A sublime performance by full back Ruairi Howarth, coupled with a dominant second half showing, helped Team Northumbria M1 to derby day delight, as they dispatched Durham University under the lights of Kingston Park 34-25.
It was a tense opening 40 minutes for TN with Durham, under the guidance of former Newcastle Falcons fly half Tom Catterick, asking plenty of questions after their initial early try.
But just before half time and with the game in the balance, Howarth gambled on an errant pass, leading to an interception try and TN head of Rugby Union Darren Fearn was delighted with his full back’s scintillating display.
“Rozza’s been here for two years now and I thought he was outstanding,” said Fearn.
“He was man of the match by a country mile.
“He’s a really good lad, and a cracking player so I’m really chuffed for him because he works so hard every week.”
And Fearn was also delighted with the plethora of options he has at his disposal - highlighted by the performance of Jake Rodgers, who started at fly-half in place of Josh Bragman, the competition’s leading points scorer.
Under Rodgers, TN looked as confident as ever, and Fearn was proud of the progression Rodgers has made during his short time with the program.
“The thing is with both Jake and Josh, we’re blessed,” said a buoyant Fearn.
“Jake is a talent. When he set up Will’s [Muir] try that was fantastic.
“And what’s even better is he’s only going to get better.
“I can see how much he’s come on in the two months he’s been here which can only be a good thing.
“The best thing I could say about Jake and Josh is that they both just want to learn. As a coach it’s brilliant.
“There were a lot of dogged performances out there.
“It was great to see Yaree [Fantini, returning from England 7’s duty] get back out there and I thought Aedan had a good game too.”
The result sees TN reclaim the top spot of the BUCS Super Rugby table, and Fearn admitted relishing the challenge of playing against a tough Leeds Beckett outfit on Wednesday night.
“We’ve got Leeds Beckett next up,” said Fearn.
“We’re exactly where we need to be after what was a cracking win.
“So we’re going to have to get our heads down and keep working hard against what will be a quality team on Wednesday evening.”
TN kick off at 5:30pm against Leeds Beckett on Wednesday at Kingston Park. For more details visit the Sport Central website.
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