Post by Jamie Crawford on Dec 28, 2021 10:21:58 GMT
Bedford Blues preview
sponsored by Twenty Four IT Services (www.twentyfourit.co.uk)
Round 14, Doncaster Knights v Bedford Blues, Castle Park, Saturday 1st January –
KO 2:30 pm
The preview in the Free Press was written last week before our emphatic victory with its resulting top-of-the-table result.
Bedford Blues
Bedford is one of the largest towns in England without a league football club, and one of the few towns in England where the rugby club is therefore better supported than the football team. The Blues have played at Goldington Road since 1895 at a virtually identical site that was used in 1886–87 by Bedford Swifts. The Swifts merged with Bedford Rovers to create Bedford Blues in 1886.
In the 1997/98 season they were Promoted to the Allied Dunbar Premiership and stayed there for two seasons.
From the 2009/10 season over seven seasons Bedford were semi-finalists in the RFU Championship Cup four times. They were finalists in 2012/13.
Recent head to head performances
The last four games have seen the home team win.
01/10/21 Bedford Blues 31-23 Doncaster Knights
02/05/21 Doncaster Knights 27-19 Bedford Blues
29/02/20 Bedford Blues 29-5 Doncaster Knights
02/11/19 Doncaster Knights 22-18 Bedford Blues
Over the last four performances the Blues have scored 97 points to the Knights’ 77.
Bedford’s danger men
Blues’ wingers Dean Adamson and Pat Tapley are both equal-fifth on the list of Championship top try-scorers. Adamson, a 2017/18 Championship Dream Team member, scored 60 tries over 85 games that season. Tapley is a previous Dream Team member and is the Blues' longest serving current player.
Wing/centre Mathew Worley is equal-tenth after scoring one try fewer.
Blues’ fly half William Maisey is the top points scorer in the Championship and has been seemingly from the start of the season. The Knights were deprived of the losing bonus point by Maisey scoring a late penalty last October to win the game 31-23. Maisey has scored 29 more points than our own Sam Olver.
Team strengths and weaknesses
Ex-player, now head coach Mike Rayer has introduced a free-flowing style of play. This leads to many points being scored and conceded. The Blues have scored the second highest number of points but conceded about a hundred points more than the top four in the Championship. Bedford have scored the joint-highest number of bonus points with Ealing & Jersey.
Saturday’s game
The Blues have a game in hand over the Knights but will have the opportunity to rectify that next week when there are no fixtures. Next week is a reserve weekend to give teams the opportunity to play any postponed fixtures.
The Blues are fifth after a great 28-19 over the then second-placed Jersey Reds and the KNIGHTS ARE TOP in the Championship table but it will take more than one win to leapfrog the Knights. The top four teams are fully professional and are beginning to separate slightly from Coventry (7) and the six semi-professional others.
As has been alluded, expect a high-scoring game. Rugby World magazine reckon that Bedford play the most exciting rugby in the division.
The rest of the Championship
Hartpury (6) v Nottingham (10)
Ealing Trailfinders (2) v Cornish Pirates (4)
Richmond (9) v Coventry (7)
Ampthill (8) v London Scottish (11)
Jersey Reds (3) BYE
Again, the Knights are top but the three teams below them have two, one and two games (2nd - 4th) in hand. A Knights’ bonus point win would guarantee we stay top after the first game of 2022, a win without the bonus would rely on Trailfinders winning without a bonus against the Pirates. However, the Pirates beat Trailfinders in Cornwall, it could happen in London! A Knights’ loss would mean the Knights could only drop to second because second are playing fourth (even if they draw) and third aren’t playing.
We will start first or second after the first game of the year.
COYK
DONNY, DONNY, DONNY…
sponsored by Twenty Four IT Services (www.twentyfourit.co.uk)
Round 14, Doncaster Knights v Bedford Blues, Castle Park, Saturday 1st January –
KO 2:30 pm
The preview in the Free Press was written last week before our emphatic victory with its resulting top-of-the-table result.
Bedford Blues
Bedford is one of the largest towns in England without a league football club, and one of the few towns in England where the rugby club is therefore better supported than the football team. The Blues have played at Goldington Road since 1895 at a virtually identical site that was used in 1886–87 by Bedford Swifts. The Swifts merged with Bedford Rovers to create Bedford Blues in 1886.
In the 1997/98 season they were Promoted to the Allied Dunbar Premiership and stayed there for two seasons.
From the 2009/10 season over seven seasons Bedford were semi-finalists in the RFU Championship Cup four times. They were finalists in 2012/13.
Recent head to head performances
The last four games have seen the home team win.
01/10/21 Bedford Blues 31-23 Doncaster Knights
02/05/21 Doncaster Knights 27-19 Bedford Blues
29/02/20 Bedford Blues 29-5 Doncaster Knights
02/11/19 Doncaster Knights 22-18 Bedford Blues
Over the last four performances the Blues have scored 97 points to the Knights’ 77.
Bedford’s danger men
Blues’ wingers Dean Adamson and Pat Tapley are both equal-fifth on the list of Championship top try-scorers. Adamson, a 2017/18 Championship Dream Team member, scored 60 tries over 85 games that season. Tapley is a previous Dream Team member and is the Blues' longest serving current player.
Wing/centre Mathew Worley is equal-tenth after scoring one try fewer.
Blues’ fly half William Maisey is the top points scorer in the Championship and has been seemingly from the start of the season. The Knights were deprived of the losing bonus point by Maisey scoring a late penalty last October to win the game 31-23. Maisey has scored 29 more points than our own Sam Olver.
Team strengths and weaknesses
Ex-player, now head coach Mike Rayer has introduced a free-flowing style of play. This leads to many points being scored and conceded. The Blues have scored the second highest number of points but conceded about a hundred points more than the top four in the Championship. Bedford have scored the joint-highest number of bonus points with Ealing & Jersey.
Saturday’s game
The Blues have a game in hand over the Knights but will have the opportunity to rectify that next week when there are no fixtures. Next week is a reserve weekend to give teams the opportunity to play any postponed fixtures.
The Blues are fifth after a great 28-19 over the then second-placed Jersey Reds and the KNIGHTS ARE TOP in the Championship table but it will take more than one win to leapfrog the Knights. The top four teams are fully professional and are beginning to separate slightly from Coventry (7) and the six semi-professional others.
As has been alluded, expect a high-scoring game. Rugby World magazine reckon that Bedford play the most exciting rugby in the division.
The rest of the Championship
Hartpury (6) v Nottingham (10)
Ealing Trailfinders (2) v Cornish Pirates (4)
Richmond (9) v Coventry (7)
Ampthill (8) v London Scottish (11)
Jersey Reds (3) BYE
Again, the Knights are top but the three teams below them have two, one and two games (2nd - 4th) in hand. A Knights’ bonus point win would guarantee we stay top after the first game of 2022, a win without the bonus would rely on Trailfinders winning without a bonus against the Pirates. However, the Pirates beat Trailfinders in Cornwall, it could happen in London! A Knights’ loss would mean the Knights could only drop to second because second are playing fourth (even if they draw) and third aren’t playing.
We will start first or second after the first game of the year.
COYK
DONNY, DONNY, DONNY…
