Rugby Union: Signs are good from a game to savour

BURY RUFC...26

BURY should have taken on West Park Warriors on Saturday, but they were unable to field a team so the match will be played later in the season.

They could have taken the soft option of having a day off, however, as it was a league Saturday, the best available opposition was Stockport's second XV, previously known as Davenport.

As they are two leagues above the local side it was, as it turned out, a fair and very entertaining game.

Stockport's third XV had scored more than 100 points against Bury's old rivals Duckinfield II only a couple of weeks earlier, and with that in mind it was a group of somewhat apprehensive onlookers that watched the game.

Their worst fears were, it seemed, to be realised when the home side scored a converted try after only 90 seconds and added two penalty kicks in the 10th and 13th minutes.

The writing looked on the wall.

The configuration of the ground and the strong wind were not helping Bury's cause.

The pitch was like an inverted saucer, running away into each corner, and the wind blowing diagonally into the Bury half caused problems.

Coach John Hargreaves had taken the opportunity to look at and evaluate some players that have been playing in the lower sides and who train regularly.

Bury enjoyed a good game in both set scrum and line-out and were excellently marshalled by Jason Smyth, captaining the side in the absence of John Westwood, and backed up by the talented Matt Boyd who made a welcome return at scrum half.

When they realised that the opposition were vulnerable both in the forwards and three-quarter line the increased self belief changed the pattern of the game.

Bury opened their account in the 25th minute with a try started by Boyd inside his own half, carried on by Sam Viallie and finished off in the corner by John Johnson.

The conversion into the eye of the wind from wide out was converted by Bernard Robinson.

Stockport were stunned at the effrontery, and ten minutes later just to rub it in, a fine three-quarter move saw wing Steve McDonough outpace his opposite number to score an unconverted try in the right corner.

Robinson narrowly missed the conversion and Bury went into the interval one point in arrears.

The visitors were now to enjoy the advantage of the wind, and Stockport knew that they would suffer the same aerial bombardment that Bury had weathered so well in the first period.

Immediately after the restart, Stockport approached the referee to inform him that their loose head prop could not continue, and the replacement was not an experienced front row forward.

This left him with no option other than to instruct both sides that the scrums were to go unopposed.

Centre Mark Fielding could have scored after five minutes, but with the line at his mercy he put the pass down.

Right wing Steve McDonough added to his tally with a try in the 15th minute converted by Robinson.

If Stockport were rattled by this try, when following a fast hands move down the three-quarter line, centre Mark Fielding was to upset them even more, leaving the cover for dead and crossing the line close to the posts to allow Robinson an easy conversion.

Apart from the effort given by all the pack, the half-back pairing of Matt Boyd and Sam Viallie was outstanding.

Switching Fred Woodworth to centre was a good trade-off, the latter being strong in defence but just lacking a yard of pace.

He and Fielding, having recaptured a lot of his tackling skill after a lean period, reduced the pressure from the flank forwards.

Fielding scored a perfectly good try in the bottom left corner from a miss-move, set up by Viallie, but going down the short side the referee was unsighted and gave the pass forward.

Bury had earlier lost the services of Johnson with a recurrent ankle injury, he is unlikely to play again this season. Ben Lindsey-Smith replaced him.

Stockport could see the game slipping away and moved their experienced full-back to stand-off, to vary the play, and this brought a reward with a try in 35th minute.

A crossfield move gaving the home side the overlap to score in the right corner, unconverted.

Bury, with astute kicking kept the pressure on Stockport, but in what was to be the final score, the home side clawed its way upfield and after a succession of rucks, mauls and set scrums, the tight head eventually crossed the line to close the gap to three points.

But it was in vain, as Bury kicked deep from the restart and the final whistle blew.

Deserving of special mention were newcomers Morgan Reidy at flank, Stefan Hargreaves at the number eight, Mark Stott at lock, Dan Jones at full-back, and J-J and Steve McDonough as wingers, who all had good games, putting aside any considerations of their age or experience.

TEAM: Roberts, Kelly, Smyth, Kennedy, Stott, Reidy, Robinson, Hargreaves, Boyd, Viallie, Woodworth, Johnson, Fielding, Jones, McDonough.