Sat 30 Mar 2019
Brackley were overpowered in the sun on Saturday as they lost 26-14 to Sileby ending any chance of gaining promotion.
The weather conditions were perfect for running rugby on Saturday as two teams with very different styles of play went head-to-head. From the start it was obvious that Sileby had the size and power advantage, especially at scrum time. The visitors started much the stronger controlling possession deep within Brackley’s half as they looked to power their way over for an opening score. The hosts showed strong defence to keep Sileby at bay for 20 minutes before finally a good offload allowed their scrum half to dot down under the posts.
Sileby who still have hopes of winning the league didn’t let up and kept the pressure on Brackley with their strong direct running. Then after Brackley fell off some attempted tackles on the Sileby inside centre, the visitors were quick to recycle the ball and score in the right-hand corner to go 14-0 up. When they did have the ball, Brackley looked to play an up-tempo game trying to get it wide and throwing offloads anywhere on the pitch, however for much of the game the ball wasn’t going to hand and this simply led to turnovers.
With 10 minutes left in the half, the hosts did finally start putting some phases together and quickly had Sileby on the backfoot. Then after the visitor’s winger failed to retreat 10 metres when stopping a quick tap and go penalty, he was sin binned for the remainder of the half. Brackley were quick to take advantage of this as second row Jonny Morris powered his way over from close range. After some more Brackley pressure ended with the hosts turning the ball over again, Sileby once again found themselves in the Brackley 22 but were unable to add to their lead before half time.
The second half was very similar to the first with Brackley mistakes gifting the ball back to the visitors who could rely on their scrum and big forward runners to dominate territory and put pressure on Brackley’s line. Sileby crossed for their third try after some sustained pressure in the Brackley 22 to make it 19-7. With 20 minutes to go Brackley did get back on the scoreboard as they showed good hands to get the ball wide to Phil Brinklow who stepped inside and scored under the posts.
With only 5 points in it now, there was a sense that the hosts may pull off an incredible win despite a performance that was well short of their usual high standards. Then the visitors got their bonus point score with a try that encapsulated the game, Brackley got a turnover on their 22 and tried to get it wide early but a misplaced offload led to a loose ball which was kicked through and dived on by the Sileby full back to make it 26-14 at full time.
On the second pitch an incredible game of rugby was played between Brackley and Buckingham, as the two old rivals fought it out for the Nigel Fox Memorial Cup. With several lead changes throughout the match, it was the hosts who managed to come from behind and snatch a 31-28 victory and lift the trophy.
Overall it was a fantastic day at Brackley Rugby Club with a big crowd on hand to watch two entertaining games of rugby. It’s the penultimate game of the season next week as Brackley take a bus trip up to Stamford College Old Boys.
