Warwickshire Cup Round 1

Rugby Lions 36 Rugby St Andrews 3

 In a good afternoon for the game in Rugby, Lions and Rugby St Andrews played out a very competitive Warwicksire Cup game from which both clubs can take a lot of credit.

The first half really belonged to Rugby St Andrews even if they went into the break 5-3 down.

The Crusaders squad fielded by Rugby, includng 13 players with first-team appearances this season, were showing their lack of close games, one way and another, this season while St Andrews, with some ex Lions among their forwards, looked well organised and made fewer handling errors.

A tense opening half hour went scoreless before finally Lee Hersey’s penalty gave Saints a deserved 0-3 lead cheered loudly by the very strongly represented visiting supporters among a bumper crowd.

But Rugby came back to snatch the ead with a bullocking run from Ben Nuttall, one of many players in the home team looking to press their case for a first-team place in front of a full complement of the club’s senior coaches and team management.

Rugby extended their lead soon after the interval when Joey Shore’s sprint from a scrum gave him a try converted by fly half Steve Goode.

Then another Nuttall try with Goode converting looked to have settled the game, even if Wayne Morgan’s side never let up.

The final quarter brought three more Rugby tries, the first two of them from the Lions player who eneded up making as big impression as any, right wing Robert Brown.

Twice he showed real pace and strength to finish Lions moves and stretch his side’s lead to 29-3 by the 65th minute to help emphsise that his sde had raised their game from a disappointing level in the first half.

The last word in terms of scoring went to Santi Pulgar with his try from  forwards drive, Goode converting.

St Andrews showed their continuing spirit by not conceding any points in the last 10 minutes and the crowd applause as they left the pitch was fully deserved.

The occasion and the efforts of both sides made it obvious there is real value in cup competitions and particularly among local clubs.

Rugby Lions: Nuttall, Pearl, Walton, Purchase, Fenwick Wilson (ca), Saunders, Carney, Pulgar, Shore, Goode, Rust, Young, Ellis, Brown, Mountford. Reps Oselton, Tunnicliffe, Clements, Tucker

Rugby St Andrews: Lapsley, Jones, Chaplow, McPhillips, Devgun, Hare, Taylor, Farr, Rudd, Clynes, White, Brightwell, Kilborn, Hersey, Tatlor. Reps Tuslove, Butlin, Headley, Morgan

Match report by kind permission of The Rugby Lions