Norwich opened the game strong, with a long string of phases; moving it through the forwards and occasionally going wide. Gaining near 30 meters in the process but it ended up with the ball getting knocked on inside the Beccles 22. It didn't take long however for Norwich Union to get their first try and get a 5-0 lead that lasted the majority of the first half.
Much like the opening phases, Norwich were content to keep it tight within the forwards. Gaining ground bit by bit with runners from their strong back row and capitalising on a miss tackle or an overlap out wide.
But towards the end of the half, Beccles managed to start getting confident with ball in hand and within 5 minutes to go, a great scrum enabled Beccles to drive 10 meters and be awarded a penalty try.
Then with the last play of the half, Blair Hannam managed to get an intercept. With 3 players to beat and 30 meters out; he managed some fancy footwork and showed great pace as he managed to round them all for a try. Beccles led 14-5 at halftime.
Despite the lead going into the second half, it had changed very little of Norwich Unions game strategy. They carried on much how they had in the first half, at one point racking up over 30 consecutive phases of play.
Norwich’s formula worked and they managed to grab 2 tries from it, one from a driving maul and another from a dive over the middle of a ruck. This made the score line 19-14 to them as time expired and the final whistle blew.
The game was a great demonstration of why ball retention is so crucial and that even a resilient defence will tire over time. Beccles failed to turn over the ball enough and paid the price for it.
Kauri made 1/1 conversions.
Beccles remain top of the league for Christmas but with three teams breathing down their necks they will have to be on top form in the two remaining games to win the league. Beccles have a few weeks off from league games but are joining in the festivities with multiple games of all ages on Boxing day.