Bridport suffered their second defeat of the season after a dominant 45-0 display from Puddletown at Greenfields.
Despite a few players being unavailable and some key players carrying knocks from last week, Daggers arrived at Puddletown optimistic to repeat the dominant performance from the previous week against Dorset Dockers.
Puddletown RFC looked idyllic, the weather was fair with a light breeze and the pitch in good condition. There were plenty of supporters from both clubs, anticipating a competitive game.
But for reasons that can’t be explained, Daggers seemed flat from the start. Puddletown’s impressive fly-half was quick to put the inexperienced Daggers’ back three under pressure, with some high and well directed kicks, which resulted in Puddletown gaining territory.
Quick hands and direct running by the Puddletown’s 13 quickly resulted in the first converted try, which was made easier by Daggers’ players falling off tackles and allowing Puddletown to get behind the defence.
Daggers did respond positively, and worked their way into the Puddletown half, but strong defence, which became a characteristic feature of the day, lead to a turnover by Puddletown.
Again, the ball was moved quickly wide and Puddletown scored their second converted try within the first 10 minutes of the game.
Daggers should be commended for their initial resilience and the following 15 minutes put Puddletown under pressure, especially in the scrum where Bridport were dominant on both put-ins.
But despite this, Daggers had possession, and some strong direct running particularly by the continually improving Luke Robertson, but weren’t able to cross the try line. Puddletown’s disciplined and strong tackling defence was a feature of the day and was reflected in the final score line.
It should be mentioned that the female referee, who was being assessed, played her part in allowing the game to flow. She was clear in her instruction and kept discipline when inevitable tempers flared.
Despite Puddletown gaining momentum, the half time score was a respectable 14-0. Both teams had weathered some promising attacks, but the speed of play and the lack of depth in the Daggers squad was starting to show.
Several Daggers replacements were needed at half time, exposing the lack of fitness and experience in the squad.
Sadly, the second half for Daggers was better left forgotten. Puddletown started to dominate in all aspects of the game. Stand out performances from the Puddletown 10, 13 and 15 made for a long afternoon for the Daggers.
Daggers’ heads understandably dropped as the game concluded at 45-0.
There is now a break between fixtures, which will allow Daggers to recover from some injuries and review the positives and negatives from the start of the season.
There have been some strong performances from several players, in particular James Bickley & Louis Cornick who again had excellent performances, despite the final score.
Next up for the Daggers is the visit of Lytchett Minster on Saturday, October 19
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