Lifesure Group on the car is for residents in the UK and aged 25 or over and holders of a clean full valid UK driving licence.
The Grand Draw is licensed under the Lottery commission act and the registration number is 1100
There will be one winner and the clubs decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Bedford Rugby Club reserves the right to publish the name and photograph of the winner
Any profits from the draw go directly to Bedford Rugby Club Ltd
The Prize draw will be announced on Saturday 26th December
Click on the Mini to enter
Elms BMW and Lifesure have teamed up with Bedford Blues for this fantastic competition where one lucky fan will win a brand new Mini with a years paid insurance.
The draw will announced on boxing day when the blues play London Welsh and any profits from ticket sales will help cover the additional traveling costs of the new British and Irish Cup.
MATCH REPORT V SAINTS
The Blues gave a fantastic account of themselves in a highly competitive, ‘friendly’, local derby on Friday night.
Northampton may have taken the win, but Bedford battled from the opening whistle until the last and they will be the happier squad looking back at the 80 minutes.
“You come to a place like this and no matter how much you talk about it in the week, it is a daunting task,” said scrum half and backs coach Nick Walshe.
“This is a team who have to be looking for a top six finish and with the squad that they’ve got it is credit to us that we didn’t look out of place at all.
“The pleasing is that the tries we gave away weren’t glaring mistakes where we are thinking ‘oh dear, back to the drawing board’. We were just a little out-muscled, but we hung in there and defended well.
“Second half the attitude was amazing and to win it 7-0 was fantastic. Not wanting to sound too bullish, we looked a lot more threatening and it has given the guys such a boost.”
The teams squared up in impressive style during the opening ten minutes but following a succession of unsuccessful scrums Stephen Myler decided to put the ball in the corner for a Saints lineout.
Courtney Lawes took the ball in and despite Sacha Harding’s best efforts in the ruck, the Saints proved too powerful as Neil Best drove through to score the opening try and Myler converted well.
The Saints pressed on, keeping possession well and if it hadn’t been for a last ditch Brendan Burke slap-tackle then Lawes would have touched down. However, during the following ruck a pair of unwanted hands went in and Myler converted the penalty to make it 10-0.
The hosts looked as if they had scored a second try in the 24th minute after Phil Dowson broke from a scrum and released Alan Dickens who found Grant Pointer, but again Burke was there to make the crucial challenge. Unfortunately, it proved to be the last involvement for the Irishman who went off with a back injury.
Two minutes later and Dylan Hartley was held up on the line, but the hooker got his try in the next passage of play when he burrowed over just under the uprights and Myler converted.
A third try came seven minutes before the break despite good Bedford defence from Ian Vass, Alex Rae and Chris Goodman. Dickens spotted the slightest opening and breezed over with Myler adding the extra two.
Goodman went off injured before the restart and then ref Wayne Barnes suggested that Paul Tupai ‘deserved a rest’ after a second late challenge, but the Blues suddenly sprung into life.
A turnover following a Northampton lineout saw Bedford progress well up the pitch with Nick Walshe laying the ball off to the likes of John Harlock, Ben Lewitt and Gregor Gillanders, but over enthusiasm at the ruck saw the Saints win a penalty and clear their line.
Bedford still had time for the final attack of the half when Phil Boulton found himself in the unusual position of a clear run, and with a full tank of gas the prop bulldozed his way over Pointer before releasing the ball and a sneaky Vass chip looked to have found Ian Davey, but the winger couldn’t take in the ball as he was clattered and the ref called for the break.
The Blues started brightly in the second half making good territory through James Pritchard’s boot while the Saints didn’t look too interested in keeping possession and they tried audacious cross field kicks and drop-goal attempts.
But Bedford reminded the hosts that they were in a game when they scored in the 56th minute. Myles Dorrian, Ian Davey and Liam Roberts had all linked up well before the Blues won a penalty and Walshe spotted Boulton wide open and there was no stopping the big man from close range and Dorrian converted superbly.
With the wind in their sails, the Blues continued to press on and they really took the game to Northampton. Whereas the Saints were keen to keep the ball in hand, they couldn’t get rid of it quicker in the last 20 minutes.
Mike Guess came close to opening his account for Bedford when another quick penalty found the hands of the prop, but the Saints defence managed to bundle his impressive frame into touch.
Harry Spencer was millimetres away from an interception which would have given him a clear run through with eight minutes to go and Duncan Taylor chased everything when he came on as a late replacement.
Northampton were lucky not to have conceded more before the final whistle and the look of relief on a few players faces will certainly have pleased Bedford’s squad as they look ahead to next weekend’s fixture against Cambridge.
Scorers. Northampton: Tries; Best, Hartley, Dickens – con; Myler (3) – pen; Myler. Bedford: Try; Boulton – con; Dorrian.
Teams. Northampton: Pointer, Diggin, Ansbro, Geraghty (Ingle 74), Mayor, Myler (Lewis-Pratt 74), Dickens (Brake 57), Dreyer, Hartley (Cairns 63), Bonorino (Tonga’uiha 63), Lawes (Cannon 74), Day, Best (Anderson 74), Easter, Dowson. Not used: Waller, Neale.
Bedford: Pritchard, Fielden (Taylor 67), Burke (Roberts 24), Vass, Davey, Davies (Dorrian 52), Walshe (Chudley 67), Walsh (Brown 61), Richmond (Locke 40), Boulton (Guess 61), Tupai (Harlock 34-57), Rae, Gillanders, Harding(Spencer 57), Goodman (Lewitt 36)
MATCHREPORT v ROSSLYN PARK
Bedford Blues 67 Rosslyn Park 5
Bedford Blues started their preparations for the inaugural Championship season with a comprehensive win over Rosslyn Park.
The Blues ran in an impressive 11 tries during the rout with Luke Fielden scoring three on his debut, James Knight and Duncan Taylor both touched down twice while Liam Roberts, Chris Locke, Sacha Harding and Corey Hircock all crossed the whitewash once.
“Due respect to these lads,” said forwards coach Martin Hynes at full time. “They came along and were very competitive but you have to remember that they are several divisions below us.
“The game certainly gave us the opportunity to gain some rhythm and sharpen up a bit before we go into the Northampton game next week.
“The good thing is that the players did what we asked of them today. We got some scores on the board and the lads started to relax and although there was some ring rust it was all good.
“From a coaches point of view there’s a lot of things to improve on such as the speed of the ball, lineout structure and the driving platform, but today was just what we needed.”
Despite the convincing score line the Blues started the game relatively cautiously but they did put together a number of phases involving most of the players on the pitch.
The fans in attendance had to wait until the 14th minute for the first try of the game and it came courtesy of Fielden who picked up where he left off for Cambridge last season.
The pacey fullback was played in by Myles Dorrian and broke two tackles to score under the posts with Dorrian adding the extras.
The try sparked the Blues into life and they then dominated the rest of the half with Taylor scoring the second try in the corner following good forward work by Dan Falvey but Brad Davies couldn’t convert.
Two minutes later and the score was 19-0. Bedford took in a lineout which was followed by excellent carrying by Chris Goodman and Adam Dempsey before the ball found Roberts who stepped inside a tackle and coolly jogged under the posts giving Dorrian an easy two points.
On the stroke of the 30th minute Fielden got his second when Mike Guess collected a lineout ball which was played through the backs to the number 15. From the restart Fielden completed his hat-trick with a superb turn of pace to score under the posts and Dorrian converted.
The half finished with young hooker Locke getting his name on the score sheet following some excellent work by Will Chudley and Sam Walsh, and Dorrian converted giving the Blues a 38-0 lead.
You could have forgiven the Blues for taking the foot off the gas for the second period, but Knight got his first with a determined run just four minutes in and his effort was converted.
Rosslyn Park’s Steve Millard bulldozed his way over the line, but the try was to be little more than a souvenir for the London club as the Blues once again surged on.
Colt player Hircock benefited from a sweeping Bedford move which saw Locke link up well with Saracens loanee Harry Spencer who showed excellent pace before sending a bullet pass to the young winger to score an unconverted effort in the corner.
In the 66th minute the Blues pack overwhelmed their counterparts and shoved the Rosslyn Park forwards off of their scrum put-in which allowed Harding to cross the line to make the score 55-5.
That soon became 60-5 when Knight got his second following a very patient build-up from the Blues which saw them play the ball along the line to the winger.
Three minutes into stoppage time and Taylor went on a weaving run to wrap up the try count and Brendan Burke converted.
Yesterday’s performance showed that the Blues haven’t lost their attacking flair, but Friday night’s game at Northampton will certainly give them the chance to test out their defensive ability.
Scorers. Bedford: Tries; Fielden (3), Taylor (2), Roberts, Locke, Knight (2), Hircock, Harding – con; Dorrian (5), Burke. Rosslyn Park: Try; Millard.
Teams. Bedford: Fielden (Chudley 53), Taylor, Roberts (Burke 53), Dorrian (Walshe 66), Knight, Davies (Veenendaal 40), Chudley (Hircock 40), Walsh (Brown 57), Locke (Richmond 57), Guess (Boulton 40), Dempsey (Spencer 40), Horlock (Rae 62), Falvey (Harding 40), Lewitt (Gillanders 62), Goodman (Tupai 62).
Rosslyn Park: Simmons, Sword, Sweeney, Jewell, Fenner, Laidlaw, Lapidus, Hugget, Toaule, Dowse, Lake, Corin, Jones, Ethridge, Lock. Replacements: Blenine, Ritchie, Millard, Drake, Collier, Sednan, Duffield, Underwood, Rodman, Paul, Peddar, Unseld, Driscoll.
Attendance: 970