MATCH REPORT: Stroud Rugby vs Bredon Star RFC

Report by Mark Samak

A warm, dry week had baked the pitch at a sun bathed Fromehall Park, which saw Stroud yet again take on the side that held top spot in the league.  Looking to reverse a disappointing loss in the away fixture, Stroud were keen to continue their recent winning run.  On the Stroud Players Reunion Day a sizeable crowd joined the players in a minutes silence to mark the club members, who had sadly passed away in the last year.

Stroud were on the front foot from the Kick-off with Fruin securing a bouncing ball and charging towards the Bredon 22.  Debieux and Cremmins had strong early carries as Stroud put the defence under immediate pressure.  One Cremmins surge broke the line but the offload just evaded Marsh on the supporting line.  Warner, Fruin and Thomas immediately put the Bredon pack under pressure and they did well to scramble the ball away despite hurtling back at a rate of knots.  This powerful scrummaging continued throughout the afternoon and regularly disrupted the Bredon pack.

The lineout was functioning efficiently with Stokes and Flanagan securing their own ball however Bredon were equally as accurate on their own throw providing both sides with a fairly even spread of possession.  Early territorial advantage did not yield any points and Stroud would soon find themselves back in their own 22 after two quick penalty decisions against them.  Bredon spread the ball wide but solid defence from Wilkes and Toon stopped them in their tracks.  Forward carries followed as Bredon brought play back to the left.  Fruin and Phillips were as usual -a brick wall - and with Flanagan chopping low, the attack seemed to have been stifled.  Tacklers however had been dragged in and Bredon exploited the space on the left with accurate hands to cross out wide. Try Converted. 0-7.

Stroud’s confidence was not dented by this setback and were soon back on the attack.  Great work in the tackle from Debieux and Phillips forced the ball loose and it was eagerly snapped up by Flanagan.  A typical charge from Warner added momentum before Ashenford spread the play wider to Hammonds, who found Leworthy on a good line. A trademark fend gave the skipper space to get in behind the defence and he was only felled by a brave tackle from the Bredon Full Back.  Ashenford and Marsh upped the tempo further and caught Bredon offside.  Hammonds kicked to the corner to enable Fruin to find Stokes and set up the drive.  Powering towards the line a try looked a certainty but the maul was stopped inches short.  Ashenford wasted no time and spotted a gap close to the ruck to dive through to score. 5-7.

A solid take from the restart by Stokes allowed Stroud to begin to work through the phases.  Thomas, Phillips and Cremmins were all keen to carry and got over the advantage line up the middle.  Hammonds once again fed Leworthy, who needed three defenders to drag him down.  Quick ball from Ashenford found Hammonds looking to spread play back to the right but a show of the ball and a step inside took the fly half through the smallest of gaps before accelerating away and using his pace to round the Full Back to run in from 70m for a great individual score. 10-7.
 
Bredon were always keen to vary play – regularly spreading play wide as well as using the boot to make territorial gains.  A well judged 50-22 kick gave them a platform to use their lineout to set up another attack.  Initial defence was strong from Stroud with Cremmins and Bonham putting in dominant tackles; Bredon again though exploited numbers well and crossed in the corner. 10-12.

After 30 minutes, this was a finely balanced contest in contrast to Stroud’s previous two games.  This was certainly a test of how far this team had come and their response was admirable.

Applying pressure from the restart, Stroud were soon back in possession after Cremmins and Phillips forced an error in the tackle.  The scrummage again surged forward, allowing Cremmins to pick and drive into the heart of the defence.  Great clear-out work put the ball on a plate for Ashenford to release the backs.  Letting the ball do the work, Hammonds, Marsh and Toon released Bonham to cross on the right wing. 15-12.

Half Time        Stroud Rugby  15        Bredon Star    12

Hammonds began to use the boot to drive Stroud deep into Bredon territory.  An excellent kick chase from Leworthy and Bonham kept play behind the Bredon pack and applied the pressure.  Debieux, Thomas and Warner defended well around the fringes as Bredon attempted to drive their way out of danger.  The pressure eventually led to a knock on and gave the forwards the chance to rubber stamp their dominance in the scrum.  A massive surge and excellent control at the base ensured Cremmins was the beneficiary of the collective effort.  Ashenford converted. 22-12.

Bredon continued to vary play and kick for position.  As ever Toon was bothe well poitioned and always willing to have a dart back at the defence.  A strong carry from the Full Back brought play back into the Bredon half before Marsh found Cremmins on another barn-storming run.  Taking play up towards the 22, Stroud exerted control with Warner and the Debieux dragging in defenders before Ashenford, Hammonds and Marsh combined to find Wilkes on the left touchline and the winger was able to cross in the corner for an excellent team score.  27-12.

With 20 minutes to go, Stroud had a degree of control but Bredon were far from out of it.  A number of penalties enabled them to work their way up to the home 22.  Their lineout continued to be effective and set up a forward drive up the middle.  Play was brought back to the right for the backs to exploit an overlap and cross out wide.  27-17.

Samak replaced Warner with 15 minutes to go with Debieux moving up to the Front Row.  The scrummage was still in the ascendancy and always put the Number 8 and Scrum Half under pressure.  Bredon though now had their tails up and with the benefit of a number of penalties awarded against Stroud at the breakdown, camped themselves in the Stroud 22.  Marsh and Leworthy snuffed out any attacks in the centre so Bredon reverted to close range carries and drives to test the home defence. Despite conceding further penalties, the goal line defence was superb with Phillips, Fruin, Samak and Cremmins pressing the carrier when Bredon opted for short range tap and goes.  Bredon looked as though they had crossed in the corner but brave work from Stokes and Wilkes kept the line intact. After 10 minutes of pressure, Bredon finally got their reward when a cross-kick in behind Stroud bounced favourably for them to collect and cross for their fourth try.  Try Converted. 27-24.

Stroud played for territory in the final minutes; Hammonds again driving the ball deep and trusting the kick chase to gain yardage.  Forced to play from deep, Bredon found the home defence secure and a handling error ended a hard-fought and very even game.

Full Time         Stroud Rugby  27        Bredon Star    24

In recent weeks, Stroud have shown the talent and creativity in the back division to run in tries from all areas.  Today, although again highly effective, plaudits should go to the forwards, whose work in the scrummage was the best in had been all season and added to the grit and tenacity they showed in the carry and in their defensive work they provided the basis for this hard-fought victory.

Next week, Stroud again face the league leaders when they travel to Cheltenham Civil Service – Saturday 2nd April KO 2:30pm