STAFFORD 1ST XV vs BURNTWOOD 1ST XV. 7TH DECEMBER 2019. LEAGUE MATCH.

Stafford welcomed newly promoted Burntwood to Coopers Park for the penultimate home league game of 2019. The visitors travelled on the back of a mid-table league position but having clicked into some form after winning their last two games. Burntwood were also the only team to have beaten league leaders Wolverhampton at the beginning of this season.

Some early energetic surges by Stafford tested the visiting Burntwood defence. The visitors coped with a couple of punishing attacks, but eventually conceded a simple penalty under the posts and the first points of the afternoon came from Christian Ureche. Burntwood scrapped their way back into the encounter and could have tied the contest with a penalty of their own, but the ball didn’t find its way through the posts. The game dissolved into a slightly disjointed affair as the referee’s whistle was in constant use and Stafford found themselves on the wrong side of the majority of the decisions. A yellow card temporarily reduced Stafford to fourteen but this couldn’t stop a threatening attack. Sam Egerton tore through the defence and Tom Windibank crashed across the line, but the referees whistle denied the score calling back the play. A second yellow card reduced the county town team to a temporary thirteen on the pitch. Burntwood threw themselves into the fray but despite some decent phases could only manage a single penalty to tie the scores before Stafford were back up to fourteen on the pitch. The home side forwards took control smashing their way up the pitch to pressurise the line. Burntwood stopped the momentum but Carl Williams erupted out of the pile of bodies with a crunching hand off. A simple pass released Alosio Yamoyamo who left a defender rooted to the spot to take the try, converted by Christian Ureche. With fifteen back on the pitch Stafford looked dangerous against a scrapping Burntwood. The visitors had their opportunities but couldn’t convert any pressure into points. A subsequent Burntwood kick spiralled towards the Stafford try line only to be secured by an alert Dan Mills. The full back then drifted around three defenders to make massive territorial gains. The ball was released through the hands and punted forward behind the defence. Alosio Yamoyamo tore through and just outstretched an opposition player to touch the ball for the second try of the game, converted by Christian Ureche. Stafford went into half time leading 17-3 but in control despite playing with a reduced compliment for periods of the game.

The commencement of the second half didn’t bring any respite for the visitors. A Sefanaia Bulumakau foray terrorised the opposition and a sublime pass released a racing Christian Ureche for a try which he then converted. Burntwood fought for every yard of territory but when Isireli Qasenivalu turned over the ball, this allowed Sefanaia Bulumakau to assault the defence and Jerry Qasenivalu to take the final pass for a bonus point try, converted by Christian Ureche. Stafford were dominating from all areas of the pitch a solid platform producing the space for some devastating running rugby. Burntwood put in an exhausting defence, but couldn’t stretch enough to stop Dan Mills crossing for the next try. A period of penalties assisted Burntwood to regroup allowing them to gain valuable territory. The visitors put in some good surges but a dominant Stafford scrum was blunting anything being thrown at it. A Tom Williams break ripped past a couple of defenders before a couple of offloads saw a prowling Jerry Qasenivalu running through the rest of the Burntwood team for a try, converted by Christian Ureche. The referees whistle continued to influence the match when a third yellow card reduced Stafford to fourteen for the remainder of the game. The Coopers Park XV responded by turning the defence inside out and Jerry Qasenivalu crossed the line but selflessly put the ball into the hands of Alex Rock for the try, converted by Christian Ureche. The final home side score came courtesy of a marauding Dan Smith who was desperately clawed down just short of the line. The ball was secured by Carl Williams who forcibly went through the final defenders for the try, converted by Christian Ureche. Burntwood grabbed a consolation try late in the match to close off what had been a very dominant Stafford performance.