STAFFORD 1ST XV vs NEWCASTLE 1ST XV. 18TH JANUARY 2020. CUP MATCH.

Stafford welcomed Newcastle to Coopers Park for the quarter final of the Staffordshire Intermediate cup. The two sides came into the encounter sitting at opposite ends of the table but with games between these two teams always being competitive. Stafford fielded a team which included a number of returning faces and a couple of players who were playing slightly outside their recent positions.

Stafford came crashing into the match, forcing the visitors into an immediate defensive action. Bruising carries by Carl Williams and Ben Chatfield ripped open huge holes, but Newcastle sealed the defence eventually forcing Stafford to work hard for ground. In an exhausting first five minutes Stafford attacked, Newcastle defended until Callum Hoy burst through the opposition to dive across the line for the opening try, converted by Christian Ureche. Newcastle hit back immediately when a few missed tackles allowed the visiting XV to score an equalising try. The game settled into a slight tussle around the centre of the park before Callum Hoy was off again. A lung busting run down the wing took out most of the defence and a final pass found its way to pack partner, James Wilkinson, who went through two players for a try. The game restarted and Newcastle settled into a good period of play. Just when the visitors were building momentum, a slight handling error saw a loose ball hacked forward with Ted Dinning in pursuit but he was outpaced by Christian Ureche who fell on the ball for a try which he then converted. With the first twenty minutes gone it promised to be a good afternoon of rugby but the next period saw the game descending into a scrappy affair which saw both sides making simple mistakes. Newcastle coped better with the disruptive rugby, a try and two penalties steering the game back to a one-point affair. The home sides afternoon became more difficult when a yellow reduced the County town team to a temporary fourteen before the referee’s whistle provided some respite from an erratic period. Stafford went into half time leading 19-18 but having to repel a tenacious Newcastle response.

The Stafford forwards opened the second half with some hard carries. Newcastle defended ferociously, just managing to keep out a darting Alex Rock who couldn’t stretch past the post pads to ground the ball. With a full fifteen back on the pitch Stafford had the numbers to ramp up the assault. The next opportunity came when Quade Boal sliced through grasping Newcastle hands but a chase bought down just short of the line. Stafford swarmed over to secure possession and the ball was looped high in a long pass which was picked out of the air by Jerry Qasenivalu who stepped around the remaining defender for a try. A subsequent Stafford penalty was slotted through the posts by Christian Ureche to stretch the lead. Newcastle wouldn’t lie down and surged back into the game with an unconverted try which made the last ten minutes a nervous encounter. Both teams had glimpses of chances but couldn’t build momentum off the opportunities. The sides competed strongly right up until the referee’s whistle signalled the end of the encounter and the teams left the pitch ready to meet in the league next week.