A local rugby derby erupted into controversy when Crewe & Nantwich RUFC were reduced to just 10-men against Stoke – and still held out to win easily.
The Vagrants side received four yellow cards in a 10-minute period in the second half, leaving them with 11 against Stoke’s 15 players.
But Crewe also fell foul of the rule which states a team must field a full front row.
The hosts were unable to do it during that period, so had to take another player off as penalty.
Incredibly, Crewe held out for those eight or nine minutes and Stoke were unable to score against seven in the scrum and just three backs.
And Crewe even scored when a loose ball in the tackle was picked up by man of the match Toby Ward (pictured) who ran the length of the field to score a try.
Crewe & Nantwich director rugby Andy Brown said: “The decisions, whether justified or not, are immaterial as the referee did Crewe a great favour.
“The final ingredient for this first team which has been built over the last four years was released on Saturday and what a spectacle it provided.
“The steely spine of the team shone through as the “Crewe 10” put on a miraculous display for 8 or 9 minutes defending against a full compliment of 15 Stoke players.
“From my position behind the posts in the Crewe half, the team had to have seven in the scrum and only three backs.
“And the commitment and passion displayed by these men was phenomenal as they repeatedly kept their structure and smashed every Stoke player who could just not take advantage of the situation.
“To a man they stood up and were counted.”
Crewe had started the game well and controlled possession.
From a lineout just outside the Stoke 22, Oli Buckley took a clean catch and the forwards went through two phases before 8 Kirk Robinson smashed through defenders to score a converted try under the posts.
Full-back Ward kicked a penalty, before Stoke edged their way back in with two kicks of their own to trail 10-6 at half-time.
A Crewe attack early in the second half saw the forwards put in a series of pick and drives before captain Niall McGregor offloaded to flanker Josh Collins to score, the try converted by Ward.
Soon after, hooker Eli Woodward made a devastating line break from the Crewe 22 deep into the Stoke half.
The ball went wide quickly along the line to Ward who offloaded inside to winger Joe Gammage to score in the left hand corner.
Stoke charged down a poor kick by Crewe, but the loose ball was picked up by Collins who broke the defensive line and ran 50 metres to score.
Then came the chaotic 10 minutes as Crewe were reduced to 10 men and were pinned in their 22.
Stoke had possession and stormed the Crewe line, but attack after attack was repelled and Crewe’s defensive line remained intact against overwhelming odds.
Then Ward picked up the loose ball and ran 75 metres to score under the posts and converted his own try.
Finally with three minutes remaining, Robinson released Gammage to score the final try in the left hand corner.
Next week the 1st team plays Wilmslow in the Cheshire Vase Final at Winnington Park, kick off 3.30pm.
We would welcome your support and hope that the whole club comes and supports this bank holiday fixture.
Supporters interested in travelling by coach should contact Andy Brown by messenger, text 07519564978 or email [email protected].
Meanwhile, Crewe & Nantwich Colts won their semi Final against Old Aldwinians 22-12 yesterday (March 29).
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