Bedford Blues resume battle with local rivals Ampthill on Saturday (10 May) as they keep up the chase to Ealing at the top of the RFU Championship and hoping to entertain an expectant Blues crowd who have enjoyed tries galore in recent weeks.
Mike Rayer’s side have scored twenty-two tries in their last two games – thirteen against Nottingham and a further nine last week against London Scottish – in an encounter that saw Dean Adamson overtake Derek Wyatt as the club’s all-time leading try scorer on 146.
Read: Adamson breaks try record as Bedford Blues trounce London Scottish
Despite the thumping wins, forwards coach Tom Cruse conceded, “We weren’t at our best” in a post-match interview following the Scottish game; perhaps a surprising admission given the Blues are well set in second place behind an Ealing side who are still big favourites for the title.
They host Chinnor in West London, and are expected to take another step towards a third Championship title in four years, but focus for the Blues is in behind them as both Hartpury and Coventry face tough away fixtures at Cornish Pirates and Doncaster Knights respectively.
Every win at this stage then is paramount, and with Ampthill in decent form themselves after four wins in their last six Championship matches – the same record as the Blues – both sides come into this latest derby clash full of confidence.
The re-signings begin
Some focus has also been put on next season as the Blues have started to announce which players are staying on at Goldington Road for the 2025/26 season; a campaign that will include a 14-team Championship that involves both Richmond from National One, and Worcester Warriors.
Read: Bedford Blues to face Worcester Warriors as Championship increases to 14 teams
Three players have been announced as committed to the new season so far, including half back combo, Will Maisey and club captain, Alex Day plus number eight, Fred Tuilagi in a big boost to the solidity of next season’s squad.
More players are sure to be announced as committed to next season in the coming weeks, but contract talks head to the back burner as Rayer and company focus on the Bedfordshire-shaped challenge that await them down the road.
The Blues beat Ampthill 45-24 in the reverse fixture at Goldington Road in January, but Ampthill have been known to cause an upset; their last victory against Bedford was at Goldington Road in April while they enjoyed a lot of victories throughout their early days in the Championship.
Derby fixtures can however be unpredictable, so it’s sure to be another momentous clash with plenty on the line.
Four changes
Rayer has made four changes to the starting line-up that beat Scottish last time out, with all of them coming in the pack.
Joey Conway and Oisin Heffernan resume duties either side of James Fish in the front row; a now familiar rotation despite back-to-back games with the same front three, while there are two additional changes in behind.
Shay Kerry and Alex Woolford pick up the second row jerseys, with Luke Frost dropping back to blindside flanker where Fyn Brown makes way.
There’s also a spot on the bench for former Bedford School student, Aiden Ainsworth-Cave; the England Under-18 international back row is in line for a Blues debut, following in the footsteps of his former classmate, Jonny Weimann who is also part of the Northampton Saints academy.
Ampthill vs Bedford Blues kicks off at 3pm at Olney Field, Ampthill. Tickets can be purchased here.
Bedford Blues Starting XV:
15. Louis James, 14. Alfie Garside, 13. Lucas Titherington, 12. Michael Le Bourgeois, 11. Dean Adamson, 10. Will Maisey, 9. Alex Day (C); 1. Joey Conway, 2. James Fish, 3. Oisin Heffernan, 4. Shay Kerry, 5. Alex Woolford, 6. Luke Frost, 7. Joe Howard, 8. Fred Tuilagi
Bedford Blues Replacements:
16. Tommy Herman, 17. Jamie Jack, 18. Beltus Nonleh, 19. Rory Ward, 20. Aiden Ainsworth-Cave, 21. James Lennon, 22. Matt Worley, 23. Joel Matavesi
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