This proved too much for a Caldy side that nonetheless attacked at every opportunity but were undone by their own indiscipline and conceding all too frequent soft turnovers to their opponents' more streetwise back row.

The Saxons starting lineup showed just 2 changes from the Bees game, debutant Bobbie Lawrenson coming in for Nigel Mukarati whose sequence of 35 league starts came to an end as work commitments had prevented him training. Hookers Dale Garner & Jordan Page switched starting & bench duties, while the replacements featured another debutant in tighthead prop Tom May.

On a firm, well grassed surface with an occasionally swirling breeze the game was barely a minute old when loosehead prop Mike ‘Cheese’ Hill got to take a 10min rest for what was deemed to be a trip on Caldy’s right winger after being stripped of possession in the tackle. They kicked for the corner but couldn’t make the extra man pay as the Saxons defence held. The first scrum saw Lawrenson sacrificed as May came on and the Saxons looked to have weathered the storm until another turnover enabled Caldy to move the ball swiftly to the left where winger Craig Ross outflanked the defence. Teammate Richard Vasey converted from wide out. 11min 7-0 and the first time the Saxons have trailed so far this season.

The response wasn’t long in coming, a Caldy infield clearance kick from their 22 run back and recycled through multiple phases before a gap appeared in the corner for Nile Dacres. Jamie Hearn struck a well-taken conversion, 17min 7-7. The restart was well taken under pressure by captain Robbie Hurrell who worked it left to Stefan Shillingford, he stepped inside his marker near his own 10m line to race through to score without a finger laid on him. Hearn succeeded with the extras, 19min 7-14.

Caldy continued to press though both sides’ next attacks came to nothing, the hosts’ tighthead prop conceding a 2nd penalty as the Saxons’ pack turned the screw. But disaster struck as the Saxons tried to counter with players out of position, tighthead Mark George finding himself having to turn to attempt a short pass to a teammate near halfway and failing to notice Ross who had anticipated the pass, stepped out of the line to take the interception and raced away for his 2nd try, Vasey converting. 26min 14-14.

The Saxons next attack reached the Caldy 22 but looked to have few options when forced to commit numbers to the breakdown. Pete White spotted a group of teammates wide left and threw a long pass that was deftly transferred on by Hill, finding Hurrell to his left whose simple draw and give put Hearn past the last defender, his conversion flying wide however. 34min 14-19. As the clock ticked to halftime Caldy conceded feed at a scrum in their midfield and referee O’Grady lost patience as their front row pulled the drive round, their loosehead receiving a yellow card. With time up on the clock Hearn stepped up to slot the penalty kick, half time 14-22.

After a dressing room team talk best described as ‘forthright’, the Saxons chased down their restart kick and set siege to the Caldy line, forcing a 5m attacking scrum as Uzoigwe was adjudged to have been held up over the line. No.8 James Rodley rode the forwards’ drive to crash over under the posts, Hearn converting. 42min 14-29.

Caldy’s talkative tighthead was penalised for appealing Mr O’Grady’s decisions enabling the Saxons to move play back into the hosts’ half. They secured the ball at a lineout but were turned over and the Saxons launched a wave of attacking drives before the ball was worked left to Garner who neatly drew the last defender to put Hearn in for his second try, his conversion attempt rebounding off an upright however. 50min 14-34.

The Caldy scrum half got in on the appealing act and got himself a 10min breather just as his loosehead colleague returned to the fray. The Saxons turned over a Caldy attack and launched a counter but a foul play call against Shillingford for a dangerous tackle in the lead up enabled Caldy to pin them back in the corner from where they drove over a lineout catch & drive. The conversion kick successful, 57min 21-34.

Caldy’s centre was caught offside in defence and the Saxons rumbled downfield again where they forced 3 attacking scrums on the hosts’ 5m line. After the first 2 ended in penalties Mr O’Grady inevitably headed for the posts when Caldy’s front row infringed again, the tighthead earning his turn on the naughty chair. Hearn slotted the conversion, 68min 21-41.

Caldy raised the tempo seeking a bonus point 4th try, but their attack ran out of options and the ball was chipped over the Saxons’ defensive line to fullback Matt Farrington who countered with an outrageous dummy that saw him clean through from halfway to score under the posts as he outgassed the defence. Hearn converted, 73min 21-48.

With the benches emptied and the game won the Saxons opted to play the last 5min with 14 men as Chris Depper had a blood wound staunched. Sione Tu’ipolotu had replaced Gary Dipple at outside half and after an attacking scrum in the Caldy 22 he managed to throw a dummy and sidestepped the defence to grab the final try as time ran out, Hearn again converting. Full time 21-55.

Coach Mike Umaga commented : “A frustrating first half, to be fair to Caldy mind they didn’t lie down but we failed to deal with it and tried to force things without asserting ourselves up front. I was pleased with the way we worked through it eventually though and of course it’s good to put 50 points on the scoreboard. Bobbie Lawrenson did well in his first appearance but my man of the match was Mike Hill who worked hard all day”.