Jersey Reds v Bedford Blues Saturday 17th December 2022, 2:00pm

Chairman’s Welcome

This game comes in a week where Jersey has experienced unthinkable tragedies. Our thoughts are with all those who have been in anyway impacted. Out of respect and remembrance, we will be holding a minute’s silence before the game.

Our visitors this week are Bedford Blues. We welcome their players, staff, directors and supporters. The Blues are coming off a tough trip to Ealing last week where, despite putting up a feisty showing, they came off second best in a 42 – 17 match. They have won 5 games so far, probably the most notable of which was a 21-41 away to Cornish Pirates back in September. They currently sit fourth on the ladder.

The Reds’ winning streak continued on a tough Friday night last week in Nottingham. The ground was very hard, covered in frost and the temperature dipped to minus 3C! Jersey took a while to settle and realised that this was not a night for running rugby. With the backs having scored all 6 tries the week before against Richmond, it was now the forwards’ time to take the game by the scruff of the neck. Four mauled-tries plus one from the centre later, Jersey ran off with another 5-pointer on the road, making it five-from-five so far this season.

We know very well the kind of rugby Bedford like to play and that always makes for an exciting spectacle.

Here’s to another great game of rugby!

Come on you Reds!

Today's Opposition

Jersey Reds and Bedford Blues are set to lock horns for the 20th time at Stade Santander International as part of a rivalry that stretches back just over 10 years.

The first encounter between the sides took place on the Island in September 2012. The Blues’ squad featured the likes of Phil Boulton, Alex Rae, Ben Gulliver, Paul Tupai, Josh Bassett and Mark Atkinson, with Tupai and Atkinson featuring among the try-scorers (Sacha Harding and a penalty try were the others) in a 19-29 win.

In their first month as a Championship club, the Reds fielded a front row that day of Richard Barrington, Steve Boden and Ben Evans, with others on the team-sheet including Guy Thompson and Michael Le Bourgeois. That man ‘Booj’ – who is now in his second spell with Bedford – slotted two conversions, while Glenn Bryce, Nathan Hannay and Ed Dawson scored the Jersey tries.

The fourth encounter between the sides, staged at Goldington Road on the last day of the 2013/14 season, is perhaps the most fondly-recalled by Reds supporters. Needing a win (and an Ealing defeat to Rotherham) to avoid relegation, the Reds triumped 31-41, and retained their tier-two status.

Among several close encounters over the years were two astonishing games at Goldington Road that featured a combined total of 19 tries: a 39-37 home win, sealed with the last play of the match, in front of a crowd of 4,621 on Boxing Day 2016, and a thrilling 29-33 win for the Reds in February 2018.

After a finishing third in the Championship in two consecutive seasons, the Blues dropped to eighth in the rankings in both the campaigns affected by Covid before improving to fifth in the table for 2021/22. Last season’s encounters with the Reds resulted in home wins: 40-28 at Stade Santander International in September and 28-19 at Goldington Road.

Although this season began with a loss at Coventry on the opening weekend, Blues did find their form with three straight league wins, including a notable victory at the Mennaye, but since then their form has been patchier with an alternating ‘loss-win’ record over the past five Championship outings. Last weekend saw a 42-17 defeat to league leaders Ealing at Vallis Way.

On the 19 previous occasions the Reds and Blues have met, including one British & Irish Cup tie, there have been 11 Jersey victories and eight for Bedford.

While both sides will be endeavouring to focus on the job in hand, they could be forgiven for having half an eye on their next games: Reds facing a summit meeting at Ealing on Christmas Eve – a match set to be streamed live via Championship channels – and Blues looking forward to a local derby against Ampthill on Boxing Day in front of a sell-out crowd of 5,000.