Birmingham & Solihull Bees 12

Rosslyn Park 59

There are times when first minute tries are the product of a lucky bounce or defensive howler, a kind of 'Could happen to anyone', 'Have we started already' moment, that has little relevance to the rest of the match.

There are others that are a rapid sign of the disparity in quality between two teams and proof that one set of players is simply stronger and faster than another. John Rudd's 60-second score was definitely a case of the latter.

This was no flukey ricochet or missed assignment, this was Rosslyn Park knowing where Bees would be weak and going straight for the jugular and by the time Ross Laidlaw had pumped over the conversion - about 90 seconds in - it was abundantly clear this would be a long afternoon for the hosts.

And so it turned out. Rosslyn were faster and stronger, they ran from deeper - not difficult - and did so with the effectiveness of a well-oiled machine. Eugene Martin described them as relentless and it was impossible to disagree.

The backs coach also went on to suggest Bees' fate would be decided by what they do against the teams at their end of the food-chain and not in matches against Fylde, Ealing and Rosslyn Park.

Which is just as well really and perhaps against sides like Blaydon, Wharfedale and Cinderford they will find a more favourable match up because when it comes to stopping players like Rudd, Dom Shabbo, Fylde's Ollie Brennand and Trailfinders' Phil Chesters they just don't have what it takes.

And for all the talk about National One being a tight division and of any team being able to beat any other, it appears as though the cream are rising and whatever it is that falls, is falling. Sediment, perhaps.

That is not to say Bees didn't fight. They may have leaked nine tries but this was no capitulation and in Mark Hopley and Rob Connolly they had two leaders who utterly outplayed their opposite numbers.

Indeed most of the forwards were at least equal to, or indeed better than, their Rosslyn Park counterparts but when the comparison extended to numbers nine through 15, the contrast was not flattering.

Behind the scrum Bees could not hold a candle to their guests on the basis that they simply couldn't catch them to try.

When Bees missed a tackle Park made them pay, when the roles were reversed, however, the hosts made a few yards but were soon reined in. In short they lacked a knockout punch.

Even when they did score, which Hopley and Matt Reeves managed, it was more of a haymaker than a clinical combination.

The only fortunate thing is that Bees won't have to play Fylde and Rosslyn Park every week. Beat the sides around them and they can still escape the bottom three and maybe then it'll be them scoring first minute tries.

BEES: Nanci; Lowden (Ford 58), White, Ford, Pons; Hawkes, Stajka; Tau (Long 40), McMillan, Darkintis (Padian 80), Quarrie, Todd (Gregg 66), Connolly, Reeves (Webster 68), Hopley

ROSSLYN PARK: Edwards; Unsell, Shabbo (Mantella 66), Lewis, Rudd; Laidlaw, Barr (Baxter 64); Ovens, Gotting, Ward (Huggett 64), Lloyd-Jones, Anderson, Trayfoot (Campbell 50), Barrett (Huggett 35-45), Lock. Replacement: Richmond