Lichfield RUFC’s confident start to the season continued with a dominant 77-15 home win against Barkers Butts.
It took only minutes for the tone of the day to be set, with the home pack earning a penalty which Josh Massey struck between the posts.
A few exchanges of play in the midfield lead to mistakes from both teams, but a penalty lineout saw Lichfield move the ball into midfield where Tom Adams smashed down the defence, and with two supporting runners, the ball was moved through the hands for Ollie Winter to run the first try of the game in.
The Myrtle Greens tried to play the ball in their own half a little too often for the coaches liking and it took only minutes for Barkers to capitalise on an error and spread the ball wide quickly for their speedy backs to touch down in the corner.
This lack of concentration was short lived, as the Lichfield team played with an intensity and physicality the visitors couldn’t cope with. Tom Adams and Luke Taplin took the direct route before finding players on their left and right time and time again to score a further five tries before the half ended.
A style of running rugby not often found in these September months was witnessed by the delighted support, seeing forwards and backs interlink to send Josh Machin and Chris Upton over for further tries.
Barkers had their chances in the second period and in the most part Lichfield scrambled and defended well, but a severe lapse in concentration allowed the visitors to score the softest of tries to take the score to 42-15.
With changes being rolled on and off, everyone was keen to deliver a performance, and Dan Rowlands was twice on hand to pick up clever kicks to go over the try line. Excellent support play from Josh Massey saw him score from a well taken two on one, and the conversions kept going over.
Barkers never lost heart, and the odd occasion they got their hands on the ball, they pressurised Lichfield’s line, but the defence was as strong as attack. The hosts repelled Barkers attempts, before an intercept try from Dan Rowlands brought a close to the game.
Lichfield: Machin, McDonough, Bassett (c), Upton, Squire, Taplin, Abel, Burton; Clark, L Massey, J Massey, Winter, Adams, D Rowlands, G Massey. Subs: Taylor, Thompson and Maxwell-Keys.
