Burton travelled to play a resurgent Stoke team after they had been promoted from last season’s league topping performance and expected and got a very tense and closely contested game, but despite numerous injuries still came back home with another league win under their belts.

From the kick-off the match was soon seen to be a fast flowing physical encounter with Burton having all the play for first ten minutes. Burton scrummaged well to get their fair share of ball, but the lineouts were not so comfortable and turned into scrappy affairs. After thirteen minutes Stoke forced their way back into it and some good play resulted, fortunately, in a missed penalty from in front of the posts.

Despite losing Matt Davies to a hamstring injury that resulted in Danny Campbell coming on to fill the winger’s position Burton again took control and Dave Archer had difficult penalty from forty-metres out just shaving the upright on the wrong side to miss after twenty-five minutes. Then even more injury woes saw Archer leaving the field and so Jason Knight, a flanker, had to enter the fray in the centre after thirty-three minutes in a substitution that did little to help Burton’s structure.

Just before the break Burton made a change seeking a better structure and replaced Ed Henry with Keifer Laxton and this had an immediate effect with him taking an inside pass from Luke Peach after Burton had won a breakdown ten metres from the Stoke line. He carried the ball forward with great power to score a try that Lewis Brooks converted to put the first points on the board and give Burton a 0-7 lead. But in scoring the try Laxton was injured and so Henry returned to the game almost immediately and Burton reached halftime with a lead and massive injury list.

After the break Stoke hit back with a well-worked try that saw their fullback touchdown for a try that took the score line to 5-7. But Burton’s hard working forwards continued to stay on top and from deep inside the Burton half a ruck was won for Darryl Banton to work the ball out to Lewis Brooks who turned on the gas and skill to mesmerise the home defence as he raced seventy metres beating player after player to score a try wide out. Brooks took the conversion himself but the tough kick hit bar to leave Burton with a 5-12 advantage and over thirty minutes left to play.

Burton continued to attack and a great burst from Kelvin Browne made thirty metres as Burton laid siege to the Stoke line. Josh Cartwright, Ken Archer, Jon Edwards and Jason Hooper all charged forward making dangerous inroads into the Stoke defence as Burton showed great control in recycling the ball.

More tries seemed inevitable and sure enough after a move of at least fifteen phases a maul some fifteen metres from the home line saw Nathan Taylor emerge with the ball to score an awesome try as he smashed through the home defence to touchdown. With Brooks now also off the field Banton took over the kicking role and landed the conversion to give Burton a 5-19 lead.

Peach and Ian Gilmour were swapping positions and creating Stoke’s defence all sorts of problems as first one would orchestrate a move before the next then took charge to pull the strings for the next attack as Burton forwards and backrow took the play to Stoke. Then with twenty minutes to play Gilmour turned over the ball and won Burton a penalty that Banton put between the uprights to increase Burton’s lead to 5-22.

The injuries incurred by Burton were putting them at full stretch and with some only part fit players having to return to the fray everyone in the Burton squad was doubling their efforts to keep the resurgent Stoke side contained as they pressed forward at every possible opportunity. But in the last ten minutes with backs Brooks and Archer both off the field and the injured Davies back to help out the wily and experienced Stoke centre Simon Price cut through Burton’s weakened defensive line twice to give his side two late tries and Stoke got these consolations to leave the final score at 19-22 and so give injury hit Burton side the victory and four more league points.

Full credit to the Burton squad, who despite their appalling injury list managed to battle on to the end to secure this well deserved win and in doing show showed just what their Coach Steve Smith had asked for in better communication and work rate throughout the game.