A late Will Maisey penalty ensured Bedford Blues picked up maximum points in round ten of Champ Rugby, as Mike Rayer’s team won by a single point for the second consecutive weekend, beating Cornish Pirates 27-26 in Penzance on Friday night.
It also meant the Blues continue their fine form in the south west, having now won in four consecutive seasons at the Mennaye as they continue to keep pace with Ealing and next weekend’s opponents, Worcester Warriors.
While last Saturday’s scratchy performance against a spirited Cambridge was nerve-wracking, this encounter was a yo-yo affair that the Blues eventually came out on top of.
Read: Bedford Blues survive Cambridge scare to extend unbeaten Champ Rugby run
Rayer brought back his big guns from the off after attempting an almost failed rotation at Goldington Road last weekend, with the likes of captain, Alex Day, Will Maisey and Alex Woolford all starting, while George Worth returned to a familiar right wing spot.
It was Worth who scored the first points of the night, completing a move that started with Michael Le Bourgeois popping a neat short pass to Louis James, who expertly picked off a few defenders before feeding Worth to finish it off.
Morgan Nelson would respond for the Pirates from the back of a maul to kick off the yo-yo nature of the clash, although Arwel Robson would outgun Maisey off the kicking tee, as he converted three of the Pirates’ four tries.
Rory Ward scored the second try of the night – with Maisey again missing the conversion – before Arthur Relton once again hit back for the home side, with Robson’s second conversion opening up a four-point lead at the break.
Adamson double helps Blues over the line
Once again, Bedford needed to fight back from a half-time deficit, although the task was not as hefty as last week’s 11-point disadvantage against Cambridge.
This time, it only took three minutes to overhaul it as the Blues re-took the lead thanks to a familiar try-scoring face in Dean Adamson, with Maisey finding his radar to complete what would turn into a very important seven points.
Again, the Pirates responded as Charlie Rice got the final touch to a scrappy looking score, with Robson converting once more, but there was an expectation in the air that the Blues would score next, as was the pattern of the game, and that is exactly what happened.
A kick off the back of a scrum from Day was pinpoint accurate, and Adamson burst ahead of a lackadaisical Pirates shirt to complete his second try of the evening – and Bedford’s fourth – to give the Blues the edge again.
Harry Yates was the man who inevitably put the Pirates in the ascendency for the final time after 70 minutes, but the one missed conversion from an otherwise consistent Robson left the door open for the Blues, and it was Will Maisey who would stride through it.
The Blues were awarded a penalty on 77 minutes, and Maisey duly despatched it to put Bedford one point ahead at 27-26 and the Pirates could not find a route back in, as the final whistle blew on a see-saw game that ended with five more points in the Champ Rugby bank for the Blues.
Crunch match
It was a win made all the more important as it opens up a gap from the Blues – now second in the table – down to the Pirates in fourth, with Bedford now eight points ahead of them.
Worcester Warriors are strong favourites to regain second spot after tomorrow’s fixtures, in which they host newly-promoted Richmond, while Ealing were also in action on Friday night, although they were made to work hard to win against Nottingham.
Next up for the Blues is a crunch home match against the Warriors next Saturday (20 December), ahead of the resumption of Boxing Day rugby at Goldington Road, when Richmond come to town.
