Bury V Eagle

Fresh from their opening day victory, Bury faced a tough test as they entertained Eagle at Radcliffe Road this week. Eagle had been relegated from the league above last year and has provided stern and physical encouters in the past. The conditions were changeable throughout the warm up and the game which in itself provided a challenge to the young Rams side.
The Rams made a lightening start to the game, Eagle kicked off and with their first passage of phase play Bury moved up the pitch with pace, offloading out of tackles. They caught Eagle napping and instantly opened their account, fullback Will Smith finishing off an excellent move to score under the posts which was easily converted.
Eagle were not going to lie down however and established themselves in the game quickly. Bury found themselves defending for large parts of the first half making tackle after tackle but showing some real heart.
It was right at the end of the first half where the Bury defence was finally breached though. Good work down the Eagle left had forced a number of scrums in the Bury 22, and when the ball was spun out Bury seemed to stop for a fraction of a second allowing Eagle to touch down under the posts to bring the game level at half time. This was no less than their pressure had deserved.
Bury freshened their pack at half time, losing Jonny Foster to injury, and came out with renewed vigour. They struggled to get their patterns going however and found themselves on the back foot again. This was energy sapping but bury seemed to cope well.
The rams could not get their set piece to function well and this was putting them under immense pressure. Leading to Eagle winning a penalty which looked kickable. The home side escaped this scare and not long after won a penalty of their own. Adam Heath lined this up and slotted over to take the lead.
The game degenerated into a scrappy affair, and when Eagle went down to 14 men following a red card bury were handed the advantage. It was almost the last play of the game when this would be realised though. Quick thinking by scrum half Dan Palmieri saw him tap and go 5 metres out, and when he was illegally stopped in the process of scoring the try the referee awarded a penalty try. The game finished 17-7.
All three Bury senior sides had found a way to win this weekend beating tough opposition. The first team travel to Ashton next weekend in an attempt to make it three in a row.