Bedford Blues eventually picked up maximum points on Boxing Day at Goldington Road, scoring five tries in beating a resilient Richmond 33-10 in round 12 of Champ Rugby.
Second half scores from Nicholas Finch, Dean Adamson, Jonny Weimann and Tom Price added to a first half penalty try as Mike Rayer’s men had to remain patient to win their fourth straight game, in the face of dogged defence from Richmond.
The Blues began – and ended – the day in second place in Champ Rugby thanks in large to last Saturday’s superb victory against Worcester Warriors at Goldington Road, described by some in attendance as, “the Blues’ greatest performance in recent years”.
Read: Stunning Bedford Blues serve up pre-Christmas treat with key win against Worcester
Last season’s National One champions, Richmond are 12th after three league victories this season against Chinnor, Cambridge and Hartpury, but visited Goldington Road off the back of four defeats in a row, and faced the wrath of a sell out crowd of 5,531.
Not that the wrath was felt throughout much of the first quarter as the opening stages were relatively serene.
The Blues’ first real attack off the back of the game’s first penalty was squandered by the otherwise excellent Fred Tuilagi; a consistent theme throughout the first quarter as the visitors kept conceding penalties, although the Blues could not make any of them count.
The encounter’s first score predictably came via the referee’s whistle thanks to a penalty try, with Richmond flanker Donnacha Byrne sin-binned on top; a welcome addition to the scoreboard for the Blues as last week’s first-half fluency had abandoned them.
Richmond’s first venture into Blues territory after 24 minutes ended with an overthrown lineout, as their focus remained on disrupting the Blues at every turn, clearly keen on avoiding the first half romp that the Blues had cast on the Warriors.
It was a job they were largely successful at, as the first penalty of their own wielded a huge cheer from the visiting benches after half an hour, kicking off their best passage of the period, ending with a simple penalty converted by Callum Grieve.
Perhaps the most exciting moment of the half came in the final play, as Bedford were finally able to fashion a Blues-like opening down the right wing, only for captain Alex Day to spill the final pass to leave the scoreboard on 7-3 at the interval.
Blues burst opens gap
The scrappy and fractious nature of the game continued into the opening throws of the second half, as Rory Ward spilled the kick off only for the resulting line out to once again fly over everyone, but it was a second awful line out from the visitors that opened the floodgates.
The ball quickly made its way out right, and while Richmond held up the first score, their soaring penalty count ensured the Blues got a second crack that was eventually bundled over by Nicholas Finch, and with Maisey’s impressive conversion, the Blues led 14-3.
A third try soon followed, with the ball finding its way to the left wing and to Dean Adamson, who had the freedom of Bedford to sprint clear down the wing, diving home to open up an 18-point gap, with the aid of another perfect Maisey conversion.
Richmond hit back as Seb Brownhill scored the visitors’ first try that included multiple phases, plus a yellow card for Lucas Titherington, as the visitors sensed they needed to find an attacking gear, whilst the Blues riposte once again fell short with the try line begging.
Richmond remained in the game at 21-10 heading into the final quarter hour, although a third yellow card of the clash for Miles Wakeling after stopping a promising Bedford move illegally, did little to help their chances.
Homegrown Bedford lads seal the bonus point
Yet still, the Blues could not put the game to bed – and claim their bonus point – as Richmond continued to frustrate, with another final pass from Billy Pasco to Ryan Hutler going astray, with tensions boiling over as a result.
It was left to two former Bedford School students to seal the magical fifth point.
Kayde Sylvester broke through a yellow shirt to escape clear in a central position, and while he couldn’t quite make it to the try line, he was able to throw a simple pass inside to Northampton academy graduate, Jonny Weimann to seal the deal.
Tom Price added the fifth with a minute left on the clock, capping what was at times a dour afternoon of rugby union, although with maximum points secured, few around a packed Goldington Road will care as the Blues continue their excellent unbeaten run.
The 33-10 victory means the Blues will go into 2026 in second place in Champ Rugby after nine wins and a draw from their last ten games, following defeats on the opening two weekends.
The final scoreline was also a touch harsh on a Richmond side who came with a game plan to frustrate, but were unable to hold the Blues at bay for the majority of the 80 minutes.
Elsewhere in the division, Coventry beat still winless Cambridge 33-19 at Ellgia Fields while Nottingham saw off Hartpury 38-24. The rest of Champ Rugby play tomorrow in the traditional Saturday slots.
Bedford Blues are next in action in 2026, hoping to continue their fine run with victory at Chinnor on Saturday 3 January, ahead of a three-week break throughout the majority of the month, before the Blues welcome old foes, Coventry to home turf on 24 January.
