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REPORT | Bonus point draw at Nottingham
A coin has two sides. Statistics can tell two stories. Depending on if you’re a glass full, or glass half empty kind of person, you’ll have differing opinions of Bedford Blues’ 28-28 draw against Nottingham.
On the one hand pride, without question, for fighting back from 28-7 down to salvage three points when all looked lost. There won’t be many teams who can be under the sticks and soul search enough to mount a comeback like that.
But on the other hand, you could argue Blues shouldn’t have been in that position in the first place. Dominant in the first half yet wasteful in attack, they laid the platform for a tilt at the full five points but kept falling off, before clinging on at the end.
There is a need to breathe. To not become reactive in the moment and take time to decide which side of the story you want to read. Because ultimately, only after the final whistle is blown at Ealing on 9th May will we be able to truly look back and understand whether this is three points salvaged, or two points dropped.
Champ Rugby is tight this season. Every 1% could make the difference. That George Worth score at the death could be the difference in regard to getting a home game in the play-offs. It’ll be a long five and a half months to wait for a definitive answer to the question.
Even within the squad in the huddle at the end of the game, you could see there were players on the positive side, and some on the deflated side. The review in the week will be used to analyse everything to within a fine toothcomb. Some positives will be highlighted, some necessary work ons discussed.
The quickest way to an answer will be to respond and get back to winning ways next weekend. That will be tough in itself, Cambridge are fighting for everything at the moment and will love nothing more than ending a long history of winless years against Bedford.
As well as Worth’s important score at the end, Blues trio Rory Ward, Oisin Heffernan and Tommy Herman also crossed the whitewash. Bright lights on a grim night.
A draw. A rarity. A first one since February 2023. Whether it’s a good draw or a bad draw, we’ll have to wait and see…
