Rams Hold Nerve in Tight Homecoming Victory Over Blues

In a back-and-forth contest, the Woden Valley Rams defeated the competition-leading Queanbeyan Blues 16-10.

This Saturday afternoon clash saw the sixth-placed Woden Valley Rams defending their home turf against the top-of-the-ladder Queanbeyan Blues at Phillip Oval.

While the first few minutes were laden with hard hit-ups and completed sets, it’s the Blues who have the first shot at the line nine minutes in, but a double movement keeps them scoreless.

The game saw chances at both ends in quick succession, and it’s the Rams who have the next shot scoring, but a knock-on over the line keeps the scores locked at nil-all.

It is the Rams who score first in the 18th minute after winger and rugby union convert Tomasi Bikaca breaks a tackle off a pass from halfback Josh Fattore and grounds it in the right corner. A missed conversion puts the Rams ahead 4-0.

Firing back, Blues fullback Troy Codey crossed the line in the 17th minute, splitting the Rams’ right edge. A successful conversion from centre Jamie Mazzarol-Kotz puts the Blues ahead 6-4. 

Following Codey’s try, the Blues found their footing and shifted into high gear, launching several high impact runs at the line before Blues’ prop Allan Wratten caught the Rams’ defence asleep and it looked like he crashed over under the sticks with four minutes left in the half. But the touch judge found that Wratten had lost the footy over the line and the try was disallowed.

With plenty of footy left in this game, the half time siren will see the Blues hit the sheds with a two-point lead over the Rams.

The first points of the half are picked up by the Rams as centre Chevi Ellis chased down a grubber kick over the line and dived over a Blues defender to ground the ball ten minutes into the half. Fattore nailed the kick from 12 metres out to put the Rams back in front 10-6.

In the proceeding four minutes, the Blues dropped the ball in two consecutive attacking sets, not making the Rams defence work hard to prevent rebound tries.

Back up on the Blues try-line, Ram’s prop Jesse Martin made a good run out of dummy half in the 56th minute, shifting it to Chevi Ellis and onto winger Joe Sale who made a fierce dive for the corner but spilled the ball over the line.

In the 60th minute, Centre Bailey Nash found Bikaca on his outside who dove into the right corner for his double, directly in-front of the grandstand and is met with screams from the Rams’ fans. A kick across the face of the goals will push the score out to 14-6 to the Rams.

Hitting right back, Blues five-eight Connor Williams took possession off a high kick deep in Rams’ territory and skimmed along the left touch line to put the Blues within reach. The conversion went high but ultimately faded out to the right, setting the scores to 14-10.

The Blues spent the next ten minutes throwing set after set at the Rams’ try-line, aided by ill-discipline from the Rams, but were ultimately held out by desperate goal-line defence. 

Despite several opportunities to level the scores, the Blues couldn’t break through the Rams’ resilient defence, as Woden celebrated a gritty 16-10 victory in their return to Phillip Oval.