It was an evenly contested match which quite simply could have gone either way despite the Bulls always being behind on the scoreboard.
The Bulls were put on the back foot very early in the game when loose head prop Periss Wilkins was sent to the sin bin for a professional foul at the breakdown and from the ensuing penalty Old Laurentians took the lead with a well struck penalty.

Being a man down did not deter the Bulls as they grew into the game and a break by scrum half Eddie Phillips almost resulted in a try. His off load to replacement prop Dan Kelcher saw him drive to within just metres of the try line however in their haste to move the ball wide where they outnumbered the defence the ball was knocked on and the home side were able to relieve the pressure.

Another attacking movement by the Bulls resulted in a penalty 30 metres out which Phillips stepped up and slotted between the posts to level the scores.

Although a man down, the Bulls were on the front foot however a crucial turnover of possession allowed the home side to ignite an attack of their own and with a numerical advantage on the left hand side they moved the ball swiftly to their left wing who darted for the corner. A great effort by Bulls wing Miles Johnson to put the player into touch just failed as the Old Laurentians player somehow managed to get the ball down before stepping across the touch line.

As the game entered the second quarter the Bulls attacked from a scrum some 40 metres out which resulted in a fine try to Johnson. Phillips darted down the short side before passing infield to number eight Simon Brand and just as it looked like he would be smothered in a tackle he managed a one handed flick pass to Johnson who rounded his opposite number to score. The unsuccessful conversion attempt left the scores level at 8 all.

This score line only lasted five minutes as the home side put a penalty kick into the corner just some 12 metres from the Banbury line and from the line out they organised themselves well and drove over the line to score. The conversion on this occasion was successful giving Old Laurentians a 7 point lead.

This lead was reduced to just one point before the half time break as two cynical infringements from the home side at the breakdown resulted in two kickable penalties which Phillips duly slotted which saw the teams go into the half time break separated by just one point with the home side leading by 15 points to 14.

The second half could not have started much worse for the Bulls as within 5 minutes of the restart they conceded their third try of the match. A poor kick out of defence allowed the Old Laurentians back line to instigate a counter attack which took them deep into Banbury territory and then a string of penalties allowed them to camp close to the try line but this time any attempt to drive over the line was thwarted by a determined Bulls defence. Not able to find a way through the home side changed tactics and released the ball to their back line and after some weak tackling they managed to cross over to score. The all important conversion attempt was right on target allowing the home side some breathing space at 22 points to 14.

The next half an hour seesawed as both sides tried to open the game up and what resulted was some entertaining rugby but without any points being registered as scrambling defence on both sides soon snuffed out any dangerous attacking play.

With five minutes left in the game and the Bulls desperate to get something out of it they took the game to Old Laurentians and this time were able to hold on to possession for several phases of play which created an overlap on the left which saw wing Carl Daniels step to the outside of his man and race for the line and in a carbon copy of Old Laurentians first try he managed to force the ball over the try line before being bundled into touch. The conversion from wide out was unsuccessful but with four minutes remaining and only three points in it the game was poised on a knife edge.

Fortunately for the home side they were able to hold on during those last four minutes to claim a victory which keeps them in the top half of the table while Banbury still remain one off the bottom.
Bulls coach Grant Holmes was encouraged by the performance of his side, a starting 15 which included five changes from the previous week as injury and unavailability continue to plague his side.

“I thought we gave a really good account of ourselves and for one or two errors on our part we could quite easily have won the game.”

“In the first half we were a bit of a mixed bag as we often showed that when we keep hold of the ball and go through the phases we are a very dangerous side, however too often we let the opposition off the hook by turning the ball over with silly handling errors. Our first up tackling in the opening 40 minutes was also well below par. Missing first up tackles allows the opposition to get in behind your organised defensive line and that puts you under pressure. Fortunately for the most part we were able to scramble well.”

“The second half was better and although there were not many points scored in the half the way both sides played the game made for an exciting 40 minutes. Our ball retention was better but so too was the oppositions defence, but I suppose the most pleasing aspect was that you could see from the touchline the desire and passion from our guys to want to win the game.”

“Being sat in the league position we are currently in does knock your self confidence but I know and I think the guys are starting to realise that we are a side that can be competitive in this league, we need to believe in ourselves a lot more, become a much more committed side and all buy in to what we are trying to achieve as a side. That means working hard and as mentioned making a greater commitment to our cause, not just by fronting up on a Saturday but by attending Tuesday and Thursday evening training sessions so we as a squad of players can move our game on to the next level.”

“We have some very big games coming up over the next couple of weeks with this weekend’s home fixture against Worcester Wanderers being crucial in our quest to ignite our season and move up the league table and the bonus point gained last week away from home will give us confidence going into this Saturday’s match.“