On a cold and wet afternoon at the Bournbrook pitches, the men’s rugby union 1st team were able to emerge victorious over the Trinity St. David’s team, 39-10.
After an early try next to the posts, scored by the Birmingham prop, the game fell into a period of stalemate, which saw possession go back and forth between the two, always around halfway. However, a drive forward by Birmingham led to a heated exchange between the sides, as a result of which Birmingham was awarded a penalty. The Trinity St. David’s Number 8 continued to talk back at the referee, who added an extra ten metres to the end of the penalty, and then showed the player a yellow card.
Birmingham were unable to capitalize on the man advantage, but scored immediately after he returned, a stolen lineout giving the home side quick ball, before the inside centre broke the defensive line. He then passed to the winger, who had the pace to finish in the corner. The fly half, who was on top form all day, made a stunning conversion from the side line, as the ball bounced off the crossbar, then over.
A few minutes later Birmingham was awarded a penalty under the posts, the fly half successfully adding the three points. Almost immediately after, the inside centre made a break down the right hand touchline, chipping ahead, and the winger touched down in the corner for his second of the day, getting a fortunate bounce. With the score standing at 22-0, Trinity St. David’s were able to claw back five points before halftime, as a period of sustained pressure was converted into points.
At the start of the second half, Birmingham was able to get pressure on the Trinity St. David’s clearance kick, clearly setting the tone for the half. Shortly after, a penalty under the posts dissected the uprights, giving the home team a 25-5 lead. However, Trinity St. David’s attempted a comeback, and got within a few metres of the Birmingham line, at which point Birmingham was awarded a scrum. From the scrum, the flanker carried the ball to halfway, and it was recycled quickly, allowing the winger to sprint down the right hand side untouched to score his hat-trick try.
Moments later, Birmingham scored another breakaway try down the right, again from the set-piece. With both conversions being drilled by the fly half, the score stood at 39-5, and the game was all but over. In the dying moments, Trinity St. David’s were able to claim a consolation try, mounting serious pressure in Birmingham territory, before good handling saw them through on the left hand side. As the conversion sailed wide to the left, as the previous attempt had done, the referee blew the final whistle, the final score standing at 39-10.
