Once again the usual struggle for a side and being let down at the last minute by players caused personal heartache to manager Paul Harris as all he wants is for the best players available to turn out for him. But in the end Burton arrived at Newcastle with fifteen players thanks to Harris’s unselfish actions of playing at full back. Burton started the match looking the better of the two sides but after only five minutes lost the services of Adam Bidhendy with a suspected broken collar bone to add to the Burton club’s ever increasing injury list.

In the true spirit of the game Newcastle loaned Burton one of their substitutes to let the game continue on even terms. But Harris repaid this favour by opening the scoring for Burton with a well-struck penalty goal from thirty metres out. From the restart Burton pushed towards the home line and quick ball to Ben Peach saw him feed Sean Green who made twenty metres before slipping the ball to the supporting Harris who scored in the corner. Newcastle found it hard to break the Burton defence and with Burton’s forwards driving up the field Green took the ball to beat two men and score another try just before half time to give Burton a 13-0 lead.

During the break Peach had to be replaced by yet another Newcastle player due to injury, but the second half started well for Burton as Green stole a lineout and saw the ball spun out to Karl English on the wing to race in from twenty metres out. English added a second try to his total as he powered over the line for a try but thinking the post was a player he drove at it and only just managed to ground the ball as the post stopped him in his tracks.

Newcastle came back with a try of their own due to some over elaboration in the Burton backs. Then Burton’s forwards had the last say as they powered forward before Scott Waddell spun off and drove over from 10 metres out for a final try in this excellent 28-5 victory.