RUGBY UNION: RUGBY Welsh recorded their fifth home win of the season after comfortably beating a depleted Copsewood side 40-6 in the Midlands 5 West (South).
Both sides deserve credit for ensuring the match took place as Copsewood arrived with only 12 players, but Welsh were keen to play a game and responded by helping to even the numbers up.
The hosts were awarded the league victory and a hard fought friendly fixture took place with the home side coming out on top scoring six tries in the process.
The rearrangement of the sides seemed to affect Welsh more in the early stages and they struggled to get on top of a very hard working experienced Copsewood pack.
Copswood took an early lead with a penalty before Welsh players Adam Bond and Jamie Roche, who had both experienced a plane emergency in Edinburgh the previous day, helped to turn the game around.
Bond took a flat pass in midfield and burst through a gap to race in from 40 metres and then the galloping Roche went through attempted tackles for a try, both of which were converted by Angus Wilson.
Copsewood narrowed the gap with a penalty to leave 14-6 ahead at half time.
The second half saw Welsh immediately increase their lead when the backs counterattacked from long range and Lowe combined with Jack Taylor who scored under the posts for Wilson to convert.
Copsewood kept working hard and they kept Welsh at bay for long periods. Eventually the pressure told and the impressive Roche scored his second try in similar vein to his opening effort, again converted by Wilson.
In the final stages of the game Gareth Hart got on the scoresheet with a well taken try in the corner excellently converted by Wilson and the final play saw Guy Shaw cross for a try following good interlink play between forwards and backs.
This was grassroots rugby at its best with both sides coming together to ensure that everyone had a good afternoon’s entertainment.
