SHREWSBURY 1st XV vs STAFFORD 1st XV. 24th OCTOBER 2015.

Shrewsbury 8 – 19 Stafford

Stafford travelled across the border into Shropshire for a tricky league game at Sundorne Castle the bastion of Shrewsbury rugby. Shrewsbury were struggling for form in the league looking for their first points of the season, but a match at Sundorne is never an easy game for a travelling team.

Shrewsbury started the game strongly and a few mistakes by the visitors required some stout defending. The Shropshire side couldn’t break through the solid defence and the Staffordshire XV absorbed all the momentum smothering any penetration. The visitors started to create some room and an electrifying break by Quade Boal ripped apart Shrewsbury as he eluded any defence, the final pass releasing a supporting Rhys Williams to cross the line for the first try of the afternoon, Sam Bedworth adding the conversion. The Stafford forwards then launched a war of attrition as they took turns to batter their way up the pitch against a brutal Shrewsbury defence. As the defenders were stretched Rhys Williams was unlucky not to claim his second try after securing a pass which the referees whistle judged forward. A missed Stafford penalty could have stretched the lead, but a second penalty saw Sam Bedworth add three more points to the total. In a rare foray into the opposition half, Shrewsbury missed the opportunity to put points on the board through a penalty of their own. A final Stafford attack threatened the Shrewsbury line, but it was left to the boot of Sam Bedworth to close the first half with a drop goal to give the visitors a comfortable lead. Stafford went into half time leading 0 – 13 and looking very much in control of the game.

Half time saw Shrewsbury bolstering their pack with three weighty changes and the replacements didn’t take long to make their presence felt. With the sun in their eyes and the wind building, Stafford struggled to contain the rejuvenated Shropshire XV. An injury to Scott Raines saw the stalwart side-lined with a dislocated shoulder and the visitors became unsettled. Shrewsbury continued to ramp up the pressure, the first points from the home side came through a penalty and the forwards followed this with a pushover try to disrupt the shape of the visitors and make the final quarter of the game a nervous time. Stafford settled themselves through a series of bludgeoning attacks to reassert some good periods of possession. A Sam Bedworth penalty put further points on the board and snatched the loosing bonus point away from the home side. A yellow card reduced Shrewsbury to fourteen for the final five minutes of the encounter and frustrated what had been a gutsy second half performance. The final points of the game came through a Sam Bedworth penalty to send Stafford back over the border with the 4 winning points secured.