Bedford Blues fell at the final hurdle in Champ Rugby, as Worcester Warriors spoiled the Goldington Road party with a 27-14 triumph in the play-off final.
In front of a capacity crowd of 5,531 fans, tries from Hugh Bokenham, Tim Anstee, Will Reed and Siva Naulago were enough to overhaul scores from Bedford’s Conway and Adamson, leaving Worcester to lift the Champ Rugby title.
For the first time since 2012/13, Bedford Blues found themselves in a second tier final, but standing in their way was a Worcester Warriors side sprinkled with current and former internationals.
The Blues’ stunning 58-24 victory in last Friday night’s first semi-final was labelled by some as, “the greatest performance of the Mike Rayer era”, while the Warriors reached this stage thanks to a dramatic victory at favourites, Ealing.
Read: Bedford Blues thrash Coventry to secure spot in Champ Rugby play-off final
Rayer was still a player when the Blues last won a league title; 28 years ago in 1998, but the wait for a first second tier title as a Director of Rugby goes on as the Blues fell in the final game of a pulsating Champ Rugby season.
Despite their play-off final triumph, Worcester Warriors will not be promoted to the Prem as they did not apply for promotion this season.
Blues score twice but go in at half-time behind
The atmosphere inside the ground was raucous, with a healthy group of visiting Worcester fans making their voices heard, and they were the first to cheer as the Warriors took the lead on seven minutes.
Early Blues indiscipline gifted the Warriors a spate of penalties, and when they found territory, number eight Hugh Bokenham was the beneficiary as he stole over the whitewash on the right wing.
An off-colour Will Reed skewed the conversion wide to leave Worcester 5-0 in front, but the Blues hit back inside three minutes as Joey Conway responded with a try of his own; Maisey’s conversion poking Bedford in front in the early stages.
By the 15-minute mark, the Blues had extended their lead.
A trademark flowing move out right found the hands of George Worth, who passed inside to Dean Adamson, with the Blues’ record try scorer soaring through space to dive over for his 24th of the season, and continuing a streak of scoring in each of his last eight games.
If the first 15 minutes were free flowing, the next 15 were combative; bookended by a pair of unusually stray kicks from Worcester’s Reed, but with five minutes of the first half remaining, the Warriors stamped their authority on the clash.
Their second try came in a similar fashion to their first, where Tim Anstee was waiting to finish it off in the corner, despite protestations from Bedford players about a forward pass in the build up.
Billy Twelvetrees, replacing Reed on kicking duties, added the extras.
The final moments of the first half were dominated by Worcester who battered the Bedford try line, with the Blues defence teetering on the edge of a yellow card, but before it came, the visitors were able to score another.
After a monumental number of phases, the ball found Reed who stretched over to add a silver lining to a difficult first half, although his replacement kicker, Twelvetrees struck the post with the conversion to leave the half-time score at 14-17.
Warriors hold firm
Heading down the slope in the second half, the Blues almost grabbed the initiative back inside 20 seconds of the restart, only for Ryan Hutler’s cute chip to bounce unkindly, while a second surge was held up by a stoic Worcester defence.
It was the beginning of a good stage of possession for the hosts; aided in part by a penalty given at the end of a minor brawl near the benches, but more excellent Warriors defence continued to keep Bedford at bay.
But with the hour mark approaching, Worcester began to build momentum; the Blues doing well to direct a promising rolling maul into touch, before a heart in mouth moment from a Day kick almost allowed the Warriors in again.
Tension around the ground was rising, with the score remaining 17-14 to Worcester with 20 minutes left, but Blues chances were dealt a blow when Fred Tuilagi was sin-binned for an illegal clear out.
The Warriors were quick to pounce.
Louis Brown broke through the centre of a huge gap in the Blues defence, and proceeded to feed Siva Naulago who was left with the simple task of dotting down between the posts.
Again, there were suspicions of a forward pass, but at ten points down, 15 minutes remaining and bodies dropping from fatigue all over the pitch, it felt like a long way back for the Blues.
A Twelvetrees penalty extended the Warriors’ lead, and heading into the last ten minutes, the visitors lived up their name with a series of big hits that de-railed any chances the Blues were able to fashion.
Managing the final ten minutes, the Worcester fans serenaded their side home, as their side closed out a 27-14 win.
Left to collect their runners-up medals, the Blues camp will be left to wonder what could have been, but despite a gut-wrenching loss in the final, they will be left with a feeling of pride once the dust settles.
The Blues are still only a part-time club, coming up against full-time sides such as the Warriors, Ealing and Coventry, and while their wait for a league trophy goes on, they continue to punch above their weight in an increasingly competitive second tier.
