In what’s been dubbed as one of the closest New England Rugby competitions, Robb College will head in to the final round with all intentions to keep up the form which saw them overcome the Barbarians on Saturday.
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The students out-kicked the Baa Baas at Bellevue to earn the 14-5 win.
Each side scored one try apiece but Robb’s accuracy proved the difference.
“We ground out a good win and got some good field position and managed to maintain good position but equally the game was probably a lot tighter than the score indicates,” coach Sam Ditchfield said.
“It was a good game, it was a tough game of footy.
I don't think there's a lot of difference across the four teams. I think it is very open and it is going be really interesting.
- Sam Ditchfield
“I would quite easily say the conditions well and truly suited Baa Baas better than it suited us but by the same token you still have to turn up and play footy and I honestly don't think if it had been a dry track the score would have been much different.”
He hopes the momentum will continue to favour his side in the pointy end of the season.
“We played footy the last three weeks in a row but prior to that we hadn't played a lot of footy and I think we will get better as we play more footy,” he said.
The coaches across the competition have maintained the belief the winner of any game will be the one who turns up on the day.
Ditchfield said that belief rings truer than ever coming into the finals series.
“You look at the closeness of Armidale and Albies on the weekend and it just proves anyone can win it and it doesn't matter if you finish first or fourth, if you turn up and win your games from here on in you'll win the show,” he said.
“I don't think there's a lot of difference across the four teams. I think it is very open and it is going be really interesting.”
Round 15 will see Robb take on Glen Innes-Guyra who took seven rounds to earn their first win but have posed a threat all year.
“They're a good side, they have a lot of good players and I said after the first time we played them that they will be a force to be reckoned with if they get it together and make the finals,” Ditchfield said.
The college team were missing a host of players against the Barbarians and have added another casualty to the list.
“We have lost Liam Salmon who's been one of our most consistent backs over the last two years, he's out for the season,” Ditchfield said.
“It's from an injury from when we played Glen-Guyra first time around, he dislocated a finger and didn't realise he's broken another finger.
“He had it in a splint for five weeks and it just hasn't healed properly.”