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Boston RFC’s 1^st XV finished on the losing end of a rugby scoreline for the third week in a row. This time, a 12-point margin of defeat away to mid-table University of Derby finally scuppered all hopes of winning the Midlands 5 East (North) League championship.

Boston went into the match with several changes forced upon them by injuries and players being unavailable.

But despite the switches, the club’s coaching staff felt confident the team would be capable of delivering a good performance. However, things didn’t work out that way and it was a source of great disappointment that the blue and whites went into the interval 25-6 in arrears, their six points all coming from penalties via the boot of Sam Wainwright.

Boston realised an uphill task faced them after the break. But they were unable to raise their game fully until the final 20 minutes, by which time it was far too late to stage a full recovery. As such, they were unable to take much consolation from tries scored by Wainwright and Paul Jarvis except for the knowledge that the scores at least decreased the margin of defeat.

With Easter bringing a break in match action, it should give the Boston camp time to regroup and sort out a few things in advance of their final league match at home to Nottinghamians on April 14 when there will be a chance to avenge their March 24 Notts, Lincs and Derby Cup loss against the same opponents.

Boston 1^st XV: Sampson, Dowse, Buckberry, Cannon, Fendyke, Shelford, Miles, Wainwright, Krause, Stubley, Cooke, Jarvis, Perry, Wright.

March 24 round-up:

Nottinghamians 1^st XV 27, Boston 1^st XV 13

Boston’s dreams of a final place in the Notts, Lincs and Derby Cup ended on Saturday, when Nottinghamians gained revenge for Boston’s earlier league victory, which effectively ended their own promotion challenge. A 15-minute lapse in Boston’s game in the first half proved costly and insurmountable for the visitors to claw back the deficit.

From the start the home side were evidently “up” for this encounter and were looking to prove a point or two. For the travelling Boston support, few would have foreseen the outcome of the first half after Boston’s bright and efficient start. Playing against a strong wind, Boston seized early control and looked to spin the ball wide and stretch the Nottinghamians’ defence. Their early enterprise was rewarded with a penalty by Rhys Gosling to take a deserved 3-0 lead. Almost immediately the home side responded and in a devastating 15 minute spell scored three unanswered tries to move into a 24-3 lead.

Clearly shell-shocked by this, Boston needed to urgently review their game plan and try to nullify the dangerous home backs. Boston reverted to “route one” rugby and took control via their forwards. However, despite being camped on the Nottinghamians try line for a sustained five-minute spell before half time, yet again indiscipline, poor control and wrong options saw them enter half-time with no extra points on the score board.

The second half proved to be a frustrating affair. With the elements and a clear message from the coaching staff to play to Boston’s strengths, the visitors sought to begin the fightback. With the blue and white forwards disrupting the scrum and disrupting the lineout possession, Boston were now creating sustained pressure. From a scrum 5m out Boston scored their first try when scrum half Sam Wainwright broke blind and fed the ball for winger Peter Stubley to score in the corner. Despite reducing the arrears, Boston quickly conceded a penalty, to allow the home side to move into a 27-8 lead.

A second solo try by Stubley, who outpaced the Nottinghamians defence from the half way line midway in the second half, gave the away side a glimmer of hope that they could still win the game. To Boston’s credit they continued to dominate possession and only resolute defence form the home side prevented any further scores.

March 17 round-up:

Boston 1st XV 14, Bakewell Mannerians 17

Boston 1^st XV lost their grip on top spot in the Midlands 5 East (North) League on the back of a close-fought, but ultimately unrewarding, encounter against Bakewell Mannerians who — on the strength of this success — took over as title favourites. Now with just two matches to go, Boston look destined to have to settle for runners-up spoils.

A penalty converted in the dying minutes by Bakewell left Boston RFC’s championship dream hanging by a thread. The teams began the game locked together on 28 points at the top of the table and it ended with Bakewell firmly in the box seat for the title. With only two games apiece remaining, Boston are left hoping for an unlikely slip-up by their fellow title challengers if they are to claim top spot.

The game ebbed and flowed throughout and, even in the dying seconds, Boston could have levelled the scores with a penalty. This would have made them championship favourites because of their vastly superior points difference. But it was not to be. It seems increasingly likely that Boston will have to settle for the promotion feat they have already secured. The chance of added silverware now appears remote.

Boston, sponsored by Staffsmart, played into a stiff breeze in the opening half. But they appeared somewhat hesitant and a number of players appeared to want more time than their eager opponents were prepared to give them. The result was that Boston found themselves being caught in possession and kicks being charged down, which put the home side under real pressure.

Boston were in danger of conceding an early score until Ben Hausserman took the game by the scruff of the neck and his trademark charging runs spread confidence throughout the home team. Then midway through the half, it was first blood to Boston. A flowing move between Darren Barratt, Sam Wainwright and Ryan Shelford put full-back Paul Jarvis in the clear and although he still had plenty to do, the teenager made it into the corner for a fine try. Gosling converted superbly to make the score 7-0.

Just before the break, Bakewell enjoyed their best spell of pressure and only desperate defending by Boston stopped a driving maul from going over the try-line. When the visitors finally managed to get over the line, the referee judged they had been held up.

By now, the pressure was relentless and it came as no surprise when Taff Lane received a yellow card for deliberately killing the ball. Half-time came as a welcome breather for Boston, but, with Lane still off the pitch, the visitors made their advantage tell straight from the restart as the home side were caught cold, conceding a converted try which levelled the scores at 7-7.

Both sides now had everything to play for, and, despite losing possession far too often on their own line-out, Boston gained the upper hand and thought they had gone ahead through a Wainwright try, only for the referee to rule he had hit the whitewash before crossing the try line. So it was doubly painful when soon afterwards, against the run of play, Bakewell broke away to score under the posts, with the try being converted.

In a last throw of the dice, Richie Collins was brought on and the move paid immediate dividends. Collins hit his man from the first line-out and after Rhys Gosling had made the break Jarvis was on hand to score a second try for Boston — again with Gosling adding the conversion. However, the final penalty may have ended their championship hopes.

Boston 1^st XV: Jarvis, Dowse (Collins 70), Sampson, Buckberry, Shelford, Cannon, Hausermann, Lane, Miles, Kemp, Cook, Gosling, Stubley, Barratt, Wainwright.

March 10 round-up:

Boston 1st XV 31, East Leake 10

Returning to league action after the previous weeks cup’s game, was always going to be a challenge for the Boston squad. And despite the best efforts of the coaching staff, the home side were uncharacteristically lethargic for the opening 20 minutes.

To their credit East Leake started confidently and, with the advantage of a strong wind, pinned Boston deep in their own half. With Boston (sponsored by Staffsmart) being forced to make a number of positional changes to their starting XV, it naturally took some time for the new combinations and players to gel.

While Boston showed brief glimpses of the flowing open rugby of which they are capable, poor final passing, indiscipline in the loose, a misfiring lineout, only combined to the demonstrate to the home supporters that they were still recovering from their cup exit hangover.

Not surprisingly East Leake deservedly opened the scoring with a well-taken penalty after 20 minutes. It took a trademark run from winger Peter Stubley before Boston finally woke from their collective slumber. From a scrum on the halfway line, the ball was moved to the blind side and allowed room for Stubley to set off on a familiar surging run which ended under the posts to take the home lead to 7-3.

Minutes later, the home side quickly extended their advantage when, from a lineout 10 metres from the East Leake line, fly-half Rhys Gosling put a delicate grubber kick through. The astute kick split open the visitors’ defence, allowing centre Paul Jarvis to run on to the ball to score. The subsequent conversion by Gosling moved the home side to a more comfortable 14-3 advantage.

With Boston now in the ascendancy, they averted a stern half-time team talk when full-back Paul Jarvis scored the third try of the match, demonstrating his devastating pace in open play, to see the home side enter the interval 21-3 to the good.

Turning round with the advantage of the elements in the second period, expectations were high of a potential points landslide, especially when within five minutes of play a visionary open field kick from Gosling saw Jarvis pressurise the visitors’ winger to score in the corner, moving the score to 26-3 and completing his hat-trick in the process.

Boston then only conspired to immediately see back row Mark Miles sin-binned and their performance levels rapidly degenerated as the overall game became really scrappy. The only highlight of the remaining 25 minutes was a second try for winger Stubley, as Boston closed out the match and recorded another important two league points in their promotion race with Bakewell.

The March 17 match against Bakewell could well be the championship decider. And Boston know they will be required to up their performance levels and will have a hard weeks training in front of them.

Boston 1^st XV: R Collins, C Dowse, A Buckberry, R Shelford, F Cannon, B Hausermann, L Van Haren, M Miles, T Kemp, K Lines, R Gosling, P Stubley, D Barratt, S Wainwright, P Jarvis. Replacements: N Lane, O Webster, S Cooke.

March 3 round-up:

Boston 1^st XV 6, Billericay 11

There was knockout anguish for Boston Rugby Club 1^st XV when they tumbled off the Twickenham trail by the slender margin of 11-6 to Billericay at the quarter-final stage of the prestigious EDF Junior Vase competition. The blue and whites put on a solid display at their home venue off the Boardsides, but in the end had to admit second best to their visitors from the south of England.

The visitors from Essex, nicknamed the Bees, certainly produced a sting, in this game, one that the Staffsmart-sponsored Boston side couldn’t really cope with — despite producing some heroic defence — at crucial stages throughout the game, sponsored by T Ruck, Agricultural Labour Services. The encounter proved, as expected, to be a tight tense affair where both sides’ commitment and passion were evident.

From the kick-off Billericay laid out their game plan that focused on their pack setting up controlled driving rolling mauls to grind down their opposition. The feature of this, although not pretty, turned out to be effective. While Boston attempted to stop this via legally driving through the middle of the mauls, the referee’s interpretation of their actions was somewhat different, leading to the home side conceding numerous penalties throughout the match.

Although the omens for Boston, after the initial opening five minutes did not look positive, their tackling and defence stood firm. While playing the game on the back foot, the home side had few scoring opportunities. A missed penalty after 31 minutes was their only opportunity up to that point.

With neither side quite being able to establish dominance, Boston — despite the advantage of the wind — spent little time in the Billericay half. It took 35 minutes before Captain Rhys Gosling was able to convert a penalty, after Billericay were caught offside, to move Boston 3-0 ahead. Straight from the kick off, Boston scored again. In a scrum on the half-way line number eight Ben Hausermann broke blind and linked up with scrum half Kenny Lines. He fed the ball to full-back Paul Jarvis whose incisive break led to the visitors conceding their second penalty within minutes, for the blue and whites to go 6-0 in front.

The visitors were visibly shaken by these quick scores and minutes later their open side flanker was sin-binned to take Boston into a more comfortable position at half-time, still with their slender 6-0 lead intact.

At the start of the second half and against the wind but with a man advantage, Boston knew their lead was slender and that they would have to try and stop the Billericay forwards’ drives. Billericay quickly upped the tempo and despite being a man down ominously started to pressurise Boston via their driving mauling play. From outside the Boston 22m line they rumbled their way towards the try line and scored in the corner to reduce the score to 6-5 just eight minutes into the second period.

It was not long before Boston conceded yet another penalty, attempting to stop the Bees’ forwards, which put the visitors 8-5 ahead and into the lead for the first time.

With Boston’s line out misfiring and Billericay having now the lion’s share of set-piece possession the omens were not looking good for Boston. At this stage with 15 minutes of the second half played, coach Ray Hayward made a double substitution. Ste Loveley replaced Marc Miles and Sam Wainwright came on for Kenny Lines at scrum half. Almost immediately Lovely was sin-binned for illegally bringing down the driving maul to leave Boston with one man down in the pack.

With victory in their sights, Billericay camped on the Boston line for an intensive eight minutes. It was only resolute defence, blood and guts that prevented the visitors from crossing the whitewash. After stopping the irresistible force, Boston conceded a penalty five minutes later to effectively kill off their hopes of a comeback as Billericay moved 11-6 into the lead.

With only stoppage time remaining (around five minutes), Boston attempted to launch sustained attacks at the Bees. Their only reward would be a missed long-range penalty from 30 yards out as the visitors’ defence stood firm.

With the final whistle Boston’s epic and historic cup run ended. On the day, Boston had no answer to Billericay forward power. Both players and coaching staff were naturally disappointed that they were not able, or allowed, to play to their potential given the paucity of their possession. With their cup dream over, they now have to focus on this week’s (March 10) league game against East Leake at home and to take out their frustration. The club’s aim must now be to focus on promotion, with a date of March 18 looming near for the arrival at the Boardsides of joint leaders Bakewell in what could prove to be the championship decider.

Boston 1stXV: I Sampson, C Dowse, A Buckberry, N Lane, F Cannon, B Hausermann, R Shelford, M Miles, K Lines, R Gosling, P Stubley, S Cooke, D Barratt, N Patterson, P Jarvis. Replacements: R Collins, S Loveley, S Wainwright, T Kemp.

Boston 2^nd XV 5 Scunthorpe 4^th XV 7

In what can only be described as scrappy contest, the best moments of the match was contained in a 10-minute spell in the first half, when both teams scored. It was fly half John MacPherson who registered the points for the blue and whites, from a typical solo break. This weekend 9March 10), the seconds play East Leake seconds away.

March 31 round-up:

University of Derby 30, Boston 1st XV 18

March 24 round-up:

University of Derby 30, Boston 1^st XV 18