BRAINTREE destroyed their much vaunted visitors with a devastating
display of rugby which most of their followers hailed as their finest
display in recent memory.
Black and Ambers fans aren’t prone to bouts of hyperbole but even the
most grounded Tree devotee will have been hard pressed to recall a more
complete and commanding performance.
And it was fitting that it came on the day when both sets of players
marked the recent and tragically sudden passing of Tree first team
coach Trevor Simon with an emotional minute’s silence.
It all looked so unlikely in the early stages of the game when the
hosts started with their customary malaise and were stunned as Sudbury
kicked off and went straight on the attack.
The contest was only four minutes old when a series of short, sharp
passes put visiting flanker Olly Morgan in for an unconverted try right
of the posts.
Three minutes later Tree were back in it when promising fly-half Owen
Thomas kicked a penalty to record the first three points of a 22-point
individual haul.
And it was Thomas who edged them 6-5 in front on 10 minutes when his
boot punished the Suffolk side after they were penalised for handling
in the ruck.
Tree’s first try of the game came on 25 minutes when the ball was
spread wide from a five-metre scrum deep in Sudbury territory and wing
Nick Ashford scored in the corner.
This time the angle was too acute for Thomas’ conversion attempt but
the Black and Ambers looked good for their 11-5 lead as Sudbury’s
efforts to cross the gain line met with awesome resistance.
So it was no more than the hosts deserved when they extended their
lead on the stroke of half-time following a powerful run by outside
centre Guthrie Holliday.
The impressive South African slipped the ball to flanker Tom Carslake
who crashed over from close range to give his side a 16-5 interval
advantage.
After the break there was only one team in it as Tree sliced through
their shellshocked opponents, whose every attempt to hit back was
stopped in its tracks by superb team defence.
The half was only five minutes old when the hosts won turnover ball
and good work from second row Mark Loftus and inside centre Craig
Willis put Thomas in for a try he converted himself.
Thirteen minutes later Tree went 30-5 ahead when Thomas produced a
superb run before slipping the ball to Willis who scored in the corner,
grabbing the bonus point on offer for four tries.
Thomas converted and the game was over as a contest on 65 minutes when
Holliday came in from the left following good driving play to score
number five, again converted by the stand-off for 37-5.
Four minutes later the rampaging Loftus took the ball at pace from a
line-out to score a sixth before being substituted to rapturous
applause from an appreciative and impressed home crowd.
Prop Jamie Prince capped another inspired display with Tree’s seventh
and final try on 76 minutes, Thomas converting for a 49-5 lead.
Matt Johnston reduced the arrears with a 77th minute try for the
visitors only for Thomas to rub salt in the wounds with a last minute
penalty.
BRUFC Chairman of Selectors Jeff Lewis said: “This was a fantastic
performance and most of those watching couldn’t remember a finer
display from our boys in years.
“Every single man jack produced the goods on the day and it was a
truly all-round team performance which was most satisfying.
“The boys have raised the bar in terms of what they can do but
sustaining this level of skill and commitment will be very challenging.
It’s up to them now to show it wasn’t a flash in the pan.”
Tree, who went into second place behind rivals Saffron Walden as a
result of their endeavours, will be looking for more points on Saturday
when they travel to bottom club Beccles.
A supporters coach will be making the journey up to Suffolk and anyone
wishing to follow the Black and Ambers is most welcome.
BRUFC: Monk, Green, Holliday, Willis, N Ashford, Thomas, Martindale,
Baker, Sewell, Prince, Johnston, Loftus (T Ashford 70), Carslake
(McClements 60), Bentley, Smillie (Dunn 60).

ENDS