TAMWORTH ground out a 27-10 win over Scone at Tamworth Rugby Park on Saturday to keep their top five ambitions intact.
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It was a welcome return to the winner’s circle for the Magpies, snapping a three-game losing stretch, and was set up in the first half.
They had the better of the play and led 15-10 at the break although they probably should have been in front by more.
The attacking intent was there, just their execution let them down at times.
After an early penalty to Ben Roughley and a couple of opportunities foiled by that last pass, eventually their persistence paid off, with winger Patrick Strong strolling over. Strong shifting to the wing was one of a couple of late changes.
The most notable and biggest surprise was breakdown terrier Harry Veitch wearing 12.
Not that it seemed to diminish his involvement, or affect the Magpies too much, with the backrow one of the cornerstones of the win.
“I think some of the work our loose forwards did early defensively was a big part of it,” Magpies co-coach Mark Daly said.
“Also the consistent pressure we applied to these guys in the first half.”
The Brumbies didn’t make their life any easier with simple mistakes like not kicking their penalties out.
Their kicking in general in the first half was pretty poor.
The Magpies’ second try came from an aimless kick that went straight to Strong.
He then stepped around the first defender and got the Magpies on the front foot.
A couple of phases later McIntosh bumped off a couple of defenders to, with the conversion, make it 15-3 with just over five minutes to go in the first half.
The Brumbies struck back right on half-time, breakaway Paul McTaggart sneaking over with a couple of Magpies defenders on him.
Their attack up until then had been a bit stationary but finally they got players running onto the ball and started to make some inroads.
The second half was more even, the Magpies only kicking away with two tries in the space of five minutes.
Sam Scott crashed over for the first.
Minutes later Veitch played instigator and finisher.
After busting through the Brumbies’ line, he went the underarm flick to Strong and then backed up on the inside to secure the Magpies the bonus point.
Coming off a 52-point thrashing the previous week, Brumbies coach Anthony Kent, while disappointed not to get the result, was reasonably happy with how they played.
“I was very happy with the start. We had a couple of boys playing out of position,” he said.
That try late in the first half gave them a real sniff.
“Our plan in the second half was to build on that,” Kent said.
“We just ran out of steam a bit.”