Narrabri Rugby Club was victorious in both matches against the visiting Walcha Rams at Dangar Park on Saturday in round 13 of the 2021 Central North Rugby Union season.
Kicking off the day was the second grade match which the Narrabri men won 31-5 in wet and muddy conditions.
Narrabri led 26-0 at half-time after scoring four first half tries to earn a bonus point before the break.
Narrabri Rugby Club’s second XV captain-coach Craig Summers told The Courier that he was particularly pleased to secure that bonus point in round 13.
“Any win’s a good win,” he said.
“We’ve been struggling for bonus points so it was good to get that.
“This is probably the first time we’ve nearly run the same side on two weeks in a row so it’s good to get some stability.”
Summers said that the side’s game plan changed “slightly” due to the wet and muddy conditions.
“You can’t really go wide much when it’s wet like that,” he said.
“We went away from [the game plan] in the centre of the game a little bit but we came out after half-time and got it back together.”
Angus Turner opened the scoring with a fourth-minute try which was converted by Toby Keys to make the score 7-0, which became 12-0 on the 10-minute mark when Summers crossed for the home side’s second.
With 11 minutes left to play in the first 35-minute half, tighthead prop Chris Watkins charged over off the back of a maul which was forced after the side threw in a line out five metres from the tryline.
Keys nailed the conversion to make the score 19-0.
The Blue Boars then secured the bonus point when Nathan Nott dived over two minutes from half time (pictured above) which made the score 26-0 at the break after Keys slotted his third conversion.
That became 31-0 just three minutes after play restarted when Sam Kahl took possession of the ball close to the line and powered his way through several defenders to score the first try of the second stanza.
Narrabri was forced to play the final 10 minutes of the contest with 14 players after Jake Sevil was yellow-carded for an intentional infringement close to his own line and the visitors finally got on the board a minute later when Charlie McLaren scored in the left corner.
Walcha missed the kick and the scoreboard read 31-5 when the full-time siren sounded.
That victory was Narrabri’s fifth on the trot after it started its season with two wins in five games.
The Blue Boars have earned 33 of a possible 35 points in the past seven rounds, 10 of which they secured through byes, which has seen the side climb to third place on the ladder.
They have accumulated 49 points across the first 13 rounds of the season, leaving them just eight adrift of first-placed Inverell which they will welcome to Dangar Park for their next home game in round 15 on Saturday, July 24.
Meanwhile, Moree (48 points) lost against second-placed Pirates (55 points) 15-3 on Saturday in round 13. That saw Narrabri, which entered the weekend in fourth place, swap ladder positions with Moree.
The Blue Boars will take on Moree at home in round 16 before travelling to challenge fifth-placed Gunnedah (44 points) in round 17.
Before they hit that season-defining three-week period, the Blue Boars will travel for one of their longest road trips of the campaign this Saturday when they meet Scone in round 14.
Summers said his team would be preparing for a “niggly, tough forwards game”in that fixture against the Brumbies.
Meanwhile, this weekend will be another on the sidelines for Narrabri Rugby Club’s women’s sevens side. Its next gala day matches will be played in round 15 on Saturday, July 24, in Bingara where it will challenge both Inverell and Barraba Gwydir.
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