Bedworth 19, Spartans 29.

Spartans were quickest out of the blocks and some good early pressure saw Tom Hardy bag a penalty before a stolen scrum saw Jack Sharpe race in for a slick try. With fifteen minutes on the clock Spartans went further ahead when some nice hands saw young Alex Garbett burn the defence for another try under the posts with Hardy converting for a 17 - 0 lead. As Spartans then decided to take a snooze, Bedworth finally woke up and some typically robust forwards play, well managed by an excellent scrum half, saw them hit back with two forward tries from close range, and at 12 -17 the home support fancied their chances. The remainder of the first half saw a game of chess develop, with Bedworth using their forwards to good effect and Spartans trying to counter through the backs, but no scores were added.

The second half started with something of a stalemate as both sides tested each other but little fluency saw a good examination of the new scrum laws. The deadlock was broken when a swift attack down the left saw Spartans James Gibbons strike for a nice try, and with a bit of a cushion Spartans could be more ambitious. Trying to move the ball Spartans lacked continuity, and Bedworth pressed hard for a reply but were held up short by the determined but sometimes frantic black defence. A good breakout saw Spartans' Matthew Southam run very well from inside his own half to score the bonus point try, but once again the home forwards hit back for a close try to ensure a tense finish. The final quarter saw tempers fray and Bedworth lost players to both yellow and red cards, making Spartans' life a little bit easier but reminding them of what they will face in this tough rugby environment.