Bedford Blues 28-34 St Neots Ladies

St Neots Ladies travelled to Bedford this weekend to make history as the first ever club level women’s rugby game to take place at Goldington Road on a Saturday afternoon. The only ladies to have walked out in that primetime spot before were representing England or Italy in the 2019 Six Nations. Even more importantly, the game between Bedford Blues and St Neots Ladies would most likely decide 3rd place in the league, so there was a lot to play for.

The home side kicked off in spring sunshine in front of a crowd of over 300 spectators and the game was on. Hesitation and the bounce of the ball gave Bedford possession and they attacked with intent, quickly moving the ball across the wide pitch. Solid hits from the St Neots defence dislodged the ball in contact though and it was all change in the direction of play. Powerful runs and quick ball got the visitors over the half way line and the temp kept up with every member of the team on the field being involved in the phases, culminating in a penalty near the 22. With the wind gusting and the furniture around the pitch being a new factor, Saints went for a tap and go, grinding up the pitch until another penalty gave Sophie Lanham the chance for first blood. A sound strike off the tee and the visitors took the lead 0-3.

The next period of play followed a bit of a pattern with Blues kicking into the St Neots territory, Saints running it back to half way and then a marginal penalty to return possession to the Blues. Saints back row Niamh Grant stole the ball at lineout though and the charge up the pitch was back on. A penalty and dominant scrum helped set the visitors up for a sustained attack. Good support at the breakdown and quick ball released winger Katie Davies for a glorious run in and the first try of the afternoon, much to the delight of the travelling support. Clean off the tee, Lanham added the extra 2.

Switching directions at the restart, Bedford found a hole in the St Neots set up and the ball was allowed to tumble into touch inside the 22. Bedford managed to snaffle the ball at the lineout and could sense an opportunity close to the line but the combination of a Megan Thody tackle and Nicki Barker jackle won a penalty to relieve the pressure for Saints. It was only temporary though with the clearing kick staying in play and Bedford were straight back into the attacking play. A penalty the other way at the breakdown was quickly taken while the St Neots defence was still responding and good hands put Bedford into an acre of space to score.

A good chase off the restart by Beth Carr put pressure immediately back on the home side, forcing them to kick clear but the chase was there and the Blues were having the better day with loose balls. Unfortunately Saints were having the better day at the breakdown and Beth Robinson came away from the breakdown with the ball. Strong carries from captain Thody and Kirsty Wilson helped Saints make a play for the line and a drive off the ruck got Barker withing sniffing distance of the line but some great cover play closed off the try. A charge from the resulting penalty saw Thody over the line but with the pile of bodies involved the ball was deemed to be held-up. A goal-line drop out just lined up another attack though nice vision and timing from the backs saw Libby Robinson get the score. Lanham was on form with another clean conversion.

A controlled gather from Tash Sice at the restart gave a moment of calm for both teams to follow a more usual script from kick-off until the first pass out the ruck went to Barker who punted the ball 30m back up field on the fly with a very favourable bounce into touch. Too eager to protect the ball under pressure again, Bedford gave away a penalty in front of their own posts and Lanham had another 3 points to her name.

The physicality of the game was intense from both sides, with Bedford winning turnover ball from a great hit off the restart, but a decision to chip over the defensive line in attack was unsuccessful with Carr at full back. Pressure relieved, Saints quickly found themselves back within 10m of the try line the dominance of the scrum started to come in to play. Multiple penalties were awarded but it took a few goes for Saints to cross the line. A strong carry from Lucy Bull with the support to provide clean ball opened up the gaps and Tash Sice nipped in behind the posts. An easy 2 for Lanham to bring the score to 7-27 ahead of half time.

Bedford took the restart confidently and were clearly motivated to turn things around for the second half. A nice double tackle from Chloe White and Kelly McGrath put an end to the first attempt and as Saints turned defence into attack Bedford again found it difficult to contend the breakdown without giving away a penalty. The back line made a break of a quick tap by Kirsty Wilson and Chloe Flynn-Brown was looking to throw some magic at the Bedford crowd when a tackle came in over the shoulder and Bedford lost their 9 for 10 minutes. The Blues held off the first charge but a lovely line on the second phase put Sice over the line for her second of the afternoon. The change in ends had no effect on the accuracy of Lanham with another conversion on the sheet.

It is the mark of a good team though that heads do not drop when the going gets tough, and Bedford kept pushing, looking for a new point of attack at every opportunity. Saints defence was put under pressure with a well-managed scrum in the 22 and pick-and-go from the number 8. Saints managed a clearing kick and got the next scrum, but an early set turned the ball over. Possession changed hands multiple times in quick succession and with a number of whistles, then with a sudden spark of flare the Bedford fullback shrugged off a tackle, stepped the next defender and darted over under the posts.

Buoyed by the score and finding some holes in the defence, Bedford attacked straight off the restart and looked to be on a roll. Cover defence from Carr and McGrath brought down the challenge just short of the 22 but the home side had found another gear and Saints struggled to exit the red zone. Possession continued to yo-yo with penalties on both sides as Bedford enjoyed their longest stay in their opponents half, chipping away with determination. A clean lineout and a kindly bounce on a loose pass gave the 15 another window to run over the try line. Kicks were on form all around with the Bedford 10 converting all 3 tries from her team.

With the scores getting closer, the home side started to find their rhythm and Saints were having to dig in for the last quarter. Bedford were edging the contest at the breakdown and winning more calls from the referee. The dominance of the scrum and the resilience of the Saints front row really came into play towards the end of the game, with the pack winning multiple penalties and turnovers to disrupt the momentum of the Blues. The backs made good ground off each attacking platform but the Bedford defence scrambled well and cut off the outside channels again and again. A nice pick-up and break from White opened up a flowing passage of play for Saints and Carr looked to be over in the corner but again some solid and committed defence from Blues brought her up short. The counter attack was fast and intense, with Saints unable to reset their line quickly. Good support, quick ball and sharp lines opened the space for the Bedford 23 to cut through and bring the scores to within one converted try.

Supporters of both teams had a tense 10 minutes with players giving all on the pitch to give their side the momentum. Saints had a number of opportunities attacking the line but couldn’t get the ball wide when the space was there, and when the ball did get out to the wings Bedford had just enough to keep the ball off the grass even when they lost another player to the sin bin. The home side looked to make something from every ball, testing Saints defence when it was static and kicking behind when it pressed but were unable to secure the ball off the chase. Nicola Dawes did some gutsy evasive work from her own 22 allowing the support to get back for the next phase. In the end, smart use of the powerful scrum and calm heads under pressure saw Saints regain possession for long enough to kick to touch and end the game victorious, 28-34.

Huge thank you to all the travelling support, to Bedford Blues for a great game of rugby and to Goldington Road for promoting women’s rugby.