Blues survive late scare at Swindon
Newbury Blues survived a late scare to beat rivals Swindon 31-29 in a thrilling game that went right down to the wire.
Blues once again had injuries to contend with and matters weren’t helped when would-be debutant Oli Rhoades was involved in a car crash the day before the game.
Fortunately, Rhoades escaped with a few cuts and bruises and Will Osborne was able to make it to Wiltshire in time to replace him.
Swindon started the better and raced into a 7-0 lead after just five minutes but Blues hit back in the eighth minute when Jamie Futcher powered past several tackles and crossed out wide to make it 7-5.
Blues won the reverse 34-12 at Monks Lane and Swindon had the look of a side determined to make it more difficult this time but some steadfast defending from Blues denied the hosts a second score before Sam Palmer was replaced following an accidental knee to the head.
The visitors were soon reaping the rewards of their solid rearguard action and took the lead in the 23rd minute when the dynamic Michael Klichowicz touched down for Blues' second try of the afternoon.
Blues were beginning to hit their stride and extended their lead to 17-7 four minutes before the break when a lineout maul released Harry Waye-Branch who crashed over the whitewash and put the visitors in a commanding position at half time.
However Swindon hit back two minutes after the restart when the home side’s eight Peter Kewell embarked on a barnstorming run from inside his own half, beating the entire Blues defence before touching down for the try of the afternoon to reduce the deficit to 14-17.
The contest was a genuinely entertaining one, even if both sides' defensive coaches might have enjoyed it less than the spectators and Blues restored their two-try advantage in the 50th minute when the ever-reliable Kris Ford breached Swindon’s back line to score before skipper Dan Thorne’s boot made it 24-14.
Swindon were back within seven points three minutes later when the boot of George Russ added three from the penalty tee but the quick feet of Michael Klichowicz were continuing to cause havoc and the winger was soon dancing through another gap in the hosts defence for his second of the game to make it 31-14.
With 20 minutes remaining and Swindon having been behind since the 23rd minute, Blues should’ve been able to manage the game to its end but the impressive Kewell had other ideas and peeled off the back of a well-positioned scrum to add his second of the contest to bring Swindon back within a converted score of the visitors.
Blues had been disrupted by injuries throughout the game and the wind was now very much in Swindon’s sails as the visitors tried desperately to hold on, doing so until the 79th minute when the pressure finally told and the home side scored out wide, making it 29-31.
All eyes were then on the right foot of Russ, who’d been successful with all three of his conversions and his singular penalty so far, but this last gasp kick from distance and at an unfavourable angle proved just beyond him as Blues breathed a sigh of relief and took five points back to Newbury.
James McAvoy’s side welcome unbeaten Regional 2 Tribute South Central leaders Marlborough to Monks Lane on Saturday, looking to avenge September’s crushing 50-3 defeat.
