NATIONAL TWO: Birmingham & Solihull 24 Tynedale 28
More razzmatazz will be the order of the day as the Bees look to bounce back from this nerve-wracking defeat.
Coach Eugene Martin, in charge of the Sharmans Cross Road side until Russell Earnshaw’s return this week, admitted that his side had put their free-flowing rugby to one side for the game – and paid the price.
Instead of the entertaining slick approach work conjured up by maestros Mark Woodrow and Reece Spee in recent weeks, the Bees opted for a more tactical approach.
We gave the respect they deserved but maybe we should have played in the style we have been playing for the last month or so,” Martin explained.
“We looked to kick them into the corner a little bit more but we didn’t really capitalise apart from the try early on.
“We played at a different tempo and maybe we should have taken that approach from the beginning and gone with our razzamatazz type game. But we didn’t and played a more territorial type game and maybe that starved our forwards of the ball because normally we go from side to side much quicker.
“We looked at their back three and identified that they didn’t have a very good kicking game. But maybe that meant we gave the ball to their forwards to play with while starving our own forwards of the ball.
“We normally go from our own ‘22’ and maybe that’s what we should have done because we have been stretching defensive sides.”
The Bees tactics looked as though they might work when a delightful kick from Woodrow resulted in Tynedale full back Jack Harrison taking the ball into touch under pressure from Cameron Mitchell. A quick line-out ball saw Scott Young find Mitchell and the centre muscled over the line.
Woodrow slotted over a penalty on the half-hour while the visitors went in at the break with a slender lead through a Fraser Shaw try down the wing and a penalty and drop goal from Gavin Beasley.
But without the ball in their hands, the Bees allowed Tynedale to dictate the tempo of the game and they always looked in control.
Rod Petty jinked his way to the line early in the second half and although Woodrow added the conversion and two more penalties it wasn’t enough to stop their visitors from heading home with the win.
Tim Visser, an outside centre on loan from Newcastle Falcons, twice stormed through a flat Bees defence to swing the match in Tynedale’s favour with Beasley making sure of victory with two second half conversions to add to a penalty and drop goal.
The Bees were handed a lifeline five minutes from the end when replacement lock Graeme MacGilchrist had been yellow carded for a professional foul but they could find no way through against a solid pack, led by inspirational skipper Alistair Murray.
Martin added: “We made plenty of line breaks but didn’t finish them off.
“You have to take your hat off to Tynedale because they turned and chased and had a great game – they played very well. They are a tidy side and are fifth for a reason – they play some tidy football.”
Bees: Spee, Hunt, Young, Mitchell, Culpin, Woodrow, Petty (Brown, 56); Long (Davies, 60), Phillips (Preece, 77), Voisey, Pammenter, Orgee, Connolly, Clayton (Halavatau, 72), Jenner. Replacement: Tomlinson.
Tynedale: Harrison, Shaw, Visser, Duncan, Hoyle, Beasley, Samson; Southern, Graham, Harden, Gesinde, Andrew Murray (MacGilchrist, 60), Johnson, Rastall (Fieldhouse, 70), Alistair Murray. Replacements: Lavelle, Ingall, Gash.
