Derby made 3 changes in the forwards for the visit of Stoke. Mike Johns, Josh Harvey and Tom Antrobus returned to the starting XV.
Derby kicked off, on a lovely day, with the breeze at their backs.
Derby immediately swept forward and Patrick Burke touched down after only 2 minutes. Josh Bingham added the conversion.
6 minutes later, Callum Jones was the try scorer, with Josh Bingham again converting.
Stoke replied with a try of their own, after 10 minutes, but Derby had the 4 try bonus point in the bag 9 minutes later.
Firstly, Tom Antrobus crossed, before McGrath Van Wyk sent Patrick Burke clear, to score his 2nd try of the day. Two Josh Bingham conversions put Derby 28 – 5 ahead.
Derby scored twice more before the break. A Patrick Burke kick allowed Lewis Hancock to score, before a Josh Bingham pass allowed Lewis Hancock to touch down again. 2 Josh Bingham conversions, saw Derby 42 – 5 ahead at the break.
It had been a superb half for Derby with some excellent attacking moves proving too difficult for Stoke to handle.
The second half could not have started any better for Derby. McGrath Van Wyk, Jack Dawson and Patrick Burke all combined to allow Josh Tizard to score his first try of the season.
Stoke replied with 2 tries of their own, to narrow the gap, before Derby struck again, after 62 minutes. Replacement prop, Ryan Cockayne, burst upfield and his offload allowed Jake Roome to cross for a try, which Josh Bingham converted.
Stoke then received a yellow card, but this did not prevent them scoring next, with a converted try.
Derby scored again, after 70 minutes. Josh Tizard chipped through and regathered the ball, He passed to Callum Jones, who sent Sam Tebbs clear to score.
Stoke were the next to cross the try line, with 6 minutes left, but it was Derby who had the final word.
Josh Tizard kicked through and Lewis Hancock collected the ball. He sprinted away to complete his hat trick and score his 7th try of the season. Josh Bingham added the conversion to complete the scoring.
A pulsating game, with 15 tries scored, 10 to Derby! Not a game for the defence coaches but excellent entertainment for the spectators!
The difficult trip to Bridgnorth awaits next week.
Come on Derby!
Report by: R.Bambra
Photos by: Shaun Hardwick, more here
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