RUGBY: Blues leave it late
Walsh try settles fantastic battle
The Championship
Rotherham 25 Bedford Blues 27
A Sam Walsh try in the second minute of added time earned Bedford Blues a dramatic 27-25 victory at Clifton Lane.
In a pulsating encounter that was a terrific advertisement for The Championship, the outstanding Miles Dorrian fed Walsh with a beautiful inside pass shortly after Jonathan West's fifth penalty had given the hosts a five-point advantage.
For their defence alone Rotherham probably deserved to get something out of the game, but the Blues, who dominated both possession and territory, will no doubt feel the same for their numerous periods of pressure close to the line.
However, when James Pritchard made an awful hash of a relatively simple penalty four minutes from time which would've put the Blues in the lead, the visitors could've been forgiven for thinking that a gilt-edged chance had been squandered.
However, back they came, and their constant pounding found some reward at the most opportune time. All that was left was for Pritchard to convert from a slight angle to secure the points.
West's first penalty in the fifth minute had given the home side an early lead after an infringement from a scrum which had come about when Luke Fielden's clearance had gone a full 80 metres before running dead.
The Blues hit back with a bombardment of the Rotherham line, turning down a couple of kickable penalties, but after this was repelled, Walsh slotted penalty number two in the 17th minute to extend the lead to 6-0.
Following a similar pattern, the Blues hit back again and after refusing to take another two shots at goal, their patience was rewarded when Will Chudley broke from the back of a maul to dive over. Pritchard converted to put the visitors a point to the good.
The lead changed hands again five minutes later. Dorrian put a foot in touch behind the posts after gathering a chip through and from the resulting scrum, Steve Swindall crashed over, West's conversion making it 13-7.
Both sides had some of the ball in the final minutes of the half, but it was Rotherham who turned it into something tangible, West kicking penalty number three as the Blues strayed offside.
The second period opened with Matt Farmer having a try ruled out after a speculative pass went forward and the Blues opting to try and cross the whitewash rather than take points with the boot.
But, like the first half, their tactics bore fruit in the 55th minute when five minutes of solid pressure ended with Dorrian brushing aside West's limp effort at a tackle and touching down under the posts.
Pritchard added the easy conversion to cut the deficit to two, however, 60 seconds later, West made amends for his defensive lapse with a well-struck 40m drop-goal.
Just after the hour, Brett Daynes chose the wrong option, looking to cut inside rather than head for the corner when Dorrian had put him in space, but with Rotherham straying offside, Pritchard was left with a straightforward penalty.
With the Blues' handling more assured and the pace being quickened, there looked to be only winner of what had become a cut and thrust contest, but the hosts' defence - which had conceded nearly a half century at Nottingham last week - was stuubornly refusing to budge.
Another offside decision in the 69th minute enabled Prithcard to put the Blues a poit in front at 20-19, but once again West replied, this time with a 50m penalty of his own to restore his side's lead.
Pritchard must have had a sense of dj vu when his 76th minute effort was pushed horribly wide and as West lifted his personal tally to 20 three minutes later the game looked to be dead and buried.
But there was another twist. The Blues patiently worked their way through a number of phases, moving ever closer to the line, and it was left to Dorrian to supply the killer touch, feeding Walsh who had the simple task of strolling over.
Pritchard made no mistake with the conversion and the Blues will have enjoyed their coach trip down the M1 knowing they had come through a significant test of their mettle.
BLUES: Pritchard, Fielden, Dodge, Roberts, Davey, Dorrian, Chudley (Vass 48), Walsh, Richmond (Locke 69), Brown (Seal 66), Spencer, Rae, Goodman (Daynes 26), Lewitt, Tupai.
Subs: Harlock, Veenendaal, Taylor.
Attendance: 1,304
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Thursday 17 May 2012
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