Saints started brightly enough against Waterloo and were able to impose themselves physically on the away side.
At the 10 minute mark, the Waterloo scrum stood up under pressure, Saints opted for an easy pen and the scoreboard had its first 3 points.
For the next 17 minutes, both teams worked hard in and out of possession and on 27 mins Joel Ashton finished a very good move to tuck in at the corner for the first of his 3 tries on the day 8-0.
Saints were now controlling the game with excellent lineout ball and retention at the breakdown.
Inevitably on 36 mins Fred Clark got on the end of a pick and go within the 5 metre line to cross and take the half time score to 13-0.
The next try was going to prove crucial to the result of this game and following an excellent break in midfield by Dai Morley, an overlap was built to allow Joel Ashton to cross for his second, 18-0.
Jack Sanders latched onto a miss pass, linked with Will Grabe who took the ball into Waterloo’s red zone before offloading to Joel to complete his hattrick 23-0 and a bonus point.
At this point, Saints were playing some of their best rugby this season but the away side weren’t lying down. Their dangerous back three were menacing all day and on 63 and 66 minutes they scored two good tries to get right back into the match and take the score to 23-14.
Saints were down a man to the sin bin and needed to gather their thoughts and remain focused and patient. Once again the lineout was impeccable and supplied an excellent platform for the midfield to batter away at their opponents.
The last eight minutes of the game were played in the Waterloo 22 as penalty after penalty was kicked into the corner for a catch and drive. Waterloo managed to hold out, but in the 80th minute, it was inevitable and a final catch and drive for the line saw Dan Salisbury crash over to make the final score 28-14 in favour of Saints.
Next up Saints welcome Winnington Park before travelling to Glossop. With six games left and four of them at home, Saints need to stay on track if they are to realise their ambition of playing at the highest level in the club’s history.
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/- | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anselmians | 16 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 571 | 219 | 352 | 14 | 2 | 72 |
| 2 | Bowdon | 16 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 546 | 366 | 180 | 12 | 0 | 64 |
| 3 | Rochdale | 16 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 461 | 271 | 190 | 11 | 3 | 62 |
| 4 | Birkenhead Park | 15 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 505 | 300 | 205 | 10 | 2 | 56 |
| 5 | Firwood Waterloo | 16 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 453 | 341 | 112 | 9 | 3 | 52 |
| 6 | Glossop | 15 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 355 | 400 | -45 | 5 | 3 | 36 |
| 7 | Altrincham Kersal | 15 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 324 | 347 | -23 | 8 | 4 | 36 |
| 8 | Vale of Lune | 15 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 309 | 406 | -97 | 5 | 1 | 34 |
| 9 | Winnington Park | 16 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 369 | 556 | -187 | 4 | 4 | 24 |
| 10 | Douglas (I.O.M.) | 17 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 307 | 501 | -194 | 3 | 3 | 22 |
| 11 | Wilmslow | 15 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 253 | 464 | -211 | 2 | 1 | 15 |
| 12 | Broughton Park | 14 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 230 | 512 | -282 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
Anselmians
15 Adam Bramhall
14 Joel Ashton
13 Callum Bennett
12 Ransford Otutaha
11 Joseph Spencer
10 David Morley
9 Liam Sadler
1 Kostja Vezanovs
2 Daniel Salisbury
3 Derek Salisbury
4 Jack Richards
5 Fred Clark
6 Jack Sanders
7 Samuel Gregory
8 William Grabe
Anselmians Subs
S1 Thomas Gilbert
S2 Robert O’Donnell
S3 William Sass
Firwood Waterloo
15 Jago Ford
14 Owen Davies
13 Jonathan Roberts
12 Jack Weare
11 Joseph Stuart
10 James Ratcliffe
9 Luke Clifford
1 Alexander Smith
2 Lloyd Davies
3 Kurt Riley
4 Matthew Tindall
5 Yousef Edris
6 Robert Edginton
7 Alexander Tenev
8 Joshua Critchley
Firwood Waterloo Subs
S1 Cameron Railton
S2 Matthew Samuels
S3 Connor Wolfenden
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