Although Stoke are currently playing their league rugby a level below Burton in Midlands 1 West, they are in fifth place in that league so there was no room for complacency.

Stoke made the better start and their fast backs were soon causing problems for the Burton defence. They got into the Burton 22 and were awarded a penalty for an offence at the break down. The kicker slotted the ball over to open the scoring.
At this stage the Burton play was a bit sloppy and they turned the ball over a couple of times. After one of these turnovers Stoke were awarded a penalty which gave them a lineout on the 22-metre line. They won the lineout and the ball was passed quickly along the back line for the winger to score in the corner. The conversion was missed but they were ten points up.

After this Burton got their act together. The forwards made some good carries, regularly getting over the gain line and keeping the ball. From a lineout the forwards drove towards the goal line. The Stoke defence tackled valiantly, but Burton remained patient and eventually lock Athenkosi Kethani crashed over. Jamie Dutton converted to bring them within three points.

The Burton pack were now getting on top and again forced Stoke to commit a penalty offence. The Burton pack again charged forwards and full back Nick Oxley, spotting a gap joined the back line close to the ruck and ran over for Burton’s second try. Dutton this time failed to add the extra points but Burton were now two points ahead.

After the break the sides exchanged penalties. Stoke getting the first one and then Dutton converting for Burton. The Burton pack were rampant at this stage and there would have been more tries if it were not for the efforts of the Stoke number eight who although the scrum was going backwards at a rate of knots managed to pick up and keep possession for his side on several occasions. Eventually however, Burton’s superior power in the scrum paid off and from a five-metre scrum they got a pushover try, with captain Dominic Taylor getting the touch down. Dutton added the extra points. These were important as it meant that Stoke now had to score twice to win.

They did their best but were only able to manage one more score. Their backs ran the ball from everywhere causing problems for the Burton defence. Although they scrambled well, they eventually ran out of defenders and the Stoke winger was able to score. The conversion was missed but Stoke were now within four points of the lead.

There was still more drama to come as Burton were awarded a penalty on the Stoke 22. The penalty was missed but Stoke ran the ball from behind their own line. They got up to the half way line but the centre tried to force a pass and the ball was knocked forward and the referee blew his whistle to end the match. The final score was Burton 22 Stoke 18 making Burton the champions for the third year in succession.