Another excellent victory over fellow strugglers took Beverley RUFC to relative safety from relegation.
But not quite. One more win from their last two games would be enough to ensure survival although this will not be necessary if Waterloo are defeated at Middlesbrough next week. Otherwise even now it could still be a very tight finish.
With so much at stake this was always going to be a dog-eats-dog encounter. Not surprisingly the first half was an edgy affair with numerous errors by both sides. Despite a storming start Beverley RUFC, if anything, looked the more jittery. Practically all their kicking and a good deal of their passing was uncharacteristically wayward with the ball frequently thrown vaguely to no-one in particular.
Beverley RUFC might have taken the lead in the early minutes when they did play some sparkling rugby but it all changed after they put themselves in trouble by allowing a Waterloo kick upfield to roll into touch at the corner flag. Waterloo with the bit between their teeth stormed the Beverley RUFC line for the best part of twenty minutes as Beverley RUFC struggled to get clear. Time after time Beverley RUFC were saved only by Waterloo errors. Their position was made worse after half an hour when Goran Jelencic was yellow carded for a late tackle. Five minutes from the interval while still a man short Beverley RUFC fell behind. A loose pass in midfield allowed Waterloo to hack through and centre Adam Anderson won the race for the touchdown which fly half James O’Brien converted. 7-0 down at halftime things did not look too good for Beverley RUFC.
Quite what was said in the Beverley RUFC camp in the interval is unclear but the second half was a different affair altogether. From the restart Beverley RUFC’s edginess had completely disappeared and they played the second half with total composure, turning it on in the process with some thrilling rugby. The pack was again outstanding in all areas even though they were up against a much heftier eight. Waterloo could make little progress up front and their backline struggled to come to terms with the crisp handling and running of the Beverley RUFC backs. Centres Junior Tupai and Sam Atiola, in particular, were a handful all afternoon but in the second half they increasingly ran amok with some incisive running. Atiola, Phil Dale, Jelencic, Gavin Gibson and David Worrall all very nearly got there as Beverley RUFC threw the ball about with rare abandon.
Within six minutes Beverley RUFC were back in contention through a well taken try by Jelencic after the ball had been moved quickly left. Dale’s conversion attempt rebounded off the posts but Beverley RUFC were now in almost complete control. It was no surprise when they took the lead with a second try on the opposite wing from Jerry Barnes who shimmied inside with a nice change of direction to round off another fine move. This time Dale’s conversion sailed through the uprights and Beverley RUFC were 12-7 up. Beverley RUFC’s pressure continued to tell as Waterloo increasingly found it hard to make any impact. Tupai scythed through the home defence for a third try and Beverley RUFC were two scores clear and as good as home and dry.
Waterloo did fight back strongly at the death and Beverley RUFC had to endure a fidgety last ten minutes after O’Brien kicked a penalty to reduce the deficit to a converted try. A series of late penalties kept Beverley RUFC pinned in their own 22 as Waterloo fought desperately to get something out of the afternoon.
They would probably have had a late try but for a superb diving tackle by Barnes when their winger broke clear but generally they were well contained by good Beverley RUFC defending and a bonus point was all they had to show for a spirited finish. This was another fine effort with some great rugby by Beverley RUFC who in their last few matches have certainly looked far more like promotion contenders than relegation strugglers. Just one more victory now needed to put a lot of minds at rest
Final Score: Waterloo 10 Beverley RUFC 17 | Reported by John Nursey
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