Confidence booster ahead of Moseley's mission

Moseley 51 Sedgley Tigers 17 This convincing victory is worth so much more to Moseley’s cause than just five points, coming as it does as the calm before the storm. It was after all a match that represented the last outpost of sanity before their season enters the Land of the Bizarre. Anything other than a hugely cathartic win would have been massively damaging.

With that in mind, therefore, this was a performance that will imbue Moseley with belief and remind them that they can play decent attacking rugby. That is to say nothing of the fact Coventry did them no favours against relegation rivals Rotherham a few miles down the road.

Next up is the two games in one, a league and National Trophy double header, against Exeter Chiefs. After that they’ll either be pondering a first appearance at Twickenham in a generation or a relegation dogfight requiring pathological hyperactivity.

Thankfully they can contemplate, if they dare, such matters knowing they have not lost all their momentum.

Where Ian Smith’s men managed seven tries when they visited Sedgley in November, they produced eight on Saturday and while they burst out of the blocks at Park Lane with four in the first ten minutes, it took nearly a half for them to get into their running this time.

But once in stride they left the lowly Mancunians in their wake and in doing so lapped their opponents in terms of league points.

In two matches against Tim Fourie’s side, Mose have scored 95 and conceded 34, proof that they are some way ahead of the division’s bottom four.

But it is against teams belonging to the next quartet – including Esher, Rotherham and Coventry – against whom they must make some headway. Not that their supremacy over the Tigers was always apparent. Even though they scored what should have been a settling try in the seventh minute, through Nathan Bressington, this was the edgy Moseley of last weekend.

Tristan Roberts continued to make breaks but miss touches, their forward continued to spoil attacking positions and their discipline fell some way short of monastic.

Had the normally reliable Phil Jones not missed his first four kicks the hosts would have trailed at the break.

Click here for more on this story.