Bedford Blues once again found all the right ingredients in beating Worcester Warriors on Saturday (11 April), bouncing back up to second place in Champ Rugby with a bonus point 28-14 victory at the Sixways Stadium.
A brace of tries from the indomitable Dean Adamson, a second in Blues colours for Amena Caqusau, and a score for birthday boy, Alex Day ensured Bedford Blues will contest a home play-off fixture in Champ Rugby come the end of the season.
Whether that will be in a quarter final or a semi final remains to be seen, but the Blues once again put themselves in the driving seat in completing their first ever victory at the Sixways Stadium, and a cherished league double to boot.
Read: Stunning Bedford Blues serve up pre-Christmas treat with key win against Worcester
December’s Goldington Road triumph was up there as one of the greatest Blues performances of the decade so far, but the Warriors have been in excellent form since then, winning their last six games before this second vs third clash.
The Blues have been in similarly decent form, winning four of their last five, with an abject showing against Nottingham the only blotch, but confidence will have been restored on Saturday after completing another league triumph over Worcester.
Caqusau: The king of the interception
While Worcester enjoyed the best moments of the first quarter, some heroic defence from Bedford kept the game scoreless until the 21-minute mark, where Amena Caqusau was on hand to break the deadlock.
Caqusau – still a relatively new name to the Blues’ squad – may be starting to get a reputation for intercepts.
His interception at Goldington Road last weekend kicked off the scoring against Cornish Pirates, allowing Fyn Brown to dive over, and another one did the same at the Sixways, although the winger was able to finish this one off himself.
Read: Bedford Blues take their chances to see off wasteful Cornish Pirates
It was a lead Bedford Blues would never give up, with Alex Day adding to the try count in the first half after a superb break and subsequent offload from Lucas Titherington, that allowed his captain to run in a second.
Maisey’s pair of simple conversions gave the Blues a 14-0 lead.
Worcester’s, Hal Chapman was on hand to halve the deficit with the final play of the first half, but the Blues went into the sheds with a 14-7 advantage ahead of one of the biggest 40 minutes of their season.
Adamson scores again
Defeat would have almost certainly consigned the Blues to a definite quarter-final play-off spot, but they matched their first half performance with an equally solid second, adding two more tries to gain the bonus point.
The brace came from Bedford Blues and Champ Rugby’s greatest ever try scorer, Dean Adamson who added his 169th and 170th for the club, and Worcester could not find a route back.
Adamson’s first came as the ball worked its way across the Sixways pitch, finding the winger in his customary position on the whitewash to dot down in the corner, and while Worcester hit back after 67 minutes thanks to full back, Will Trewin, it was Bedford who would have the final say.
Adamson’s second of the afternoon – his 143rd in English rugby’s second tier – sealed the 28-14 victory, leaving Bedford Blues four points ahead of Worcester in second, with three regular league fixtures to come.
One of those fixtures is at runaway leaders, Ealing who still have a 100% record in the division after beating bottom club Cambridge, who are now officially relegated back to National One.
Coventry are well placed in fourth despite a Friday night loss at Nottingham, who remain eighth but are still in contention for a play-off spot. Four points separate them and fifth placed, Chinnor who lost heavily at Cornish Pirates.
Elsewhere, Ampthill built on a triumphant win against Doncaster Knights last weekend, by comfortably beating London Scottish 48-19 at the Richmond Athletic Ground, while Caldy squeezed past Hartpury 20-17.
Doncaster Knights beat Richmond 31-10, also on Friday night.
Bedford Blues return to action next Saturday (18 April) with a trip to the capital to face Richmond ahead of a week off, before the final pair of regular season games against Chinnor and Ealing in May.
