LONGTON 1ST XV vs STAFFORD 1ST XV. 18TH NOVEMBER 2023. LEAGUE.

Stafford travelled to Trentham Fields for the last away game of November. The North Staffordshire ground had been a difficult place to visit in previous seasons and games were always hard fought. Both teams were having complex seasons with Stafford holding three wins out of nine and Longton just minorly behind with one win out of eight. The sheeting rain and swirling wind didn’t make for ideal conditions for either side.

The opening phases of the game weren’t pretty as both teams made mistakes whilst adjusting to difficult conditions. A yellow card to Longton temporarily reduced the home side to a battling fourteen on the pitch. Stafford couldn’t capitalise on the advantage and a subsequent yellow soon evened up the numbers of the field. The hosts started to find some success rumbling the ball up the field through a thin defence. Longton pounced on the opportunities available and two tries closed off a scrappy period of rugby. Stafford went into half time trailing by 14 – 0 and struggling to find a response to what Longton were throwing at them.

With a full XV back on the pitch from both sides, the second half started at some pace. However slightly missed passes and handling errors soon saw play descend into a disjointed affair. An injury to Dave Wareham caused problems for Stafford as the team had to shuffle players around to accommodate the two front row replacements which comprised the visiting bench. Longton exploited their advantage through some simple rugby which took four more well taken tries to close off a torturous afternoon for the visitors.

Next 1st XV League Match; Saturday 25th November 2023, Home vs Edwardians.