Newbury Blues set for final day showdown
Newbury Blues head coach James McAvoy is preparing for a dramatic finale to the league season.
Blues lost 40-12 away at Petersfield on Saturday, meaning that if they lose to Chichester on April 5th they could be relegated.
Blues gave it their all, but were unable to prevent their hosts running in six tries.
However, player of the match Will Osborne showed again his versatility, while Harry Waye-Branch showed how well developed his defensive contact skills are, and Dan Thorne showed great resilience after suffering a head cut early in the match.
It couldn't have been a worse start for Blues though, as Patch Anderson suffered an injury which ended his afternoon.
This resulted in Josh Twigger coming on to the wing, Jamie Futcher moving to scrum-half and Jacob Checksfield taking up position at full-back.
Petersfield went 14-0 up before Blues could respond, as an attacking scrum saw Callum Varrall touch down for Blues first try on the half hour mark.
21-5 down at half-time, things carried on much the same in the second-half.
There was one more Newbury try before the final whistle, a consolation try scored by Jamal Watson after some good approach work by the forwards.
Petersfield ran rampant in the second-half however, coming out 40-12 winners.
“There were some bits we couldn’t control,” said McAvoy.
“But Petersfield put us under pressure in the set piece.
“Their line-out defence caused us some problems.
“When you’re struggling with your own set piece, it makes any real success difficult.”
McAvoy wants to see more consistency from his side, having won plenty of games this season, while at the same time suffering a number of heavy defeats to teams in the top half.
“Why can we not turn up for multiple games in a row?,” he said.
“That’s the theme, and it’s more of a mindset thing.
“We had a good tactical way of playing, and when we did that we caused them problems.
“We had three entries in the 22 and scored twice.
“But we don’t have the ball for long enough.
“We don’t keep the ball, and our intensity is just not there for full eighties.
“We need to start challenging boys in terms of their mindset.
“Our shape and how well we can pass is irrelevant if we concede and everyone’s heads go down.
“That’s the biggest thing I’ve realised in this second-half of the season.”
Blues now face a final day showdown at home to Chichester, who sit two places below them.
If they lose, results elsewhere could relegate them, but for now their fate is in their own hands.
“We’ve got four sessions now until the biggest game of the season,” he said.
“We know what’s on the line.
“Guildford have got Andover. North Dorset have got Petersfield.
“But there’s no point talking about that.
“We just have to win. That’s the only mindset going into this.”
