CRUFC 32 - 37 Tynedale

Director of rugby Bob Crooks said “I don’t think we deserved anything. That was probably, attitudinally, one of the worst first half performances we’ve put together- flat, nothing there;  we lacked leadership, we lacked go-forward, but I spoke to them at half-time about a few bits and pieces so I was really pleased with the second half for the most part because we played more of our game, we controlled possession, were more physical, we carried better and competed more on their ball, then we’d won the game – but we must have given away 20 sets of possession. We put pressure on them, then went ahead, and showed great character, but we didn’t react well for that last score.”

The Blood & Sands, down to bare bones as injuries took their toll, were behind from the 6^th minute, when Rogers opened the scoring after the marauding Sepp Visser put the winger in at the corner. England U18 international Joel Hodgson converted.

Although the fly-half missed a relatively easy penalty four minutes later, he made amends in the 22^nd minute from 20 metres out as the hosts transgressed in a major rearguard action.

Tom Wheatcroft immediately edged Cambridge back into the game with a 40 metre penalty of his own, but when Jaco Du Toit lost the ball on the home 22, Hamish Smales capitalised to dart over to give Hodgson a simple conversion.

Grant Beasley was in the sin bin by that point, having used foul means to stop Darren Fox, but another Wheatcroft penalty was all Cambridge had to show for their numerical advantage before half-time.

Another Hodgson penalty stretched the visitors lead in the second period, but Fox picked up from his unaccustomed number eight berth to put Billy Robinson in under the posts, with Wheatcroft’s extras putting Cambridge within reach.

Visser, robust and skilful throughout, hacked on and finished easily in the 56^th minute to stretch the Tynedale lead, but it served only to sting Cambridge into a monumental fight-back.

Will Martin stayed strong, ran hard, rode  three tackles and touched down for his side’s second.

Hodgson’s 64^th minute penalty, awarded for crossing in the centres, was a blip at this point.

Greg White battered his way over for Cambridge’s third, with replacement scrum-half Ben Spencer adding the extras.

Jack Harrison’s yellow card for a technical offence with 8 minutes left heralded another rally, and Jaco Du Toit scampered over for the bonus point try and 30-30 five minutes from time.

With a two-point lead from Spencer’s second successful conversion, all Cambridge had to do was close the game out, but a catastrophic error from a line-out close to the home red zone allowed Rogers to steer the ball towards the try line with his boot and touch down for the winner.

Hodgson’s two-pointer made the game safe and capped a superlative performance.

Cambridge Sponsors Man of the Match - Billy Robinson

Referee - Wayne Falla

Attendance - 400