Salisbury Rugby Club defeated Corsham on Saturday, March 1.
On a bright Spring Saturday afternoon at Castle Road, Salisbury delivered a comfortable 40 – 19 win over Corsham in Counties 1 Tribute Southern South. The home side scored six tries and, in so doing, bounced back from a disappointing defeat away to Swanage & Wareham last week.
It was, however, Corsham that looked the sharper, initially scoring the first try on five minutes, the conversion giving them a 0 – 7 lead.
Salisbury responded assertively aided by superiority in the lineout and scrummage. At the 16-minute mark, hooker Gareth Blackborow powered over for the hosts' first try following a well-executed lineout and driving maul. James Cocks added the extras to level the score at 7-7.
Salisbury generated some momentum, using Dan Hammond’s pace to make inroads, Don Porter’s bulk to carry and Cocks’ clever tactical kicking but struggled to convert pressure to points.
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Their second score came on 31 minutes when Blackborow gathered a loose ball after a lineout and charged for the line. Cocks converted for a 14-7 lead.
The lead was extended just before halftime. Second-rower Joe Feest was put into space by Jacques Kinnison after a period of sustained pressure to score the hosts’ third try. Cocks added his third conversion to give Salisbury a 21-7 halftime lead.
Winger Eremasi Ranatora turns on the gas to score Salisbury's sixth and final try (Image: John Palmer) The second half mirrored the first, with Corsham striking early on 50 minutes. An unconverted try reduced the deficit to 21-12.
Salisbury's response was swift; wing Ben Armitage gathered a kick and evaded a number of tackles to initiate a move eventually completed by prop Mike Dauwalder, barging his way over in the 54th minute. This secured the bonus point and a 26-12 lead.
Credit to Corsham, who remained competitive throughout despite being disrupted by numerous injury stoppages.
Lightening quick fly half Harry Beazer frequently exploited Salisbury’s defensive vulnerabilities. The visitors’ efforts were rewarded when they moved the ball quickly from a scrum under pressure for their third try to narrow the gap to 26-19 on 68 minutes.
This ignited a more robust response from Salisbury. After raising the tempo and intensity, Blackborow completed his hat-trick in the 75th minute, and moments later, replacement winger Eremasi Ranatora delighted the crowd when he claimed a loose ball and charged over for the sixth try. Cocks converted to complete scoring at 40-19.
This victory solidifies Salisbury's position in the league. They are firmly fixed in the top third of the table and are likely to remain there with only three fixtures remaining. They will travel to Combe Down in Bath next Saturday.
