Keswick 24 Burnley 10

A full strength Keswick 1st XV travelled to Burnley on Saturday, keen to make up for the previous weekend’s home defeat. They were met by a gently sloping pitch, rain, a difficult wind and sticky conditions underfoot. For those spectators who had travelled it was going to be a wet afternoon that did not promise much in the way of open rugby. However, the hospitality of Burnley RUFC was second to none.
Keswick showed immediate intent from the kick off, forcing Burnley to touch down behind their own goal line in the first play. The subsequent attack from the scrum through the backs kept Burnley on the back foot and after a second scrum a good pass put Muir in for a try that he was unable to convert and Keswick were ahead 5-0 with 5 minutes gone. Good tactical kicking from the backs combined with driving play from the forwards kept Burnley in their own half for the first 20 minutes during which time a penalty kick at goal was missed. Despite difficulties with their line-out Burnley picked up the pace to get into the Keswick half for the first time, where a penalty for a high tackle allowed them to close the gap to 5-3 after 20 minutes.
Keswick responded immediately with good forward play, defended well by Burnley, but the conditions meant potential chances were missed through dropped passes and knock-ons. A good steal by the forwards saw the ball run right to left in the opposition 22 then back right for Weir to cross for another unconverted try, 10-3 after 30 minutes. The Keswick tactic of using the forwards to drive upfield round the fringes before releasing the backs worked well in the conditions, but in a rare foray into the Keswick half Burnley were able to cross for a converted try from a tap penalty just before half-time. An inventive restart saw Keswick stopped tantalisingly short of the line in what was to be the last play of the first half, the 10-10 scoreline perhaps flattering the home team.
The second half resumed with sustained pressure by Keswick which ended when Muir had to leave the field with a head injury. This seemed to galvanise Burnley who managed an impressive forward drive through many phases from within their own 22 to the Keswick goal-line, where they were eventually held up and dispossessed for a clearance kick to relieve the pressure. Then it was Keswick’s turn to go the length of the field without scoring, Ray being bundled into touch just short. Soon afterwards, a line-out steal allowed the backs to run the ball wide before Tait crashed over from a maul for a try converted by Holmes to give Keswick the lead again, 17-10 after 25 minutes of the half. Despite some unusual and unexpected refereeing decisions against them, Keswick continued pressing for a fourth try and the accompanying bonus point, eventually being rewarded after taking a scrum against the head with Tait crossing again, converted by Holmes for a 14 point lead with 5 minutes left. Those 5 minutes saw 2 yellow cards for an off-the-ball incident that didn’t affect the result.
Despite the difficult conditions both teams had put on an impressive performance and it was Keswick’s forward dominance that gave the backs the freedom to run the ball and made the difference. Burnley’s position in the league does not do them justice, they defended well and in attack proved difficult to stop. The result leaves Keswick second in the league, which takes a break next weekend, the next 1st XV fixture being a home game against Eccles on Saturday 21 October.