South flatter to deceive as Derby keep it close.

South entertained Derby at Welford Road for this latest round of N3M games.
Too many personnel and positional changes were evident, while Joe Glover, Andy Harris and Aaron Turner made up the bench.

Derby kicked off on a cold, windy, but bright day and South immediately got into their stride starving the visitors of any possession and territory. Several phases were completed, when, from a ruck, debutant scrum half Luke Currie side stepped his way through the centre of the Derby pack to score the opening try. Mark Lord added the conversion. Within a few minutes the rolling maul made inroads into the Derby defence and captain Luke Coltman was on hand to dive into the left hand corner for South’s second. Lord’s conversion attempt was blown narrowly wide.
Danny Graney added South’s third try with a neat chip and chase after 15 minutes again converted by Lord as South assumed complete control. A nineteen point lead seems to induce a coma into the South collective psyche (memories of Newport at home two seasons ago flash to mind) and back came Derby with an unconverted try by Matt Down in the very right hand corner after some poor home defending.
Will Keeling then provide the best entertainment of the afternoon thus far. Picking a great line off Lord he burned over the line from thirty metres with the visitors defence floundering. The try scoring bonus point for South after only thirty minutes of play. Lord added the extras.
More South slumbers and poor first up tackling in defence enable Derby to strike back just before the interval with a try be Mikey Robinson converted by Down to make the score 26-12 in South’s favour.

More changes to the South line up after the break meant that the game plan and the control shown early in the game went out of the window to be replaced by a disjointed and individual based display. The referee didn’t help as he didn’t control the breakdown well and the game descended into a free for all.
South weren’t able to assert themselves leading to Derby taking the game to the home side and becoming more confident in their own ability as the game went on.
Connor Smith scored a great individual try for South on the hour running in from thirty metres leaving defenders grasping at air. Lord couldn’t add the extras.
Derby came back again with Ryan Manning scoring his sides individual try converted by Down.
In the dying throes of the game South at last re-established some degree of control and Joe Glover burst through to score South’s sixth try converted by Lord to see South home 38-19.

Generally a disappointing display from South in a game they could and should have won more convincingly. All credit to Derby who showed admirable fortitude in making the game close in the second half.
South, however, will have to give a better showing next week at leaders Sutton Coldfield.

Squad: Graney, Cave, Smith, Keeling, Greasley, Lord, Currie, Bale C, Miller, Langan, Ward, Hurst, McNaughton, Coltman ©, Stone, Glover, Harris, Turner.