Liverpool University 19 Congleton 7

SPIRITED EFFORT NOT ENOUGH

This was a match this team were looking to win. However with several changes to the team upsetting the balance of the side the away team just could not get and maintain the required momentum for long enough to come back from conceding 3 stupid tries in the first half. Not to take anything away form the students who fought tooth and nail to keep Congleton from crossing the line, but this was 4 points Congleton should have bagged.
They could not put enough pressure on the University side's key players at 8 and 10 who both got about the park to disrupt most of Congleton's attack. After a number of changes at half time Congleton camped in Liverpool's half, eventually earning themselves a penalty try following a collapsed 5m scrum. They should have built on this but once the home side had worked out the main threats, they closed them down quickly and saw the game out.
There is no getting away from the disappointment the players and coaches felt but this is still a young side growing in maturity and their individual and collective skill levels are improving week by week. A spokesperson for Congleton said "The key today was our decision making and intelligence - we didn't work out their threats quick enough, didn't therefore nullify them and go on to exploit their weaknesses. That said, it was good to see a few injured players returning to the fold so we are still excited about the future and particularly for the home match against Buxton on Saturday which will be tough"