Biggleswade RUFC

Northampton BBOBs 10-19 Biggleswade 1st XV

Biggleswade’s 1st XV were away to Northampton BBOBs on Saturday.

They knew the match would be physical, having played BBOBs last season before both sides earned promotion to the Counties 2 Midlands East (South) League.

Arriving off the back of a rest weekend Biggy players were geared up for the challenge.

Biggleswade moved the ball well initially, but struggled with the final pass not hitting the target. Some well-placed kicks from Ollie Vagg at 10 kept the home team pinned in their own 22.

Twelve minutes in and Biggy found their groove. A strong scrum on the half way line led to a well-practiced backs' move with full back John Richardson coming into the line to draw in defenders and offload to the waiting Ethan Sinclair who outpaced the final defenders to score under the posts.   

The restart saw BBOBs secure the ball after a knock-on but the heroic defence of Biggy kept out a barrage of attacks until they cleared to eventually alleviate the pressure. 

Biggleswade were starting to build momentum with a variety of attacking tactics. Direct running lines followed by expansive rugby and some little chips over the defenders kept the BOBBs’ defence on their toes. 

A moment of individual brilliance saw Richard Sinclair kick the ball over his opposite number on the wing, collect his own kick on the bounce, side step the final defender, and score under the posts. 

Biggy’s confidence levels were high and the muscle memory started to take over. The forwards built a strong foundation using organised pod work to move the ball to the far side of the pitch. Some slick handling saw forwards and backs link up for an impressive team try, finished off by Richard Sinclair to put Biggy 0-19 up. 

The creative rugby continued as Biggleswade continued to put the home team under pressure, but a combination of missed passes and a strong defence kept them from scoring again. BBOBs finished the first period strongly and camped in the Biggy 22 for the last 5 minutes of the half. 

The restart saw Biggleswade under pressure as BBOBs looked to keep hold of the ball and stop their opponents’ successful running rugby.

The BBOB forwards loaded up the strong centres for continuous attacks.  It was simple, but effective and moved them slowly up the pitch close to Biggy’s line, but the defence held strong and BBOBs could not find a way through.   

Fatigue started to hit and tempers became frayed on both sides with a number of off-the-ball scuffles eventually leading to Biggy dropping to 14 men for 10 minutes.

Using this advantage, BBOBs kept the ball in the forwards and eventually scored in the far corner after repeat scrums and breakdowns. 

BBOBs did a great job of controlling the game in the second half, keeping the ball away from the visitors’ back line and slowly eroding the energy levels of the Biggy backs. They were rewarded with a second try - almost a mirror image of their first - with just a few minutes to play, but it wasn’t enough. Biggleswade had secured their second win of the season 10-19, putting them smack in the middle of the table.  

They play Northampton Mens Own at home this coming weekend which promises to be another exciting game.