News

REPORT | Five star Blues beat Saints

Posted: 26th August 2023

Bedford Blues secured their first victory over Northampton Saints since 1994 with a morale boosting 33-24 victory over their Premiership neighbours to conclude their pre-season schedule.

A topsy turvy, back and forth game, but a cracker nonetheless. Played to the highest intensity, in-front a huge 2,831 crowd, it was the perfect way for Mike Rayer’s side to conclude pre-season from a match intensity point of view. Winning’s a habit and the boys have won both their encounters leading into an exciting 23/24 league and cup campaign.

Both sides had their moments, but it was Bedford who flew out of the traps and opened the scoring after just four minutes. It was patience personified as they drew the Saints players in, created the numbers game and executed perfectly to send the winger over in the corner.

The majority of the first half following that early intervention went the way of Northampton who grew into the game as it progressed. It appears Blues taught George Hendy everything he knows – he scored twice in as many minutes to turn the scoreboard around, before the bulldozing Angus Scott-Young added a third.

Tapley has been on fire this pre-season, writing his own headlines during his testimonial season, and his second got Blues back into the game just before the break to reduce the scores to 19-12. Four in two for the winger who will look to hold down his jersey next season.

The heavens opened for the majority of that first 40 minutes but Blues stood firm and, although they were forced away from classic joue style of approach, the set piece functioning gave them platforms and their execution when it came together worked well.

Some of the hits from the forwards were bone crunching, Kieran Curran and Joe Howard leading the way in stopping Saints at source and causing all manner of problems.

Just like the first, Blues came out like a train after the break and levelled the scoring eight minutes after the restart, getting a driving maul to perfection and sending Jacob Fields crashing to the line.

Having only led for 10 minutes early on, Blues were swiftly turning one try into two to get back in-front. This time they again showed that ability to keep hold of the ball and work the gap, Matt Worley spotted it and found the line.

Saints woke up at that point after a sloppy beginning to the second-half by them. Jake Garside, who Goldington Road know so well, was back to being a nuisance on the field and he paved the way for Henry Pollock to sprint it home.

James Grayson’s missed conversion kept Blues in-front and then it became about who was going to write the headlines and take the game by the scruff of the neck.

Luke Frost answered the call with an evasive manoeuvre to get to the line and with that, Blues were tasting a first victory over Saints for 29 years.

*Matchday Photography by Dan Fennell & Kie Fewster*

Teams

BEDFORD BLUES

15. Matt Worley, 14. Pat Tapley, 13. Ethan Grayson, 12. Jordan Venter, 11. Dean Adamson, 10. Will Maisey, 9. James Lennon; 1. Jamie Jack, 2. James Fish (C), 3. Bryan O'Connor, 4. Robin Williams, 5. Alex Woolford, 6. Jac Arthur, 7. Kieran Curran, 8. Joe Howard

Replacements

Joey Conway, Jacob Fields, Oisin Heffernan, Jordan Onojaife, Luke Frost, Cameron King, Alex Day, Louis Grimoldby, Sean French, Ed Coulson

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

15. George Hendy, 14. Will Glister, 13. Tom Litchfield, 12. Joel Matavesi, 11. Tom Seabrook, 10. James Grayson, 9. Archie McParland; 1. Luke Green, 2. Tom Cruse (C), 3. Elliot Millar Mills, 4. Emeka Atuanya, 5. Angus Scott-Young, 6. Reuben Logan, 7. James Cherry, 8. Henry Pollock

Replacements:

Aston Gradwick-Light, Craig Wright, George Patten, Ed Prowse, Theo Vukasinovic, Izaiha Moore-Aiono, Henri Lavin, Jake Garside, Matthew Arden, Toby Fricker, Oscar Daniel, Ewan Baker