A PENALTY with the last kick of the game gave Bude victory over Falmouth at the Recreation ground on Saturday, writes James Instance. 

Falmouth had clawed themselves back into the match after conceding two early tries and looked to have secured a third win at home this season before the visitors managed to convert a kick for the first time in the game and snatch victory.

Bude, without a win this season started strongly scoring after only three minutes when Number Eight, Ben Hancock, broke off a scrum beating the back row cover and passing to centre Ryan Butler to score and double their lead to ten points to nil when second row Joe Bennett barged through some weak defence close to a ruck and sprinted to score.

The Eagles responded through a Harvey Penhallurick penalty and after 28 minutes scored a try following a penalty kick to the corner and line out, centre Seb Firth joining the maul to touch down over the line.  

Then began Falmouth’s indiscipline, the referee warning the Eagles for talking back to him and high tackling, two yellow cards shortly followed and the team found themselves defending at the end of the half with thirteen players.

It’s said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, in their last two matches the Eagles have put themselves into match-winning positions only to concede penalties and yellow cards for high tackles.

The new tackling height regulations from the RFU are costing Falmouth, four players have been yellow carded for the offence in the last fortnight, and seven players have visited the sin bin in total.

If the team can’t change their tackling and discipline they can’t expect results to change.

The visitors made the most of their advantage when full-back Will Hockridge scored early in the second period to increase the lead to 15 points to eight before the host finally began to put together phases of rugby, looking comfortably the better team.

Bude conceded territory and penalties as the Eagles took control. Wing Dan Hubble scored for Falmouth to reduce the deficit to two points and shortly after Penhallurick converted another penalty to give the Eagles a 16 points to 15 lead entering the final stages of the match.

With the referee calling the last play of the game and Bude in possession the Eagles just had to see out one phase of play but another high tackle gave Bude the chance to win the game, despite missing all three kicks in the game previously, Olly Denford’s stepped aside to let number 23 Harry Dymond have a go.

This final effort sailed through the posts to give Bude their first win of the season and leave the Eagles rueing their indiscipline.