BLUES: Neil Roy's Plymouth verdict
Three dazzling tries in the last ten minutes earned the Blues a bonus point 38-3 win at Plymouth to make sure that Saturday's visit of Bristol is worthy of its pre match billing.
For a long while in the second half Bedford looked like a team destined for mid table mediocrity rather than one challenging for the top as they got sucked into a damage limitation game that was going nowhere.
The line out was chaotic, the ball was being booted aimlessly down the throat of the opposition defence and Plymouth – down 17-3 at half time – had the chances to get right back into it.
Poor Ian Davey, Bedford's left winger with ambitions to finish as the league's top try scorer, must have thought he'd never get a chance to open his account for the season.
As it turned out he didn't because, after Gregor Gillanders had come on and sorted the line out, the end game zapped into life on the right. Replacement fly half Myles Dorrian remembered his vow to run rather than kick and suddenly it all clicked in to place as the Blues switched on to finish like cold blooded assassins.
Dorrian and the effervescent Liam Roberts are as electric off their left hands as Billy Twelvetrees was off his right. And the first time they got their back line into the Plymouth danger zone – and that was 30 minutes into the second half – they struck with Brendan Burke finishing off after some slick passing.
Dorrian then collected an aimless kick and set Ollie Dodge loose just a few minutes later. The irrepressible Dodge, who'd earlier snuffed out a good Plymouth try chance, powered up his wing and put Dorrian in for the bonus point try before Burke created a little bit more magic to send centre partner Roberts over in injury time. Dorrian converted all three tries.
Bored Bristol spies would have wondered what all the fuss was about until that ten minute blitz made them jerk bolt upright.
The crowd seemed to have settled for a dull 17 something win after first half close range tries from scrum half Will Chudley and hooker Chris Locke following sustained forward pressure with organiser Alex Rae, the powerful Phil Boulding and the piratical Sacha Harding catching the eye in open play.
James Pritchard converted both tries and landed a penalty. And after a couple of shaky weeks he looked as 'sublime' a kicker as Graham Dawe, the Plymouth DOR, described him in his programme notes. As indeed did Dorrian from similar positions close to the posts for his conversions.
Plymouth press people said Bedford usually drew one of their lowest crowds of the season. That was something of a surprise after being trumpeted as a glamour club. But at times it was easy to see why that might be the case as the Blues got bogged down.
"Look," said coach Nick Walshe. "Teams aren't going to roll over against us. These are good sides. And Plymouth made it hard for us. We gave away too many penalties and made mistakes under pressure. At times we had no flow. But once we got going towards the end we got control again and finished well. And they didn't get a try. "
This was the Blues third win on the bounce at the ever improving Brickfields stadium where once the 15 man rolling maul had the locals on the edge of their seats and their star players were rich pickings for the likes of premiership Bristol.
Not so long ago they were able to entice a couple of Bedford's best with big cheques. Now they are striving to play a more fashionable all-singing, all-dancing game while trying to get a different balance between investment on and off the pitch.
It's Plymouth's ambitious rivals Exeter and the Cornish Pirates who sit just behind Bedford and Bristol at the top of the table. And though this Saturday will see the clash of the current Championship giants, the title will surely be won and lost in the West Country.
The Blues may have to win at least once - probably twice - more in the area if they are going to be serious challengers. But this was the bonus point chance. And they took it.
Bedford Blues: Walsh (Harris,76), Locke, Boulton, Rae, Harlock, Harding, Lewitt (Gillanders, 55), Goodman (Tupai, 37), Chudley (Veenendaal, 76), Davies (Dorrian, 63), Davey, Roberts, Burke, Dodge, Pritchard (Fielden,63).
T&C MOM: Sacha Harding: piratical
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Weather for Biggleswade
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 2 C to 4 C
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