NATIONAL LEAGUE ONE: Moseley 23 Pertemps Bees 11
The difference between those who coach a rugby team and those who follow it were never more pronounced than following Moseley's first competitive win over Pertemps Bees.
While the Red and Black faithful tore the most irksome of monkeys from their backs, rubbed his nose in the dust and celebrated with admirable gusto, the men responsible for coming up with a plan to avoid embarrassment at Franklin's Gardens next week know there is much work to be done.
To be fair to the hosts, they were worthy victors of a pretty low-quality local derby in which handling errors, wrong options and sub-standard passing undermined admirable endeavour on both parts.
Just as they had been in beating Nottingham eight days ago, Moseley were ascendant in the set-pieces and established sufficient territorial supremacy to have won by a much bigger margin.
Not that their status will come down to bonuses this season, as it did last, but this was a ninth point squandered. Ian Smith's men could have sat third in the nascent and relatively meaningless First Division table had they shown a little more composure at crucial junctures.
It will trouble the head coach that they didn't and he promised a repeat would not be forthcoming when he takes his side to face hot favourites Northampton Saints on Saturday.
Yet, as the old adage goes, had they been offered this outcome before kick-off they'd have eaten the donor alive - a maiden victory over those who have lorded it for the last five years was sweet indeed.
It was also confirmation that for this term at least, the two near neighbours will share geography and little else.
While Billesley Common will insulate itself from midwinter struggles with a cosy mid-table position, if you'll pardon the colloquialism Bees look set to freeze their rocks off.
In all but a few instances they failed to impose their forwards on the home octet and wobbled at both scrum and lineout time. They also lacked any sign of possessing a cutting edge in the backs.
Where they were better than against Rotherham seven days previously was in defence. While Moseley didn't ask all the questions they might have for an hour, at least Bees were able to find the answers they needed.
Much of that was down to the introduction of Dave Knight at inside centre. A classic No 12 Knight is not, but a juddering tackler he undoubtedly is and his opposite number, young Jack Adams, will do well to recall one or two lessons administered in the first half in particular.
But after a tight 60 minutes, it was when Knight picked up a knee injury that things began to go wrong.
The 28-year-old hobbled off soon afterwards to join midfield colleague Ashley Maggs in the hutch. The former Bristol three-quarter had not even survived the first half-hour. That exposed their soft underbelly and Adams and Mark Foster, two of Moseley's Gloucester contingent, revelled in their newly-afforded freedom.
All the hosts had to show for their superiority in a dire first period was a 6-5 lead and they lost even that in the 56th minute when Mike Hook kicked a penalty to make it 8-6.
But three minutes later, with Knight in trouble, Adams smashed through the first wave of defenders and broke into the B&S 22 where he released Neil Mason to score under the posts. The skipper's flamboyant dive was motivated as much by relief as jubilation.
Then with Mike Mangeolles, last week's main culprit against the Titans, in the middle, Foster took Matt Williams' pass and sizzled clear to deny Reece Spee a second one-on-one victory. Matthew Jones' conversion made it 23-11 and the result academic.
It had looked anything but until then. Bees actually took the lead as Andy Daish, a prom-ising blindside recruited from London Welsh, claimed his second try in as many games.
Moseley were half asleep when, with three minutes gone, Mark Gabey ignored the attentions of two defenders to off-load for Daish, who slipped through Mark Evans' tackle to dot down by the flag.
Smith's men got on top and spent the rest of the period trying to get behind enemy lines. Instead they had to settle for a penalty from Andy Binns - the highlight of a forgettable day for the veteran - and Jones before the interval.
Hook turned a one-point deficit into a two-point advantage and kept his side in proceed-ings when he responded to Mason's try with a second penalty.
But once the classy Foster built on Jones' second three-pointer with a quarter of an hour to go and made 16-11 into 21-11, the game was up. All that remained was for a stray boot to leave a nasty cut on Mason's head.
It wasn't the only moment of unpleasantness. Jon Higgins' peevish late hit on Jones early on should have been punished with more than a couple of slaps to the cheek, Alex Davidson was fortunate to escape without censure for a dangerous piece of footwork on Foster's crown and one or two of the home crowd were less than respectful when Hook kicked for goal.
Nevertheless, such matches will never be confused with vicarage tea parties and perhaps that's only too right. Now the dust has settled on parochial concerns, attention has turned to next week when Northampton and Plymouth Albion lie in wait, neither of whom will suffer many failings.
MOSELEY: Williams M; Bressington, Binns, Adams, Foster; Jones, Ireland; Williams N, Caves (McMillan 60), Forster, Arnold, Stott, Mason (Atkinson 77), Uzoigwe (Lightowler 60), Evans. Replacement not used: Buxton, Bayliss, Hunter, Winter. BEES: Murchie; Spee, Maggs (Mangeolles 29), Knight D (Griffiths 63), Mitchell; Higgins (Hook 50), Knight P; Long (Wyn Davies 54), Pearl, Bucknall, Gabey (Davidson 40), McComb, Daish, Preece (Matthews 54), Earnshaw. Replacement not used: Osborn Referee: Mr T Wigglesworth (RFU)
