The clashes between Woodbridge and Crusaders are always tough, no more so than when they’re respectively 4^th and 3^rd in the league. Crusaders started with their tails up, fly half Ryan Harris shouting for his forwards to chase the kick down to the Warrior try line where they picked and drove several phases. Woodbridge ripped the ball and Capt Tom Stokes allowed JP Hart to clear, but the lineout fed Harris who broke free to run in unopposed and open the score.

Crusaders immediately attacked again, Capt Lewis Wright working hard to lead from the front. A scrum and a couple of penalties got Woodbridge just within kicking distance but Jamie Smith’s effort was short. Big Crus lock Henry Mower then joined the charge back, winning a penalty to gain the ground and force another attacking scrum. Under pressure the Warriors conceded yet another penalty and Crusaders released their forwards to batter down the left wing forcing full back Smith to call the mark. Crusaders pack became a thorn in Woodbridge’s side attracting the Ref’s attention and stifling possession. When the Warriors did get the ball they were forced to play it fast, Crusaders line speed stopping Woodbridge’s favoured open running. When they did make progress; Hart linking well with Stokes, Aldis Salavejs and Lewis Jacobs, Woodbridge opted to kick penalties but Smith was off form – getting one during the match.

Penalties mounted for both sides forcing play to stay mostly central until Crusaders charged from a line-out down their left wing to set up several charges on the line. Woodbridge, down to 14, cleared and Crusaders repeatedly went for the corner until on the third attempt Crus were rewarded as substitute forward Peter Blinkhorn scored from the maul. Both sides held their defensive lines against some increasingly bad tempered challenges during which Crusaders lost a man to the bin – but the scores stayed 12-3 at the break.

The home team started the second half in the same manner as the first, using their hard-working forwards; Henry Joy, Vincent Cook, Sam Barker and flankers Callum Widdrington and Wright to bash their way up the right wing in front of a noisy, well fed home crowd. Woodbridge found a clearance kick but penalties gave Crus control to dig in on the Warrior 5m line. The kick away missed touch and opened another period of gut-wrenching tackles with both sides flat out to get the upper hand. With the visitors under the cosh there was an effort to pressurise Lewis Kenworthy Crusader’s full back but the chase was short and even when Woodbridge got the ball Crusaders squeezed the off load, interrupted the flow and put them on the back foot – Smith missing another penalty. Crusaders centre Tim Zeilinski put in a darting run that started another period of pressure, Crus kicking over and forcing a scrum form which flanker Widdrington scored a cheeky try by dabbing down before Jono Cooke could defend.

After such an intense session tiredness began to creep in and small bursts of short temper. Both sides got yellows and tackles became looser. Woodbridge started to make some space to attack, Adam Plummer and Hart moving play from side to side but Crusaders had it covered, despite being penalised, their floating defence ambushed repeated assaults. Crusaders held the deserved win with noisy team spirit.

Crusaders 19 v Woodbridge Warriors 3

Bury stood fifth in the table and Woodbridge second so this match looked like a fair fight, possibly Woodbridge as favourites despite playing away. Oh no. Bury started on fire, straight up to the Warriors 22 and scrummaging hard. Fly half JP Hart cleared for the Warriors but full back Andrew Devoy ran it straight back moving wide on the right to connect with Connor Roberts on the wing who scored and, prophetically, set the format for the game.
The Warriors set to brush off this early set back with prop Billy King thundering tenaciously up field for Adrian Sanday to take it left where Jamie Smith tried a grubber kick. Holding their line-out Woodbridge moved right, Taff Lloyd this time with the kick through only to be brought back for a Bury penalty which Dan Bond prevented from finding touch. Bury’s No 8 Matt Edison snatched possession at a line-out they set off down the right again, winning another couple of line-outs and forcing Woodbridge to defend to halfway where they were pushed off the scrum but won a penalty and Bury lost a player to the bin. Bury’s Sean Davis put in a powerful charge, Sam Dean turned over yet another line-out and Roberts ran wide to score again.
Undeterred the Warriors battled on, Lloyd trying the kick-through again and Smith finding touch in the Bury 22 from where Jono Cooke, Hart and Smith went for the line helping the lithe frame of prop Ed Banthorp to score on the post.
Lifted by this Woodbridge attacked again in this fast-paced game King stole the ball and Sanday put Cooke, Josh Thomas, Tim Johnson and Dan Taylor tantalisingly close. Bury reacted swiftly using their strong pack and boisterous scrum half, Stuart Turner and Edison to help wing Ross Taylor to score. Moments later they were back, this time Taylor passed the scoring honours to Edison. Woodbridge dug deep to hold Bury back as they attacked on the left wing Hart putting in a flying tackle on Devoy but prop Davis delivered a forceful gallop through the 22 to put flanker Sam Dean over ending an action-packed first half.
The onslaught continued in the second half. Bury were clearly enjoying confident team-play and opened with their forwards taking Route One before moving the ball wide for Turner to score against stretched defence. After a brief charge by Warrior lock; Johnson, the hosts were quickly back and shifting the ball expertly to Devoy who added a try to his eventual five conversions. Two minutes later it was the industrious Bury hooker; Luke Ryman who scored. Woodbridge weren’t to be ignored however and despite a threatening run from Edison they came back through a team-wide effort around Cooke who rampaged through tackles to set Smith up to score and lift Warrior heads. Woodbridge held off another attack, hung on to a line-out and scrum as Lloyd set Herb Parsley barrelling into the Bury 22 for Hart to dot down. With fifteen minutes to run Woodbridge sniffed a losing bonus point but it wasn’t to be. Tries from Bury lock Alex Palmer, wing Roberts – on a hat-trick – and finally flanker Aubrey Grimes killed any further thoughts as Woodbridge were out-classed with a performance that belied Bury’s league position.