Stafford 20 – 18 Burton

The kick off set the tone for the first part of the match with Tom Taylor outjumping the Burton forwards to reclaim the ball and spearheading a forward charge up the pitch deep into opposition territory. Although the Stafford pack continued to dominate territory, as the half hour mark was reached the game remained scoreless. The County Town team could have snatched a slender lead through a penalty, but the ball wouldn’t find its way through the posts. One rare Burton foray saw a last ditch try saving tackle by winger Sam Bristow to prevent a certain score. It was a bruising encounter with big hits going in from both sides. Stafford then suffered two injuries with full back Oli Greensill being taken to hospital with a serious shoulder injury and lock Gregor Lennon being side-lined with an ankle injury. As Stafford settled the opposition came back strongly, despite some valiant defence, Burton were eventually able to score an unconverted try. This seemed to rejuvenate Stafford and in the closing minutes of the half Tom Taylor led another forward charge to crash over for an equalising try converted by Lewis Cantrill. Stafford went into half time winning by 7-5 but having to fight ferociously against a strong Burton XV.

The second half saw Burton pushing strongly into Stafford’s half showcasing the power in their forwards combining together with some strong running backs. Stafford defended excellently but strayed offside and Burton were rewarded for their efforts with a penalty which they successfully converted to regain the lead. The physicality of the game again started to take its toll on Stafford. They lost lock Jordan Talbot and flanker Toran Spelman through injury. Stafford continued to attack strongly and after several phases of play Tom Taylor found the perfect running line to evade the Burton defence just outside the 22 and was able to crash past the last defender to score a try converted by Lewis Cantrill. Stafford were able to maintain the pressure after the restart and worked their way to a penalty which found its way successfully across the posts through a Lewis Cantrill kick. Burton then demonstrated their character by staging a remarkable comeback playing their best rugby of the game. They continually drove into Stafford’s half with forcing the County Town team to concede penalties under the extreme pressure. Two unconverted tries secured a one-point lead for Burton as the game dwindled into the final minutes. Stafford kicked off as the rain became heavy and were able to turn the ball over and take possession, following several phases of play Stafford were awarded a penalty. Lewis Cantrill stepped up but a miss kick saw the ball fly wide of the posts. The vocal supporters thought the chance to win the game had gone but the colts had other ideas. From the 22 drop out Stafford drove back into the Burton 22 and forced a lineout. The referee informed the players it was the last play. Stafford won the ball and the forwards began to go through the phases. Showing patience and restraint they moved the ball onwards from one phase to another. By this time playing conditions had become difficult in the heavy rain but their handling was secure and they held on to the ball until Burton conceded another penalty. Lewis Cantrill stepped up for the second time in a couple of minutes to try and get the victory with the last kick of the game. This time the connection was sweet and the ball flew through the middle of the posts.
The referees whistle went for full time and Stafford had won 20-18.

This was a fantastic game played by two very strong sides and the result could have gone either way. It was played in the true spirit of rugby by both teams with no cards being shown by the referee. The cup and medals were presented by Staffordshire RFU president Becky Davies, the man of the match award going to Lewis Cantrill.