Blues finish strong

The Blues started strongly but over elaboration saw them squander a number of chances before Joe Newman put Joe Daniel in for the opening try. The home side hit back and scored a converted try with a driven maul, which set the tone for the rest of the game. The Blues running everything and causing big problems for the hosts everytime they moved the ball wide, whilst the home side had success with their catch and drive tactics and clear intent to be physically challenging at every opportunity.

The next 3 tries belonged to the a Blues, with Newman getting his first of a brace, Dave Gilmour his first for the side and Dan Martin crossing whilst Daniel converted all 3, whilst the home side kicked a penalty to give the Blues a 28-10 lead.

Further tries from Chris Chapman, Newmans 2nd and 2 from Jamie Bishop, with Daniel converting 3 of the scores, saw the Blues pass the 50 point mark, but disappointingly for Kettering, Matlock scored 3 converted tries of their own using their driving forward game, which at times played, to say the least, close to the edge of acceptable tactics, as they somehow escaped with only 2 yellow cards, as the referee struggled to maintain control of the game.

This game had some real high points, with some great rugby played by the Blues and one special try by the hosts, when their left winger somehow managed to keep the ball in play with a one handed flick back inside to star player Henry Packard for the full back to score. However, all too often, a number of individuals in the home side seemed intent on doing something other than playing rugby, which left a bad taste in the mouth for many of the travelling players and supporters. Enough said on that one.