Sat 6 Oct 2018
Not for the first time this season, Newton Abbot “All Whites” found themselves playing catch-up rugby and at Exeter University a 28 point deficit needed overhauling. 21 points were pegged back in the last quarter, but a fourth seven pointer was just out of reach – literally.
On their first ever League visit to the University, Newton made an imperfect start that gained three points! Tom Putt put the ball off the park with his kick off, but Newton won a penalty at the ensuing scrum which Putt banged over from 50 metres.
Newton were unable to build on this lead as they soon found themselves short-handed with hooker Dean Avery in the bin following a seventh minute infringement.
The University capitalised on this imbalance in numbers with a try from a line out by prop Dan Martin followed by one from flanker Ollie White who finished off a move that started from the receipt of the kick-off. Fly half Harry Bazalgette converted the latter try for a 12-3 lead after 11 minutes.
A quickly taken tap penalty by Kyle Browne caught the students napping. The centre made ground initially before his support caught up with him; winger Jack Bond finished off the move that had started 60 metres back. Putt’s conversion cut the deficit to two points.
The University responded with a seven pointer of their own when hooker Rauf Birler finished off a multi-phase move. Bazalgette took care of the kick.
Newton returned to the attack, Putt put a penalty kick into the corner and the pack did the rest from the lineout with a try credited to hooker Dean Avery.
The visitors would have been more than happy to go into the break only four points adrift, but they conceded a try right on the break and to make matters worse slipped further behind as the students scored soon after the resumption.
White scored both of these to complete his hat-trick. He first finished off an overlap and then put the final touches to a counter-attack move.
Hooker Birler then got his second – this one from a catch and drive - before the interception curse hit Newton again.
Now chasing the game, the visitors tried to run out of defence, but flanker Charles Howard picked off a stray pass to race in unopposed from 30 metres. Bazalgette’s conversion left Newton 43-15 behind with less than 20 minutes remaining.
But then came the comeback; Bond went close in the corner before the ball went in field where Matt Jess finished under the posts. A driven lineout yielded a try for lock Ian Milton and another catch and drive lineout paved the way for captain Avery to grab his second.
Putt’s conversions gave each of these tries full value and left Newton going into the last play looking for seven more points to tie the match.
Again, it was the lineout that provided the platform for the final onslaught. The students defended the initial surge, but Newton edged infield and towards the posts. With only half a metre to go, Newton failed to finish, eventually losing the ball, much to the delight of the home players and supporters.
The All Whites Chairman Pete Webb summed up the outcome by saying “it was two points salvaged”.
This couple of points – the first earned on the road – kept Newton above the relegation zone which is populated by Weston Super Mare, Bracknell and Old Patesians.
Tomorrow is a rest day for the 1st XV, they resume the following week when they take on visiting Exmouth.
The Spartans, who had a blank Saturday last week, return to Devon Merit Table action tomorrow when they welcome Devonport Services Pilgrims to Rackerhayes for a match that gets underway at 2.30pm.
Please enter your page detail here. This can be HTML or text. To edit click the first menu icon on the small HTML menu that appears when you click on this text. Please use the elements on the right if you wish to construct a richer page content with headers, images and layout grids.
