Rolls Royce league home

Belper hosted Rolls Royce today in the league, conditions were ok with the pitch being quite heavy in places, but we are kind of used to this now. Belper were missing 7 regular 1st teamers to injury or unavailability and after a poor turnout at training the omens didn't bode well.

Belper started the brighter seeming to be the better side by far. Wave after wave of attack ensued pounding the Royce defensive line, Royce's seemed to be a lot more together themselves after our previous encounter at the beginning of the season, however man for man Belper had the edge. The game was typically narrow due to the conditions and speed of the ball with frequent stoppages for handling errors and soft penalties. In the scrum Belper's forwards were dominant with Yorke, Hayward and Scarter providing an excellent platform for the two's to drive onto.

The first score came after a slick move off the back of another fine Belper scrum, Dakin peeled off the back and drew the contact of the flanker before releasing the ball to Egfried, who crashed through the lone winger to score in the corner. Belper felt revitalised by this and again came straight back at Royce's, however it was against the run of play that the Royce's centre intercepted a loose pass and raced towards the Belper line, England tracked back beautifully to take him down and stop a certain try, however this buoyed Royce's who put together a passage of play which resulted in them crossing the line in the corner.

Belper maintained composure and came out of the blocks well, making good yards in the forwards the ball broke loose for Royce's 9 to release the wing to score in the corner. It was at this time Belper began to lose some discipline in their play through frustration of being behind through silly mistakes. The play was scrappy for a while but England and Dyer foraged and worked hard to secure solid ball. The Belper backs were hitting their lines well with the return of Meakin at 10 to distribute some good ball. Royce's seemed to bring their line up very quick, maybe too quick which they used to their advantage to snaffle the centres, however Merve and Blount stood firm and ensured we kept the ball. Stewart-Lacey looked dangerous at full back and was supported well by Egfried, however both were restricted by lack of ball in hand to do the required damage.

Another solid Belper scrum decimated the Royce's forwards and the support play at times was bordering on the sublime, It was here that Royce's had no choice but to slow the play down, however eventually they were caught infringing in the ruck which gave Belper a chance to close the score, Blount duly did so.

Half time called at 8-10 the score, Skipper Dakin requested a reality check and queried why we were in this position, Belper responded with a dogged and gritty 2nd half. Belper were stung with the loss of Merve to a suspected broken foot, however Naylor returning from injury replaced him. Some scrappy play saw Royce's open the scoring in the 2nd half with a penalty in front of the posts, however Belper were not beaten yet. Through some solid play Belper battled hard punishing The Royce's forwards at every turn. Belper's 2nd try was almost a mirror image of the first with Dakin peeling off the back of a scrum drawing the defender and popping to Griffiths who rode two tackles to score in the corner, 13 all.

Not satisfied with a draw Belper continued the dogged fightback, with Stewart-Lacey and Naylor supporting each other well to make the hard yards. A Naylor chip and chase provided the hit of the game as the Royce's player received the ball, a perfectly timed tackle by Matthews in the opposition midriff was the inspiration that spurred Belper on for what could be described as a relentless attack on the Royce's line. Royce's looked bedraggled but stood firm however a penalty under the posts was given which Blount gave Belper the edge. A solid yet frantic 5 minutes ensued with Royce's throwing everything at Belper, however Belper were not going to give this one up. With the ref signalling last play with a Belper scrum, it looked in the bag, however Royce's were able to wheel the scrum for the first time to get another crack at the cherry. Royce's won their scrum and broke, it was Skipper Dakin who stripped the ball off the Royce's 9 and sent the ball safely into the crowd. The whistle went and Belper screamed a sigh of relief. Final Score 16-13.

Next week Skegness away. We are always recruiting new players, if you want to give rugby a go and or resume your rugby playing days contact Club Captain Gaz Dakin via the Belper Rugby Club Website www.belperrugbyclub.co.uk