The final game of this season was greeted with sunny but breezy conditions at Sandbach and was always likely to be a keenly contested affair between two teams who were both enjoying winning runs in recent weeks. Sandbach kicked off the game with the cross wind blowing slightly in their favour. They were immediately rewarded with a line-out just outside the Burton “22” after a rather sloppy attempt to catch the ball ended up being deflected into touch. Sandbach looked very comfortable in possession even at this early stage and they showed how well organised and effective they can be. As such they soon had Burton under pressure in their own half. An early injury to Lewis Sturgess was a worry but thankfully after treatment he was able to carry on.
The first scrum of the game did not bode well for Burton as they were pushed back by Sandbach who were awarded a penalty as a result. A good kick sent the home team up to just 10 metres from the right-hand side of the Burton line. However, Burton soon won back possession of the ball and moved the ball very smartly to the left where a high tackle from the home side resulted in a penalty and the ball was cleared to half-way. Burton soon found themselves having to defend again as Sandbach retained possession of the ball over several phases eventually crossing the Burton line for the first score of the game after 10 minutes. The wind got the better of the attempted conversion bur Sandbach had the lead. Sandbach 5-0 Burton.
Although Sturgess was forced to leave the pitch for further medical attention following his earlier injury and was replaced by Callum Donnelly he once again returned later in the half. With Sandbach continuing to dominate possession and move the ball very efficiently it was looking likely that Burton were going to have to dig deep into their reserves just to stay in the contest. Burton’s defence looked up to the task, but they were not able to wrestle the ball away from the home team and eventually after 17 minutes Sandbach scored their second unconverted try to increase their lead to Sandbach 10-0 Burton.
From the restart Burton managed to reach the home “22” for the first time and they remained there for some time until they were penalised for a silly offense in the scrum which cost them considerable territory and resulted in more Sandbach pressure which led to a 3rd try, which was converted to make the score Sandbach 17-0 Burton after 25 minutes. It was important that Burton got the next score to prevent the lead getting any bigger and beyond their reach. Having been awarded a penalty following the re-start they did just that with a great catch and drive from a line-out on the left presenting James Davies with the opportunity to break off the maul and score just 4 minutes later. Bunting was not able to add the difficult conversion, but Burton supporters were happy with the response. Sandbach 17-5 Burton.
However, what was to follow immediately from the re-start did not maintain this optimism as a very sloppy bit of handling presented the softest of bonus point tries to the home team after half an hour. Fortunately, the conversion was not successful, but the home team’s lead increased to Sandbach 22-5 Burton. Sandbach handed Burton the opportunity to strike back immediately after a Burton player was taken out in the air and the penalty was kicked for a line-out on the left side of the Sandbach “22”. The ball was moved very nicely from left to right, but the home defence managed to force Burton into touch. A good catch and drive presented Burton with a further opportunity, but this came to a frustrating end when the ball was knocked on at a crucial point. As half time approached Sandbach were guilty of a similar error which cost them an opportunity to increase their lead and the final action of the half saw Burton break from deep in their own half up to just past the Sandbach 10 metre line where the promising move came to an abrupt halt due to a forward pass.
The second half started with the breeze now blowing much stronger which gave the Burton supporters some encouragement that a fightback could be on the cards. This was immediately made more likely when Sandbach knocked on from the kick-off and were then penalised at the scrum when Burton turned the tables on their opposition with a great drive. Another good catch and drive at the line-out saw Davies break off the rear of the maul and scored his second try of the game. Bunting found the wind too strong for his attempted conversion but Burton were very much back in the game with the score Sandbach 22-10 Burton after 42 minutes.
Sandbach however, once again showed their structured and effective approach over several phases resulting in their fifth try of the game after 46 minutes to make the score Sandbach 27-10 Burton. Sturgess succumbed to his earlier injury and both Tommie Collingwood and Will Hopwood made appearances from the bench as Burton looked to get back into the match. However, it was Sandbach who regained control of the ball over the next few minutes and extended their lead further with a converted try on the right after 49 minutes. Sandbach 34-10 Burton.
The next 5 minutes or so saw the game fluctuate either side of the halfway line as possession was shared until Burton were able to get back into the Sandbach “22” and Davies was on hand to finish off a series of phases in possession with his 3rd try of the game after 14 minutes. Bunting just missed with his attempted conversion. Sandbach 34-15 Burton. After the re-start Dutton got Burton back into the Sandbach territory with a wonderful “50:22” but the line-out throw missed the target and Sandbach once again had possession and progressed back up to the home 10 metre line. However, Burton were beginning to make their physical pressure tell as they went in search of further scores. They spent several minutes in the Sandbach danger zone but could not make the critical breakthrough as the home defence stood firm. Burton were then awarded a penalty on the Sandbach 5 metre line and opted for the scrum but were pushed back by a resolute home pack. To make matters worse there was then some back chat for which Burton were penalised, and the danger was cleared.
Even so Burton were now winning a far greater share of possession but were frustrated by lack of accuracy when in scoring positions. They were eventually rewarded for their efforts when Donnelly went over on the left and Bunting added the conversion to close the gap a little after 68 minutes. Sandbach 34-22 Burton. Burton were now buzzing and really rattled their opposition, so much so that it was not too long before they were once again in the danger zone. A line-out on the 5-metre line on the left and Collingwood touched down for another Burton try following tremendous work from the Burton pack. Bunting added the conversion and Burton were back within one score after 72 minutes. Sandbach 34-29 Burton.
Sandbach showed how the pressure was getting to them when the re-start was kicked straight into touch giving Burton a scrum on the half-way line. Burton progressed effectively into Sandbach territory and looked like they would score on the left wing only for a knock-on to stop them in their tracks. Sandbach took full advantage of this good fortune when they broke through in the centre in loose play and scored a breakaway converted try totally against the run of play with less than 2 minutes to go. Sandbach 41-29 Burton.
The excellent spirit of this Burton team was demonstrated yet again, as it has many times this season, when they put this disappointment behind them immediately and went in search of another try to secure a losing bonus point. They succeeded when Hopwood went over for the final unconverted try of the game. Sandbach 41-34 Burton. Although defeated Burton players can hold their heads high for a very good performance against a team which has been in the top half of the Midlands Premier League all season.