The Robb College casualty ward is getting fuller by the day.
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If losing on the bell to Guyra on Saturday wasn’t bad enough, the students also lost both breakaways and their inside centre to injuries in the opening half, joining a host of other first graders currently battling ailments.
Guyra’s Beau Orchard nailed a penalty from the sideline on full time to beat Robb 25-22 at Bellevue Oval, but Robb coach Sam Ditchfield said his side was lucky to even be in the contest after the opening 20 minutes.
“We didn’t get into the game early enough,” Ditchfield said.
“We lost a breakaway and inside centre early on and lost our other breakaway a bit later.
“We play Guyra again and lose three players.”
Guyra opened the scoring with a break through the middle to lead 7-nil.
Robb’s David James booted a penalty shortly after, but that would be the only points the students would score in the opening half as Guyra raced to a 19-3 lead at the break.
A Guyra penalty extended the lead to 22-3 immediately after half time.
But against the run of play Robb fought back.
Three unanswered tries had the scores locked at 22-all with 10 minutes to play.
With the full time bell about to ring, Guyra were awarded a penalty for a Robb tackler not rolling away on the left touch line.
Orchard’s kick was hit low and to the left and Robb thought they had escaped with a draw, but the ball swung back at the last minute to scrape inside the upright and give Guyra a memorable win.
“We gave them too much start,” Ditchfield said. Robb must recover quickly from the loss to take on minor premiership certainties the Armidale Blues tomorrow at Bellevue Oval.
The Blues are 27 points clear of second placed Robb and while students can’t catch the Blues for the minor premiership, they know they will have to beat them at some stage this year to claim the major premiership.
“It’s a game we’d like to win,” Ditchfield said. “We need to start building our structures against them.”
The two sides have met twice this season, in the opening round and at the end of university holidays, with the Blues claiming honours both times.
In the other match of the round, St Albert’s and Barbarians will face-off for the second time in as many weeks at Alcatraz Rugby Park.
