Western Counties North

Cirencester 3

Stroud 56

CIRENCESTER'S survival in the Western Counties North was put back in jeopardy with a comprehensive home defeat to local rivals Stroud on Saturday.

Ciren failed to build on a committed win at Cheltenham the week before when they became the first team to beat the Tigers at home this season.

Back in October, Stroud had won the reverse fixture 37-10 which kick-started their season, moving up the table on the back of a string of competitive displays.

They completed the double over Cirencester on Saturday in even more emphatic style.

The conditions on the day were fine and dry and the game started with a lot of errors, and an early penalty to Stroud.

Ciren were enjoying a lot of good field position but time and again they coughed the ball up, with the Stroud backline taking advantage almost at will.

The big, pacy Stroud backs all knew how to finish – even when given only half a chance.

Once the first try was scored by Stroud this set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.

Ciren huffed and puffed but could not cope with the pace and power of the Fromehall Park side.

Ciren did better at the set piece where they held their own at the scrum, and dominated the line-out.

Stroud continued to build on the early tries throughout the game, passing the 50-point mark late on in the second half.

The Whiteway side remain rooted in the bottom three and have still to play both Avon and Whitehall who are below them as well as Wells, who sit two places above them.

These are must-win games with the overall target of four wins to ensure survival. Improvement must be made to ensure the targets are met.

Cirencester have a fixture break this weekend before travelling to Chew Valley on March 4.