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County Championship Plate Group 1
3rd round
Saturday 16th May 2009
Notts, Lincs and Derbys 40 Staffordshire 47
In a match which was to decide the 3rd and 4th positions in the group and confirm the progress of neither team into the semi finals, the two sides produced a thriller of a game for the spectators, abandoning defence and running the ball at most opportunities. As a consequence, it produced 12 tries and as remarkable not a single attempt at a penalty goal as Staffs ran out winners with the last play of the match.
As had happened in both previous matches, Staffs started strongly and posted a try inside the first 10 minutes, when from the kick off, Staffs fly half Rob McDermott made a break with Ollie Pointon, that saw Luke Fowles kick into in goal just touched down by his opposite man for a Staffs 5 metre scrum. A minute later and Aly Muldowney found a great running line off the retained ball to score a try under the posts which Ollie Pointon converted.
This time, Staffs didn't let the opposition straight back in the game and they should have scored a 2nd try within 2 minutes, but an interception right on the NLD line prevented the score.
However, after 21 minutes, sloppy defence by Staffs allowed NLD back into the game and from a deft kick by the fly half Daniel Graney, right wing Graham Allott rounded the defence to score. The conversion was missed and Staffs led 7-5.
Back came Staffs and spurning the penalty goal attempt 5 metres from the NLD line, they missed the chance to increase their lead immediately, but as NLD cleared Staffs pressure mounted and this time Josh Fowles found the angled run off the pass to score under the posts. Pointon converted and Staffs led 14-5.
With the half ending, Staffs again conceded in the 38th minute when poor tackling allowed prop Matt McGuire to score for the home side. With the conversion successful, the sides went in at half time with Staffs holding a narrow 14-12 lead.
The 2nd half opened with NLD in running mode. In the first minute, Allott scored his 2nd try after Staffs went to sleep and 5 minutes later, scrum half Danny Mclean finished off a flowing move to extend NLD's lead with the conversion to 26-12.
On 54 minutes, Sean Parker, NLD's centre scored his try after a simple move in the centre from a scrum and the conversion meant Staffs were dead and buried at 33-12 with still over 25 minutes to go. Staffs had made 3 substitutions in Mark Deaville at lock, Ben Oakley at scrum half and Adam Nettell at flank and then a remarkable turnaround occurred with Staffs scoring 4 converted tries in 13 minutes of irresistable running rugby.
Turning defence into attack and catching NLD cold, Staffs ran everything and soon gaps were opening at backs and forwards combined. On 60 minutes Andy Green on Staffs' left wing scored after the backs moved the ball wide. 3 minutes later and Ollie Pointon was over, again after the Staffs forwards tied in the tiring NLD pack and his own conversion meant Staffs were back in the game at 33-26. Then on 70 minutes, Josh Fowles scored his 2nd try after forwards combines on the blind side and Fowles went under the posts to level the scores at 33 all. 3 minutes later and Luke Fowles had completed a remarkable comeback when his fine run, bursting tackles and scoring under the posts meant Ollie Pointon's conversion gave Staffs a 40-33 lead.
Still this game had another 2 twists. NLD managed to retain possession and a simple move saw strong running wing Remeti Vaimosi burst tackles to score his try. Graney converted his 5th conversion and the sides were ties at 40 all.
Finally, as the game entered added time, Staffs were piling on the pressure and desperate defence couldn't keep out Staffs captain Matt Aston for a try under the posts which Pointon converted. The referee blew no side and Staffs had won a quite amazing game of rugby.
Team
15 Gareth Brear (Halifax); 14 Luke Fowles (Harrogate), 13 Josh Fowles (Macclesfield), 12 Ollie Pointon (Longton), 11 Andy Green (Longton); 10 Rob McDermott (Macclesfield), 9 Dan Needham (Leek); 1 Matt Rowley (Stafford), 2 George Glenn, (Longton), 3 James Hall (Waterloo); 4 Aly Muldowney (Moseley), 5 Will Brookes (Stoke); 6 Matt Aston (Nuneaton), 7 Joe Carpenter (Willenhall), 8 Jim Morris (Burton)
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Replacements - Danny Clark (Willenhall), Ben Oakley (Stoke), Mark Deaville (Leicester), Adam Nettell (Leek), Rob Scragg (Burton), Chris Gildroy (Stafford)
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