Newly promoted Biggleswade 1st VX travelled to Stewarts & Lloyds in Corby for the first round of the Counties 2 Midlands East (South) league.
The squad were in high spirits after the successes of last season but were not about to underestimate the step change needed to show they belong in this league.
From the whistle it was clear S & L were a physically strong side. It took a few minutes for Biggy to adjust to this, but they got set and defended wave after wave of direct attack, making it difficult for the home team to breach the line. S & L’s persistence eventually did pay off, as they finally broke through Biggy’s defence from 5 metres out to score just left of the posts.
This setback focused the minds of the Biggleswade squad and the pressure was turned as the visitors played some exceptional rugby. Use of the game plan and shape to create space allowed Ethan Sinclair to use his blistering pace on the wing to run around the S & L defence, looking certain to score until the fullback brought him down. Sinclair was still able to deliver the perfect weighted pass to support runner Jake Devereux, who crashed over for the first Biggy try of the season. Captain Gavin Taylor stepped up to slot the conversion from the touch line.
A spate of infringements at the breakdown put Biggy back under pressure, eventually leading to a penalty kick from the talented boot of S & L’s Number 12.
The quick restart caught the retreating S & L team off guard and Jakub Grabowski caught the ball mid-flight only to be stopped on the home team’s 22. Del Tribeck secured the ball, giving a strong foundation for centre Elliot Tunstall to crash through the defence and offload to fellow centre Chris Horgan.
Some short tempers from both sides led to another penalty score for the home team, giving them a 13-12 lead at half time.
S & L cannily changed their game plan at half time, with stoppages in play after every breakdown preventing Biggy from gaining any momentum and from playing their preferred quick, flowing rugby. Biggleswade were ground down through a constant barrage of forwards’ attack and set piece.
The home team were able to run in a number of tries from close range to push the score to 41-12.
Biggy though, were determined to finish the game strongly and for the last 10 minutes camped in the S & L 22. The pressure eventually paid off for Devereux to crash over for his second try.
The match finished with the score at 41-17. A tough first game but lots of positives taken away and some lessons learned, with the opportunity to put things into place at Daventry this coming Saturday.
PHOTOS: Carl Wolfenden
