Stafford 1st XV were on the road for their first away league game of the season. With a couple of wins under their belts and an early third place league position the County Town team travelled with some momentum. In contrast the hosts were nought from three so far, but already having contended with the top two in the league. Stafford had a relatively settled squad which included a 1st XV league debut for Jack Mason. With two teams at home and a junior honour guard, Hinkshay Road was a bouncing place for an afternoon of rugby.

Stafford came tearing into the game and some early plays put the hosts into an immediate defence. Telford dug in for a couple of forays but couldn’t stop Rob Jones from muscling across for a try, converted by Cristian Ureche. The game then descended into a slightly disjointed event as the ball kept going forward and with other misdemeanours, the play became bogged down into a scrummaging or kicking affair. Getting the advantage from the succession of scrums, Telford adapted quickly to what had become a scrappy game. Using their platform the hosts broke away and several missed tackles allowed them to cruise across the line for a try. The restart didn’t see any immediate improvement but the home side had found some solace in the chaos and a quick penalty again brushed aside tackles for a second try. Telford looked to be relishing this type of game and were taking the opportunity to dominate the territory whilst Stafford tried to establish a plan. With a few more scrums under their belts the Shropshire XV eventually threw the ball wide and cruised through some soft shoulders for another try. Both sets of forwards were having a busy afternoon and the arm wrestle between them was immense. As the clock leaked towards half time, Stafford managed to string together some phases. With the ball in hand the Blackberry Lane XV suddenly looked dangerous and a barn storming run from Ollie Croft shredded the opposition before he was hauled down. The County Town team reset quickly and silky hands smuggled the ball to Colton McLaughlin who crossed for a try, converted by Cristian Stelian. A late penalty added to the home side pot before the referee’s whistle signalled the end of the period. Stafford went into half time trailing 20 – 14 in an erratic game which had been dominated by an immense number of tiring scrums.

Stafford came tearing into the second half looking to ramp up the rugby and establish a more familiar game. The Shropshire opposition were having none of it and manged to smother out all of the early attacks. In a familiar pattern the game descended back into a series of scrums which seemed to favour the home XV. A subsequent Telford break tore through some half tackles and the hosts were across the line for their bonus point try. Now with a solid eleven point lead the Hornets tried to shut up shop and make the most of a broken paced final quarter. But Stafford were digging deep and working hard for each other started to edge their way back into the contest. With ball in hand the visitors suddenly found a way forward and Telford reluctantly set up the defence on their own try line. The defence became ragged and a couple of infringements earned a yellow card. A solid Stafford scrum provided the platform for a running line which tore through the opposition and Rob Jones crossed for a try, converted by Cristian Ureche. Now with a gap of only four points, the Blackberry Lane XV launched an all-out assault which fed off the style of rugby that had been elusive all afternoon. To their credit, Telford kept clearing their lines but couldn’t construct a comprehensive escape. Some loose lips from the hosts didn’t help the cause, gifting Stafford an attacking line out deep in enemy territory. Leaping high, experienced hands secured the ball but Telford managed to bring down the driving forwards. The ball popped up enabling Stafford to reset for another drive which brushed aside the tired defenders aside and Dan Watts was under the pile of bodies for a bonus point try. Now with a narrow one-point lead, Stafford continued to attack. A fantastic re start saw the invigorated visiting XV harrying and scrapping their way around the pitch. Some probing kicks sucked more life of out tiring legs and the game was suddenly in full flow without any interruptions from the referee’s whistle. With the final minutes ticking away, the wily boot of Henry Ralphs poked through a grubber kick. This bamboozled the hard-working defence who couldn’t lay a hand on it. An inrush of Stafford players added to the confusion and the ball was hacked ahead for Rob Jones to fall on for a try, converted by Cristian Ureche. With a few more moments gone, the shrill sound of the referee’s whistle signalled the end of a tense game of rugby.