Derby travelled to Bretton Woods to take on injury-ravaged Peterborough Lions. Such were Peterborough Lions’ problems that they didn’t have any replacements.
Derby had problems of their own, with Ethan Pearson suffering an injury in the warm up. Jake Barker and Declan McManus started in the back row, while Jerry Oldfield returned at prop, although he played a fair amount of the game in the back row!
Derby kicked off, but it was Peterborough Lions who dominated the early play, although they were unable to turn their pressure into points.
Derby started to get their hands on the ball and after 19 minutes, they scored the first try of the game. The ball was worked down the line and Lewis Hancock squeezed over in the corner.
Injuries were starting to affect Derby at this point. Winger Will Town departed with a nasty shoulder injury, which necessitated a hospital visit. With Ethan Pearson unable to continue, Judah Simpson came on and back row Jake Barker moved to the wing.
Derby made light of these problems, with another 2 tries before half time.
The first arrived after 23 minutes, when clever interplay between Andy Brown and Louis McGuckian saw the latter go over for his 2nd try of the season. Lewis Hancock converted.
8 minutes before the break, Andy Brown put Lewis Hancock in for his 2nd try of the game and 6th of the season.
This left Derby 17 – 0 up and looking good to keep their 100% away record.
The bonus point try arrived 7 minutes into the 2nd half. Sam Tebbs and Josh Tizard combined at the base of the scrum and Judah Simpson arrived off his wing, at pace, to force his way over. Lewis Hancock converted.
The rest of the game saw Derby dominate for large periods, without turning that domination into points.
Peterborough Lions suffered from the lack of replacements, going down to 14 players on the hour mark and playing the last 6 minutes with 13.
With 3 minutes left, Derby made the numerical advantage count, as Jake Barker scored his 3rd try of the season.
The scoring was completed with a well-deserved Peterborough Lions try, which was converted.
The game ended in unpleasant fashion, with a serious injury to a Peterborough Lions player, which required an ambulance visit.
A satisfactory day for Derby, which sees them back up to 2nd in the league.
The 2nd half of the season starts next week, with the visit of Towcestrians.
Come on Derby !
Report by: R Bambra