Magee's magic wows McAvoy

Newbury Blues head coach James McAvoy was full of praise for debutants Charlie Lewis and Sam Palmer as well as the versatility of Ali Magee following his side’s narrow win over Devizes.

Lewis was impressive throughout his 50 minutes on the pitch while Palmer scored a second half try the first time he got his hands on the ball and man of the match Magee was assured on the wing and at six.

Blues have now used 43 players this season – a number that is both unconventional and impressive in equal measure.

"Devizes is a difficult place to go, they're so strong at set pieces and we knew how hard it would be, we're very happy with the four points," McAvoy said.

"We're used to being dominant at the set piece so it was a good test for us because Devizes are so powerful there that we had to find other areas to control.

"Charlie Lewis has come through colts, he played a handful of games for Stags and came in and was superb, we were so impressed with him.

"Ali Magee's defense is fantastic, he got some really key turnovers for us and made us a bit quicker in attack.

"Sam Palmer's had an unfortunate time with injuries this season but we've been excited to see him progress, he's a big physical unit, he understands the game well and scored with his first touch, it doesn't get better than that."

Blues welcome 11th placed Grove to Monks Lane on Saturday, looking to do the double over the Hertfordshire outfit, having beaten them 37-26 in the reverse fixture.

McAvoy said: "We're expecting another physical test against Grove, we fancy ourselves to keep winning."