Head Coach Alex Grove blamed poor decision making for Bournville’ 62-57 defeat by Cinderford at Avery Fields.
A last minute try from James Weaver allowed Bourns to salvage a second bonus point from the match but Grove told his players that he felt that it was three points lost as a consequence of conceding important territory earlier in the match.
“Give where we were at some stages of the game we are obviously pleased to get points out of it,” Grove said.
“But I was very clear to the players that it’s three points lost not two points gained.
“We have got to understand that our decisions have consequences on the field. We made some really poor decisions that cost us penalties, penalties cost us field position and field position cost us points.
“We scored 57 points. There’s no doubt that we can score points but we just don’t respect field position enough and understand that if I do something silly around half-way the likelihood is we will be defending a maul five metres from our line. We have got to join those two up.
“There were a couple of high tackle penalties which there probably always will be at this level given the directives. Those are the penalties that we can train because the reason we are going high is because we don’t have enough time to adjust in the contact area. The reason we don’t have much time is because their ball is getting faster and faster because we are not dealing with it earlier in that passage of play.
“If you stop someone and don’t soak up a tackle in the first two phases the opposition’s momentum doesn’t build and build. If you soak up it does, it gets faster and faster and when it becomes really quick in those wider channels it’s hard to make good, legal stopping tackles.
“It’s just super frustrating. The positives are that we have got a team that can score points and they won’t give up.
“Their work-rate is never questioned, it certainly wasn’t today. But they don’t have to work so hard. They could have worked less hard and achieved five points today if we were a bit smarter.”
Weaver’s late try proved to be the memorable moment for Bourns with the experienced front-row forward returning to first team action as a second-half replacement having retired 18 months ago to take up a coaching role with the Blues.
“I think Eddie Jones would call him a finisher. I can think of other words to describe him,” Grove said.
“We needed a bit of cover in the front row department and Weaves stepped in. He has trained hard and he actually looks fitter than he did two seasons ago.
“It was nice for him because his lad was here watching him with the minis and juniors so to score with the last play in front of the clubhouse and secure a losing bonus point was a nice way for him to sign off.”
