Sat 8 Feb 2025
Bridgnorth travelled to Derby for a rearranged fixture after Storm Darragh had prevented travel in December ’24. The official travelling supporters were able to join in the Derby V.P. lunch and were treated to a four-course meal with an excellent carvery main course. The Derby President Gwent Paylor was an excellent host and had done his homework with a potted history of Bridgnorth in his speech, Richard and Sean entertained the Bridgnorth diners as the conversation flowed. The Bridgnorth pack had some absentees with Morgan French and Ed Taylor missing from the second row, plus Luis Evitt and George Newman still missing from the front row. Captain Jonah Boyce and Connor Nicholls had also travelled straight to the game from the airport after their skiing holiday. Bridgnorth made a bright start to the game with Loti Molitika securing the ball and Benji Ritson and Jack Cole making good ground to take the game to the opposition. After a penalty from the first scrum, Connor Nicholls took the ball from the following lineout and he caught the defence napping to run into space and he drove over the Derby full-back to score the game’s opening try, (converted by Elliot Murphy.)
Bridgnorth then knocked-on at the restart to allow Derby straight back into the game and after good phase play from the scrum, they rolled out of contact to score a converted try under the posts to level the scores. Bridgnorth responded well and won a penalty in front of the posts, they declined to kick for the three points and opted for the attacking lineout, the lineout was lost however and Derby cleared the ball to relieve the pressure. There then followed an even period of play between the sides, Derby were exerting pressure in the scrum but Jack Cole made good ground and then Ritson and Jordan Burgess made a useful break from a quick tap penalty. Derby kicked a penalty attempt after Bridgnorth were penalised for not rolling away, but the ball went wide of the posts. The away side continued to attack after Derby were penalised for a ‘croc-roll’ and put together a strong series of ‘pick & go’ attacks, however the ball was knocked-on near the line and the chance was lost.
Captain Boyce then had to leave the field for an injury but the front row of props Jacob Tomkinson and Ben Morris together with hooker ‘Big Dog’ Adam Stirling gelled quickly and had the upper-hand in the scrums for the remainder of the contest. Bridgnorth continued to attack and very good play again saw them threaten the Derby line but they were penalised for a double movement, the away side returned the penalty kick with interest but were held up over the line and the half-time whistle blew with the score 7-7. Bridgnorth started the second-half with high-quality phases, Derby had a failed interception punished with a scrum but this only interrupted the away side’s flow as more cohesive play put Jack Cole in for a converted try. Nicholls secured the restart and Ritson cleared well to take the game back to the middle of the park. Bridgnorth gave away a penalty however, and an excellent touch kick from Derby took them near to the Bridgnorth line and after several drives they scored an unconverted try. This score was quickly followed by a three-point penalty for the home side to give them the lead for the first time in the game at 15-14.
Bridgnorth continued to play an open running game on the artificial surface and number-eight Patrick Smallman was put through for a clean break which resulted in a penalty for the away side. Bridgnorth again declined to kick at goal which considering the close contest between the sides seemed a questionable decision. After opting for the scrum, the away side won another penalty and this time, after not taking the kick in front of the posts, Manasa Volaikisuva crossed in the corner for a try. Murphy lined up the conversion attempt but the ball fell off the tee and his drop-goal attempt fell short. Derby then had a man sent off with a straight red card for a ‘shoulder to the head’ offence on Big-Dog and the away side then rang the changes with Luke Brough and Ben Ralph on for Burgess and Volaikisuva. With the score at 15-19 and a man advantage, some judicious game management was required from Bridgnorth to secure the victory. However, this was not shown by the away side as another penalty was kicked to the corner but the lineout was again lost. This error was then compounded as Derby (despite being a man down) broke through several missed tackles to score a converted try and take the score to 22-19.
Things went from bad to worse for Bridgnorth when, despite being warned that the next infringement would result in a yellow card, Nicholls illegally handled the ball and was sent to the sin-bin. Derby kicked the three-point penalty to open a six-point lead on their opponents to mean a converted try would be required for Bridgnorth to win the game. Bridgnorth maintained the pressure during the next period as both teams played with fourteen men. Despite winning a scrum penalty, the away side were unable to convert possession into meaningful pressure as they largely looked a rudderless outfit. They did finally galvanise themselves into a positive attack as Luke Brough was put into space to attack the line but the Derby defence held firm.
Then, as the clock ticked down, Bridgnorth won another penalty and kicked for an attacking ten-metre lineout, the referee confirmed that Nicholls could re-enter the game for what was probably the last play. With their pack back up to full strength and a lineout that had been working well, would this be the opportunity to snatch victory? Sadly, the lineout was overthrown and the home side were able to boot the ball off the field for the referee to blow for full-time to the delight of the players and supporters. Full credit must go to Derby for their victory, with players returning from injury their potential is far more than their disappointing first-half of the season demonstrated. For Bridgnorth, another frustrating afternoon on the road resulted in a losing bonus-point although they worked hard for the eighty minutes. With six league games left in the season (three home and three away) they still have the opportunity to climb the league table. In order to do this, the issues of penalty indiscipline and converting scoring opportunities into points will need to be addressed.
