Straight from the kick off Wellingborough were met with strong runs from particularly Brackley’s back row. Whilst the visitors were able to hold their line initially, Brackley got closer to the 22 and with 12 minutes on the clock won themselves a penalty which was scored by fly half Dan Gray. The hosts continued with their pressure straight from the kick off, with the forwards and backs working in tandem which led to another penalty this time on the Wellingborough 5m line. Captain Luke Hallam-Evans decided to go for a scrum and after impressive new number 8 Dan Rolfe was stopped short of the line, reinforcements arrived and saw Luke Andrew crash over for a try which was converted by Gray.

After the restart, Brackley made a number of handing errors giving Wellingborough the ball in space, allowing the visitors’ half backs to take control of the game. The Wellingborough back row were working tirelessly, pouncing on anything that was spilled and having a high work rate at the breakdown winning penalties. The next 20 minutes saw the two teams playing a hard-fought game but not being very constructive, with Wellingborough being slightly on top but Brackley putting in a good work rate but not getting control back.

The second half was a hard game for both teams, Wellingborough were the more structured for the first 10 minutes and a Brackley error gave the visitors the chance to score which they capitalised on making it 10-7. The home crowd were very involved in the second half with every line break and big tackle being cheered on. With 20 minutes left on the clock and no team in control of the match, Brackley made a few changes to its backline which saw them able to start building pressure on the away side, who started giving away a couple of penalties which Brackley took advantage of with Seb Johnson slotting the kick to make it 13-7 with less than 10 minutes left.

From the kick off Brackley showed their fitness as they went through the phases working their way deep into the Wellingborough half. The hard work of both the forwards and backs paid off when Johnson was able to get over the line, which he also converted, making it 20-7 with 5 minutes to go. Brackley immediately regained control, pinning Wellingborough in their own half attacking as a team, this led to another penalty in the last minute which Johnson slotted to give Brackley a brilliant 23-7 win.

This was a good team performance in front of a crowd that went home very impressed with the quality of rugby and fitness levels. Number 8 Dan Rolfe who is new to the club was awarded man of the match for his speed around the park and strong carries. The win moves Brackley to the top of the league, which is a position they will look to stay in for the rest of the season.