Taunton win a career highlight for Price

Bournville Head Coach Matt Price described his side’s dramatic last-gasp 50-43 victory over Taunton Titans at Avery Fields as “the best feeling that I have had in rugby.”

The players were given a licence to thrill by the coaching team and they delivered by playing a high tempo attacking game for the full 80 minutes with a stunning length of the pitch try from left wing Nathan Decalmer clinching the win with the final play of the match.

Price played at a higher level for Northampton, Bedford, Rugby and Coventry but the manner of Bournville’s win, which snapped a seven match losing streak, provided him with a career highlight.

“I have been involved in games like this before but, as I said to the coaching group, the way we played and the way that we won it is probably the best feeling that I have had in rugby both as a player and as a coach,” Price said.

“All credit goes to the boys. We worked all week on how we wanted to play, our shape and getting into position early. We knew that if we were in position early then we had options on the ball. It was all about getting into position options and being able to play.

“The first three minutes when we scored to go 7-0 up set the tone. All credit goes not just to the starting 15 but to the 20 because the bench impacted.

“We finished the match with a backline with three tens and two nines in it, but they are all good rugby players and they went and played which is what the task was, so all credit to them.

“If the opportunity is there you have got to take it. That’s what rugby is. If you have got an opportunity to attack and go and play then you should take it.

“You have got to trust that boys will be in position like Nathan was in position and Jacob Fewtrell was able to execute it with his kick to him.

“We deserved it and that was the rewarding part of it. We deserved it.”

Although this was very much an outstanding team performance, centre Rob Knox was singled out for particular praise by Price for producing his best performance of the season despite suffering from a sickness bug.

“There were some stand-out performances there. Rob Knox has been ill all week. He was throwing up before the game, during the game and at half-time but his performance was absolutely outstanding We literally maxed him to the hilt,” he said.

“Stef Thorp did 80 minutes. To do that as a tighthead at his age on a 4G pitch was outstanding and James Burgoyne and James Weaver came off the bench and impacted.

“But there were a lot of boys who put in really good performances.”

The bonus point win lifted Bournville a place up the National Two West table and was a reminder of the early-season performances when Bournville looked comfortable in the top six.

“For Taunton defensively to ship 50 points as a top end National Two/National One side is a lot but that is how good we were in attack,” Price said.

“Rob Knox said about six or eight weeks ago that we are very close to putting a lot of points on a team but we have just to work that extra yard.

“I said to them at half-time that to get the result they had to go to the wall and go beyond it. If we did that the rewards would be there and I’m chuffed that we had an opportunity and we executed it so well.

“From one to 20 we were outstanding. We have got to build on it. We cant just sit back and say: ‘that was great’.

“We go to Loughborough on Friday night under the lights with a load of students on the sidelines having a go at us an giving us abuse from the sidelines

“We have got to go there and back it up and that’s the challenge. But that is why we are in the game. We want challenges.”