Director of Rugby Neil Mitchell tried out multiple player combinations as the entire travelling squad got game time, and the insight gained by watching players perform in a pressurised match situation after a long coach journey to higher-ranking opponents will play a significant part in deciding the squad line up for the fixture away at Bees next Saturday Sep 1st.

Typically for early season the coordination of lineout throw, jump & lift sometimes looked in need of fine tuning as hooker Stewart Pearl had to contend with a wet ball following heavy morning rain. The Saxons coaches will also bring their forwards attention to a couple of occasions they got turned over in attack when supporting forwards opted to align for the next phase rather than providing guard support for the scrum half, they will know they have to tighten up generally on the turnover count where a strong Wharfedale side provided a masterclass in exploiting a misaligned defence.

The Saxons defensive structures worked very well, allowing Wharfedale just one try from 1st phase possession. Flankers Will Jones & Nigel Mukarati also looked impressive, covering a lot of ground in both attack and defence and forcing 3 penalties from isolated Wharfedale ball carriers. The Saxons’ scrum – their Achilles Heel last season – performed well, and despite being targeted by powerful opponents they won a steady stream of 1st phase possession from it, no.8 Drew Harper driving and recycling powerfully from the base to secure a solid platform.

Wharfedale missed the first scoring opportunity, pushing wide a kick at goal after the Saxons conceded an early penalty. The Saxons tried a quick short dropout but Ben Barkley’s pass off the ground was well read by his opposite number who intercepted to score unchallenged.

The Saxons came back strongly, attacking drives forcing Wharfedale to concede a rash of defensive penalties in the tackle area. But the pressure was relieved when a touch kick to secure an attacking lineout in the corner was overcooked. Wharfedale made no such error when awarded a penalty for a high tackle and secured a 2nd try through a short range catch & drive from a lineout.

Caolan Ryan’s introduction at outside half brought some much-needed precision to the Saxons’ tactical kicking and shape to their threequarter moves. Wharfedale attempted another catch & drive after the Saxons strayed offside in defence, but excellent defensive discipline & structure kept the attackers out and eventually forced a fumble which was hacked downfield. Ryan outpaced Wharfedale’s back 3 to gather the ball and race the length of the pitch to score.

But the Saxons were guilty of putting pressure on themselves almost immediately when another touch kick was fluffed. They recovered possession and mounted a series of drives before scrum half Pete White was caught without support at the base of a ruck looking to find runners to his left, his opposite number securing the ball and breaking through a misaligned defence to score. A loose Tom Jarvis pass forced the Saxons to concede a penalty which Wharfedale converted as the clock ran down to halftime with the score at 17-3.

Both squads were rotated at halftime, resulting in a scrappy 2nd half. Playing downhill Wharfedale looked to keep the game moving, taking quick tap penalties and recycling possession effectively in the tackle. The pressure forced the Saxons to kick away possession frequently and they conceded a soft try when Wharfedale’s scrumhalf pounced on a misunderstanding at the base of a Saxons scrum near their own line.

Wharfedale switched their attacks away from route 1 forward drives to give their backs a run, but they were comfortably contained by the efforts of Ben Barkley, Gary Dipple & Nathan Bressington. With the Saxons defences holding firm Wharfedale opted for a shot at goal following a penalty award in the Saxons 22, stretching the lead to 28-5. But the Saxons then put further unnecessary pressure on themselves when Nick Adams was sin-binned for leading with his shoulder into a ruck, Wharfedale working the phases in attack, running back an infield clearance kick and eventually forcing a runner inside the fringe defence of the 7 Saxons forwards.

There was just time for a lively looking Will Harris to inject some pace and direction into attack from scrum half before an ankle injury to James Hill resulted in the game finishing 3min early. James will be out for a few weeks, which is a pity as he had looked a real force in lineout and open play. Final score 33-5.

Next week the Saxons travel the short hop to junction 3 of the M42 for the league season opener against Birmingham & Solihull at their Portway ground. Both of last season’s National League 1 fixtures against them went to the wire, the Saxons will be keen to erase the painful memory of the single point home defeat back in January. The game kicks off at 2pm.