Lichfield RUFC survived a change of pitch at Hereford to secure a 24-15 win.
The original playing surface was unfit but the alteration made little impact on the city men as they dominated the early exchanges, keeping hold of the ball and making good yards forward. The final pass showed the rust of the past few weeks, as they were unable to capitalise on their territorial advantage.
Hereford had their chances, but Lichfield’s defence held them to the 22. When the penalty was awarded, the home kicker slid the ball past the right upright.
The crowd were starting to get restless with the referee and play became fractious with both teams trying to play territory. Lichfield executed this better and their endeavors were to rewarded with a penalty kick at goal. Both touch judges raised their flags, but the referee turned it away.
The Greens continued to press and Hereford were unable to escape their own half. Consistent pressure saw the hosts make an error in their 22, and Lichfield drove the resulting scrum over for Richard Burton to touch down on the 30th minute. Josh Massey converted and the visitors held their 7-0 lead to half time.
The hosts struck first after the break and the Greens were penalised for going in at the side of the ruck. There was no mistake this time and the home side got themselves onto the scoreboard. Lichfield went straight back, utilising their powerful runners and grinding out holes in the Hereford defence. From close range, repeated waves saw Dan Clarke drive over.
This seemed to galvanise the home side as they upped the tempo playing an offload game. This allowed them to get in behind the visiting defence. From a wide position, Hereford moved the ball back and worked on a two on one which their winger only just finished as Massey looked to drive him into touch. The try was converted and the Hereford closed the gap 10-12.
As the hosts continued to press, the Greens’ defence started to get back on top, slowing the pace of the ball from the breakdown. From a turnover, the ball squirted out to Tom Adams who sprinted 70 metres to score in the corner. Massey converted from the touchline and Lichfield extended their lead to nine points.
The game was well balanced and Hereford kicked a penalty into the 22. From a driving line out, the ball seemed to be held up, only for the try to be awarded. The Hereford kicker seemed to have lost his radar as penalties and the conversion were missed, but they were within four going into the final 15.
Lichfield then strung together their best phase of play, the ball being worked through everyone to power their way up the 22, before exploiting the space out wide. The ball was quickly moved and Dave Bassett was on hand to throw an outrageous dummy and gallop clean through to score the bonus point try.
The game finished 15-24, with Lichfield taking another step closer to the league title. This week they welcome Kenilworth to Cooke Fields for a 3pm kick off.
Lichfield: Gabbitass, Clarke, Bassett (c), Thompson, Southern, Turner, Taplin, Burton; W Cotterhill, L Massey, J Massey, Maxwell-Keys, Adams, D Rowlands, G Massey. Subs: Squire, Prior and Doubleday.
