Hereford 15 Stratford upon Avon 20
Hereford welcomed visitors Stratford upon Avon to a wet and muddy Wyeside and lost a match, full of handling errors. This was a contest that the Wyesiders could and should have won, but what looked like lapses of concentration cost them the game. Hereford started well, most of the first half was played in the Stratford half, but the visitors had more possession. The teams exchanged penalties before the first Hereford try gave them an 8 points to 3 lead at the interval. Stratford equalised with a try early in the second period, which they followed up with a further two tries, one of which was converted. Hereford pressed hard for the final 15 minutes and managed the consolation of a converted try. This took the final score to 15 – 20 and they had to be content with a losing bonus.
“A challenging day at Wyeside” said Head Coach, Scott Sturdy “We played a competitive side from Stratford, the Hereford side played particularly well in the first half. They created numerous chances whether from gaining entry to the opposition 22 or creating some really good line breaks.
Unfortunately, early on we didn’t show enough composure when presented with these opportunities, to finish the job off. This always leads to a tight game. In the second half we conceded a number of penalties and our inability to retain the ball put us under pressure and eventually Stratford broke through.
Towards the end of the game, we end up inside the Stratford 22. We throw a big wide pass which was intercepted and the Stratford winger goes the length of the field. With time running out, this puts the game beyond us. With a few minutes to go we managed to salvage a score to get a bonus point.
A disappointing day. I know the players feel the same way as I do and we know we need to get better in our execution, ninety percent of what we’re doing is great, but we need to make sure that we finish our chances.
A big shout out for our 1870s. A great away win at Bedworth, which has secured their second place in the table, with Harbury who are top coming to Wyeside in a couple of weeks.
Well done, the Colts who beat Moseley today 25 – 15, a great result for them after a difficult start to their season. Overall, the club’s in a strong position, but we do realise we need to start winning more games with our HRFC team. We have a rest week next week before we go away to Shipston on Stour, the 1870s take on Harbury at Wyeside.”
Things looked promising for Hereford early in the first half. Although they didn’t have much possession, they kept Stratford pinned in their own half for long periods. The forwards did well in the set pieces, dominating the scrums and holding their own in the lineouts.
Within ten minutes of kick off, the Hereford pressure told and they took an early lead when Iwan Holder slotted a penalty from 35 yards. Stratford started to make inroads into the Hereford half and equalised with a penalty. With ten minutes remaining in the half, Hereford won a penalty. Holder found a good touch near the Stratford 22 and when the catch and drive broke down, the ball was released to Josh Wright who made an evasive run into the red zone. The Wyesiders went through five or six phases and when the options ran out, Bryn Goodall put in a well-placed kick to the corner, which Mark Philo gathered and touched down. The conversion from a difficult angle was just wide of the posts, but Hereford changed ends with an 8 points to 3 lead.
Shortly after the restart, Stratford were awarded a scrum close to the Hereford line and surprisingly were able to drive over the line for an equalising try. Hereford were putting together some good movements, but somehow, nothing seemed to be working. To add to their troubles, Hereford lost a player to the bin and shortly after, Stratford took the lead when they moved the ball smartly wide and crossed in the corner. The conversion made the score 8 points to 15.
Just minutes later Hereford were pressing on the Stratford line when a risky pass was intercepted inside the visitors’ line. They raced the length of the field to cross for Stratford’s third try, the conversion was not successful. Hereford continued to press, but were unable to score until a good touch from a penalty award set up a lineout. Hereford’s signature catch and drive worked perfectly and Tom Williams raced over for the try, despite it taking 2 shots to get out of the bunker. Holder’s conversion attempt was successful and the game finished at 15 points to 20. There were several good personal performances. The backrow of Jake Cheshire, Gareth Jones, and Danny Robson worked as hard as any in attack and defence, skipper Connor Sullivan made some useful breaks from scrum half and Stephan Dyers was his usual busy self.
The 1870s claimed another big away win at Bedworth on Saturday. They scored 35 unanswered points and remain in the runner’s up position in the table. Scorers at Bedworth were tries: Rhys Proctor 2, Tom Broad 1, Levi Hughes 1 and Nathan Watkins 1, conversions were landed by Ben Wood 5.
