Sat 11 Dec 2021
Grey afterrnoon plus rain clouds!! Played on First team pitch for first time and never had beaten hosts at home.Lunch (Xmas) very good and a large crowd expecting a great game and probably a home win! The stand pretty full made for a great atmosphere. Very noisy support towards the end!!
Our boys got out of the blocks really well and kept attacking their line - one clear chance to score out wide spurned but, soon after, great work by all the boys saw George Newman crash over wide out after10 minutes. Elliot converted.
BRFC now playing well and 10 mins later Jordan finished off some fine rugby with a try in the same corner. Conversion failed.
Sheffield then seemed to wake up and and started dominating the set piece - lineout cos they had 2 lighthouses but more worringly also the scrums! Callum Bradbury made a try saving tackle but the pressure mounted.
Hubbs then brought on Joe Cave into the 2nd row which proved to be a master stroke as it gave us parity in the scrum if not the line out!
Pat Smallman injured and replaced by late rerplacement James Barham who played his part in what I think was his first team debut. Winger James Peach suffered a shoulder injury which saw Connor Nichols depart the back row onto the wing. Sheffield spurned several penalty kicks choosing to play into the corner and use their set piece domination but BRFC held on till half time with Elliot hitting the crossbar from distance which might have proved a decisive score!
Second half a determined home team backed up by a vociferous home crowd carried on the dominance and only stubborn defence by BRFC
made them work for every inch of territory. Eventually they were on the scoreboard with well deserved try which was converted midway through the half. 12-7 !!
Trench warfare - and that was just in the stands with our small band of supporters vocally encouraging our boys right through to the end. A great victory, hard earnt with all the team and coaches playing their part.Eliot's narrow miss now seemed unimportant! Forwards and 3 quarters excellently lead by captain Jonah Boyce with Gareth Bladen also putting in an outstanding performance. Both awrded MOM - by this deputy reporter.
