THE Tigers and Blues shared 13 tries but it was Sedgley who emergeed victorious to celebrate doing the double over Newbury with seven tries from Phil Jones (2), Adam Newton, Jamie Albinson, Matt Riley, Tim Fourie and Chris Hall to eventually win 47-45.

SEDGLEY PARK           47

NEWBURY                    45 

National League Division One 

TIM Fourie’s understandable post-match frustration at almost letting victory slip from his fingers after putting his body on the line for 54 minutes and scoring one of his side’s seven tries, was tempered by Andy Northey’s considered appraisal of the Tigers’ victory, making it a memorable double over Newbury.

“We could and should have ripped Newbury to shreds, but we didn’t,” said the Director of Rugby: “We did the same thing at Waterloo – let a side off the hook when we had them by the throat, we need to be more ruthless although the ref didn’t help.

”While Northey opined: “It was an end-of-season game with nothing to play for points-wise, therefore both sides were 5-10 per cent off full contact mode, no-one wanted to put their bodies in the line. It was therefore scrappy and messy. But we are ultimately happy as we got five points out of it, but I can understand why Tim is so angry. We haven’t played as a team for 80 minutes all season.”

The Tigers were caught cold inside 45 seconds. Fullback Matt Riley returned Newbury’s kick-off and his opposite number Nick Defty fielded the ball before setting up the cross-field passing move that ended with winger Liam Gibson seemingly floating across the pitch, mesmerising the Tigers’ defence to go over in the right-hand corner. Defty added the conversion and the Tigers were 0-7 down inside a minute.

If wake-up calls were needed it certainly fitted the bill and the Tigers stirred themselves to such an extent that they had the four-try bonus point sewn up inside 23 minutes.

On 10 minutes Jamie Albinson’s quick thinking caught Newbury napping when he tapped and drove from a penalty 30 metres from their line with his speed catching the Blues’ defence out before off-loading to Phil Jones in support and the Tigers’ fly-half trotted to the posts to give Matt Riley the simplest of conversions.

As Sedgley built up the pressure a move that switched direction twice and involving good ball retention and inter-passing between Ian Voortman, Jones, Chris Briers and Riley ended when flanker Adam Newton burst onto a well-timed pass to go over to give Riley another easy two-pointer.

Newbury were clearly rattled and a quickly taken line-out caught them out gain with Albinson cantering to the Newbury line unopposed and Riley nailed his third conversion.

Four minutes later Riley calmly collected a loose ball from a knock-on 10 metres from his own try line before showing his athleticism to outpace the Blues’ defence in his near 90-metre sprint to the opposite try line. While he caught his breath Jones attempted the conversion but was unsuccessful, still the Tigers led 26-7 and had secured the bonus point.

But instead of driving the advantage home the Tigers took their foot off the pedal and the Blues hit back with a converted Martin Nutt try (a chip and chase to the corner showing speed and determination) converted by Defty to cut the Tigers’ half-time lead to 26-14.

Newbury caught Sedgley cold again within a minute of the restart, although they were only rewarded with a successful penalty before the Tigers woke up again to resume their onslaught with a further two tries.

They used turnover ball well, swinging it through the hands of Voortman, Jonny Roddam, Fourie and Ed Norris before Jones charged through another gap 10 metres out and Riley converted.

Three minutes later Voortman pounced on to a loose ball and set off for the Newbury line with Fourie on his shoulder and the centre slipped the ball inside to his coach who went over by the posts, setting up another straight forward two-pointer for Riley who moved the score on to 40-17.

If the Tigers had had a ruthless streak they would have gone on from this point and buried Newbury. But they haven’t and instead once more eased back and allowed the Blues to push them all the way and almost overtake them.

Replacement Dan Smaje pulled a try back, along with a further Defty conversion before Albinson and Riley combined well with the fullback floating a beautifully weighted pass over a defender and into Chris Hall’s arms for the centre to go over by the posts to allow Riley to slot over his fifth conversion.

But they again let Newbury back in. Good forward pressure ended with lock John Chance driving to the Tigers’ posts and Defty added the two points. With John Skurr yellow-carded the Blues took full advantage and ran in two further tries courtesy of flanker Chris Morgan and a second for winger Gibson, both converted by Defty to reduce the deficit to just two points.

But solid mauling from the Sedgley forwards maintained possession and allowed them to run the clock down and gain a victory they only just deserved; one that they would certainly have been secured far sooner and easier if they possessed the professional, ruthless streak that Fourie demands.

SEDGLEY PARK: Riley (Leck 76), Briers, Hall, Voortman, Craig, Jones (Duffy 74), J. Albinson, Evans (Roberts 60), Roddam (Keys 84), Du Plessis (Gazzola 71), Fourie (Swart 60), Norris, Newton, Ponton, Skurr. Replacements not used: Livesey. Tries: Jones (10 and 43), Newton (16), J. Albinson (19), Riley (23), Fourie (46) and Hall (56). Conversions: Riley 5. Yellow cards: Skurr 67. 

NEWBURY: Defty, Gibson, Rees (Barden 55), Perkins, Nutt, Walsh, M. Simpson-Daniel (Smaje 40), Bruce, Dalgleish, Robinson, Chance, Radborne, Ashcroft-Leigh (Styles 59), Morgan, Hayter. Replacements not used: Greenwood, Walters, Doherty, Ashwin. Tries: Gibson (1 and 77), Nutt (26), Smaje (51), Chance (58) and Morgan (73). Conversions: Defty 6. Penalties: Defty 1.