The cricket season may have just finished but the scoreline in Burntwood RUFC’s victory at Aston Old Edwardians was more akin to the summer game than rugby union.
Aston Old Eds were relegated last season after a horrendous league campaign and are clearly attempting to regroup and rebuild. Their task was made more difficult during this particular game when they suffered injuries to three players, two of whom left the ground in ambulances.
However, Burntwood were in no mood to show mercy and topped 40 points in each half, running in 13 tries in total with all but one coming from the back division whose distribution, passing and pace proved too good for the hosts’ defence.
The first threat to the home line came after five minutes when Rob Jones took play into the AOE 22 with a good run down the right touchline. It produced a penalty which Will Peach goaled with a fine strike. He went on to contribute another 18 points from nine conversions for a personal haul of 21 in the match.
His first conversion came just five minutes later. Two recycled phases after a line out win in the home 22 allowed Peach to deliver a short pass to skipper Ben Holt who went in unopposed to score the first of his four tries.
AOE scored their first points of the game, and season, courtesy of a penalty goal shortly afterwards as the visitors conceded a string of penalties. The home team were encouraged but their first attack of note was well defended. Ian Jones’ clearance kick was re-gathered and moved wide to brother Rob who touched down in the right corner for the second try.
There followed a ten minute break for an injury to the home right winger who had fallen heavily in the build up to the try, the hosts having already lost a prop to an ankle injury.
Direct from the restart Burntwood ran the ball out of their own 22 with Brett Taylor into the line from full back to surge over half way and send Aza Dunet in unopposed near the posts for the score converted by Peach.
Burntwood were not having things all their own way in rucks and mauls but having fought for possession the backs were not letting them down. Holt’s next contribution saw him dummy out wide to winger Jones before slipping the ball inside to Luke Rookyard for a slickly taken try converted by Peach.
The set piece play was better with Josh Canning dominating the line out and a solid scrum allowing No 8 John Smith to distribute under minimal pressure. The next try came from scrummage ball with a wide pass to Taylor sending him clean through to the line for a converted try.
Then Holt’s 30 metre break was finished off by Rookyard only for the score to be denied for a double movement. However, this proved to be a temporary setback as the visitors stole line out possession to send Rookyard on the burst before the ball found Dunet for his second try in the left corner.
A straightforward penalty goal to AOE from in front of the posts concluded the half with the score at 41-6.
The second period began in stop-start fashion for ten minutes until Taylor and Dunet exchanged passes to feed Holt who scored by the posts to make it 48-6.
The only try scored by the forwards came after a line out. Zak Shingler peeled round the tail and swapped passes with prop forward Jake Ranson before racing in by the posts for another converted try.
At this point it was Burntwood’s turn to suffer an injury to a player. Club Captain Matt Sishton, who had only just entered the field as a replacement, was forced off with a head wound which required stitches.
So the blood was flowing but so too were the tries. Holt sent Rob Jones away for his second, the winger showing good pace down the right touchline to take the team tally to 60 points.
Taylor was the next beneficiary of a Holt pass to present him with a clear run to the line for his second try, converted by Peach.
Taylor and Rob Jones then turned providers as they combined to run a clearance kick back which concluded with Rookyard bursting through for his second try by the posts.
Referee John Holland was the next participant to sustain an injury when he stretched his Achilles tendon and Andy Macey took up the whistle for the last five minutes.
During this time Burntwood rounded off their big win with two tries, both from Holt and both supplied by Peach who also added the two conversions.
With no league or merit table fixtures and a bye for the First XV in the opening round of the RFU Midlands Cup, Burntwood will be looking to the Fixture Pool to provide opposition this Saturday.
