Bolton’s 1st XV travelled over to Liverpool this weekend to take on Liverpool Collegiate on their pitch. After a disappointing loss to Leigh in strange circumstances last week the boys were looking to bounce back. The weather was strangely mild over in Liverpool with minimal wind and single digit temperatures.
Collegiate got the game underway with a solid kick off received in lots of space by Collegiate’s flanker (and probably best player of the day), he found some open space fielding the ball on the 10 metre line and making headway to just outside Bolton’s 22. Phase after phase Bolton looked flaccid in defence and soon only 2 minutes in, Collegiate made their way over the line to score their first points of the game. The conversion was made by Collegiate 7 - 0 Bolton.
Bolton now kick off the game, carrying on from the same poor effort given in the first 2 minutes with shambolic discipline and defence, this carried on for much of the first 15 minutes as Collegiate racked up 3 tries, 2 conversions and a penalty making the score Collegiate 24 - 0 Bolton.
As much as Bolton weren't living up to being higher in the table then their opponents, Liverpool were playing very well with their 12 controlling field position and stepping in at 10 for one of the tries to set up a very well worked move and put their winger straight through and under the posts. Bolton’s pack looked lost and frazzled with the pace and intensity that the Collegiate pack brought to the game and it was time to step up.
Head Coach and fullback on the day Ross Hayden made 3 changes after Collegiate's 4th try to try and get some more intensity on the field with Landi Mpofu, Matthew Robinson and Louie Ramm coming on the pitch. Bolton, much down to the brilliance of Jack Robinson (scrum half), started to listen to his marching orders and carried with more aggression and guile making headway up the pitch thanks to Dan Aspinall, Paul Leigh and Jonny Wallis. A Penalty was given for a high tackle on Jack, quick thinking and pure acceleration meant Jack, after a quick tap, sailed past the halfway line and got brought down just before the 22. Collegiate then conceded another penalty for slowing the ball down at the ruck, which Jack once again went quick and was tackled by 2 players in offside position stopping a certain try and thus the referee decided a penalty try was worthy. Bolton were still not looking great but it was a step in the right direction.
Bolton fielded this kick off well, unlike the first and soon it was cleared down to inside Collegiate's half. The game soon turned into a battle of field position as Ross and the Collegiate 12 traded kicks. Until Ross decided to step (literally) into his younger self and create some space for 17 year old winger Jacob Collinson, Jacob sailed between 2 forwards like Moses parting the seas, soon he was 1 on 1 with the fullback and despite a great step was dragged down, Bolton's forwards took it from here, taking some hard fought carries and soon Bolton were over for their second try of the day.
Bolton had a new lease of life and were making half breaks and carrying well all over the pitch now, Collegiate’s kicking game seemed to stop working once Ross has found his form
in the game and everything seemed to have flipped on his head as it was all Bolton for the
rest of the first half. Bolton found 2 more tries thanks to some hard carrying from Taff (inside
centre) and Jonny Wallis the captain (7). Jonny got his just rewards with a try just outside the
sticks. The first half ended with a score of 24-19 to Liverpool Collegiate so the comeback
was well and truly on but Bolton would need to start the second half in a much different way
then they started the first.
The game started again after team talks from both teams and Collegiate went back to their
usual kicking game, As I previously mentioned, Ross was fielding these kicks and sending
them back both with his own boot and also running and making people miss all over the
pitch. Liverpool elected to carry on kicking and Bolton’s inside centre Taff caught a high
bomb before making a man miss, looking reasonably quick for once galloping through a gap,
a quick little dummy sent another Collegiate player to the shops, now an easy 2 on 1 with the
full back with Ryan McClusky on his outside Taff did the right thing passing the ball off. Ryan
rolled back the years to his old days of being a winger (now starting prop) and ran the ball in
from around 35 metres out. The conversion was made by Ross and soon the score was in
Bolton's favour making it 24 - 26 to Bolton.
Liverpool Collegiate were not going to let this game creep away, a few minutes after their
kick off they were awarded a penalty and kicked for the corner, some great maul defence
from the Bolton pack thwarted that idea and then Bolton found themselves in the same
position as the first half, on their line defending. Much different this time as the sub Landi
Mpofu and Paul Leigh starting 8 made a great chop tackle centimetres from their own line for
captain Jonny Wallis to pounce on the open ruck and soon Bolton were appointed a penalty
for the Collegiate player holding on. Bolton kicked far down the pitch and then cleared even
further with the clean ball from their lineout. This resulted in the Collegiate winger knocking
the ball on thanks to pressure from Jacob Collinson. Bolton now have a scrum on the 22 and
some solid forward phases get them to about 10 metres from the line before Ross Hayden
decides to throw a wonder ball over 4 players heads and about half of the pitch, nearly
picked off by the Collegiate winger but it was perfectly weighted and Jon Brennen was there
to catch it and dot down for Bolton's 5th try of the game. Also Jon’s first ever Bolton 1st XV
try!
Collegiate suspended their kicking game after falling behind and started to spread the ball
wide only to be met way behind the gameline by Josh Holmes and Henry Davies defending
well and being a nuisance to anything wide. Paul and Jonny end up holding up a Collegiate
carry resulting in a scrum for Bolton. The resulting scrum was lost and with some quick
hands their winger was in space only to trip over his own feet which was fortunate as it
would’ve probably been a certain try with no cover defence. In any case Collegiate still had
the ball and were going through phases well over and over before a forward finding a soft
shoulder in the defensive line, much like the first 15 minutes of the first half, and scoring close
to the corner flag. The resulting kick was made and the score was 31 - 33 to Bolton.
It seemed as if the last 10 minutes of this game could end up being quite cagey. Kicks going
either way before Bolton found themselves in Collegiate’s half, Ross with another miss pass
to Jon and he was piercing the line again, a solid tackle from the Collegiate winger in their 22
but Bolton still had the ball, not for long as Jonny Wallis despite his inspiring performance
made his only mistake of the game probably by knocking on the ball. Collegiate don't clear
very far from the resulting scrum and turnovers either way as the game got quite scrappy.
Landi Mpofu channelled his inner flanker, despite being a prop, found himself over the ball
and won a penalty for Bolton, which Ross slotted through the uprights to give Bolton a bit
more breathing room. 31 - 36 Bolton.
The kick off was fielded well and a couple of carries from Matty Robinson and Dan Aspinall
set Ross up to kick the ball deep into the other half, the ball was spilled by Collegiate's
winger and Josh Holmes was there to pounce, poking the ball through, and regathering to
score the try and effectively putting the game to bed with 2 minutes to play. Murmurs of a
kick from Josh Holmes actually going well for once and how the gods must be favouring
Bolton today soared across the touchline. Ross missed the conversion.
The last 2 minutes were defended very well by Bolton before one of Collegiate's centres decided to try and kick the ball through, the clock was in the red and Ross gathered the ball before running it as close to the sideline and smashing it as far as possible into the estate just next to the pitch. Not cool Ross, totally not cool.
Bolton made an astonishing comeback against a very well drilled Collegiate side, despite a
poor first 15 minutes and it looked like it was going to be a very long day. Bolton rallied and
came back. All three subs were monumental in the comeback well done by Landi Mpofu,
Matty Robinson and Louie Ramm. Ross playing at a level above as usual. But personally my
MOTM would go to Jonny Wallis for leading from the front and playing at a level we haven't
seen from him before.

Final Score: Liverpool Collegiate 31 - 41 Bolton
MOTM: Jonny Wallis