With Robb’s lineup vastly different from the one who took to the field the week before against Albies, they didn’t miss a beat and managed to make the most of Armidale’s errors. 

The Blues hit an early, five point-lead through Richard Cumming but it was short-lived as Robb nailed back-to-back penalty goals to edge ahead 6-5. They then scored two tries within the next ten minutes to round out the first half ahead 18-5.  

It was an unhappy start for the Blues to the second half with error after error landing Robb the first points through a penalty to extend their lead 21-5. A runaway Samson Bai provided a bit of spark for Armidale when he sped 40m to score under the posts and bring the score to 21-12.

Their celebrations were short-lived as more mistakes led to successive Robb tries as they took the points 33-12. 

Coach Sam Ditchfield was pleased his side were able to use their opportunities to put pressure on the opposition and grind out the win. 

“Once we got into the lead we pushed the ball into the corners and played good field position,” he said. 

“We also made the most of our opportunities early on.

“We kicked the penalties rather than going for the line and traded pressure for the points which helped us set the platform with the pressure from the points. 

“All round it was a very good effort.” 

The game was stop-start through plenty of mistakes from each team and Ditchfield believed it was his team’s sore point.