The pack bulldozed Caldy’s scrum and the backs added three further well-taken tries to secure another bonus point win and maintain their lead in National League 2 North.

Rich Stott ran the kick off straight back upfield, recycled ball was worked right where Nathan Bressington made good ground before contact. The ball went left then right again where this time Bressington broke through the wide defence and found Caolan Ryan in support, the move looked promising but a pass to nobody in particular resulted in an accidental offside. Caldy’s scrum was under pressure and their clearance kick failed to find touch, enabling Bressington to chase a hack through and secure an attacking lineout. Robbie Hurrell took the ball at the 2nd attempt and after a couple of forward drives it was moved left where Bressington came into the line and took a pass from Will Hurrell. He moved it back left to Tom Jarvis who barged through 2 would-be tacklers to score. Ryan was unable to convert though, 2min 5-0.

The restart was a carbon copy but the Saxons were unable to make much progress and the ball eventually came to Mark George who spotted a big gap between the defensive line and left winger and planted a chip through for a runner from the right wing. Had it been 1st phase the runner would have been Bressington whose pace would easily have got him to the ball first, unfortunately it was Robbie Hurrell lurking out wide and he doesn’t have quite the same speed off the mark. The Caldy winger got to it first, instinctively hacked it forwards where it held up nicely in the in goal for him to outsprint a wrong-footed defence and score. His outside half converted, 6min 5-7.

The restart was followed by a sterile kicking contest then a Saxons 22 dropout. They recovered it and secured a penalty in Caldy’s midfield that Ryan fancied but pushed wide of the posts. Jamie Hearn ran back the missed touch kick but Caldy secured a turnover and launched a set of drives before kicking. The ball went loose at the subsequent lineout though, Nigel Mukarati hacked it downfield where he was rather unlucky to be penalised for falling onto the Caldy winger who had gathered but was adjudged to be still on the ground.

Edgie secured possession when the ball squirted out of a Caldy scrum under pressure, it was moved left where Will Hurrell was held up just short of the line but a supporting runner got penalised for side entry. Caldy kicked clear and launched a set of drives from the lineout but were unable to penetrate the defence and eventually knocked on, though not before their outside half over-delayed his pass and got lined up for a big Will Hurrell hit. Their tighthead (who appeared to be on same conditioning regime as our Senior VP) then got penalised for a dangerous entry to a ruck but the next Saxons drive was turned over when Lucas Roy-Smith got an unsympathetic feed without support and Caldy found touch in the Saxons’ 22.

Neither side was able to penetrate with the next possession, kicking from hand as options ran out and the Saxons often forced deep as Caldy exploited the wind advantage. Though dominating the scrum the Saxons lineout was misfiring, conceding a needless free kick for delay and then getting carelessly turned over when threatening the Caldy 22. But the Saxons’ defences held firm, Caldy never got closer to their line than a 5m attacking scrum that they squandered with a delayed put-in, the pain compounded when Dr Davis got fed up with their chatter. The Saxons just couldn’t get their attacks moving though with too many passes forced and misdirected. The halftime whistle went and the stage was set for the most caustic half time assault on the changing room paintwork since Chris Fortey’s efforts in 2011-12. 40min 5-7.

Suitably reminded of the importance of playing to the game plan, the Saxons emerged for the 2nd half in their away jerseys and the contrast in performance was as marked as that of the playing strip. Pete White had replaced Roy-Smith and George had made way for Nick Adams. Ryan’s kick off was kicked back, enabling the much sharper looking Saxons to counter to the right. Options ran out though so Ryan kicked for the corner. Caldy tried to run it back from deep but were unable to outflank the defence so had to kick, conceding a lineout barely out of their 22. The Saxons secured the ball but couldn’t drive the maul so moved it left down the back line. It was recycled quickly left where deft hands from Bressington left Will Hurrell 10m to make in a 5m channel containing 2 defenders. No contest. He smashed his way through and after a quick check with his AR Dr Davis awarded the try. Ryan couldn’t convert, 42min 10-7.

The Saxons secured the restart and hoofed it deep into Caldy’s 22 where another attempt to run from deep stalled and Caldy then conceded a scrum penalty. Ryan put it into the corner and then slotted an easy penalty from in front of the sticks when a Caldy hand was spotted in the ruck. 47min 13-7.

The Saxons then finally hit overdrive when Ben Hughes secured ball from a Caldy knock on. It was worked quickly right to Bressington who beat his opposite number on the outside then came back in to beat a further three defenders for pace in a breathtaking run that started in his own half and ended to the left of the posts. Ryan converted, 50min 20-7.
The Saxons knocked on at the restart, allowing Caldy to attack from the scrum and run a quick tap penalty for a tackle offence, but the move stalled when they knocked on. Down went their scrum again drawing a lecture for their captain. Ryan found touch just short of halfway where Hughes secured possession and the ball was moved right then left. A flat pass from Ryan found Jarvis coming into the line at pace on halfway, he found some space and never had a finger laid on him until tap tackled in the in-goal. Another quite stunning long range try that secured the bonus point. Ryan converted, 55min 27-7.

Caldy got a man ahead of the restart and their scrum coughed up another penalty as their loosehead bailed out under pressure from Nick Adams to earn himself 10 minutes in the sinbin. The Saxons drove the next scrum 10m to secure another penalty that Ryan opted to kick at goal. 59min 30-7.

The restart saw Caldy’s tighthead draw an AR flag for another dangerous entry, this time to a maul and as Dr Davis observed he was lucky to stay on the pitch. The lineout throw went not straight though and Caldy unsurprisingly went for another lineout from which they launched a wave of attacks that drew an offside call. They kicked it to the corner and secured a scrum in front of the Saxons posts that was heeled quickly but a pass went loose and they conceded possession. The Saxons moved it right where Jarvis came into the line, drifted in then out and put Bressington clear with 40m to run. Dr Davis spotted the ball travel forward in the air though and called it back, much to the disappointment of the spectators. The sides traded stalled attacks before Caldy stole it from a ruck and moved it right. A tackler got caught on the wrong side on the floor, Caldy ran the penalty and after several phases managed to outflank the Saxons cover on the left for a converted try. 72min 30-14.

Caldy tried to run the restart out of their 22 but were driven back and conceded a penalty for some clumsy footwork spotted by the AR. Turnovers were traded as it went scrappy but eventually a Saxons chip through secured a 5m attacking scrum. The chance went begging though as Pete White was free-kicked for not straight (when did you last see that called ?). Caldy ran it but could make no headway against the defence and eventually settled for booting it off the park. Full time 30-14.

Coach Mike Umaga commented : “We knew Caldy would look to play their style of attacking rugby and we put in a good 2nd half performance against them. I’m happy to take the bonus point win but our 1st half was unacceptably poor and unstructured and the guys got it from me both barrels at half time. We can’t go into a game thinking all we have to do is turn up to win”.