The All Blacks narrowly went down to defeat in south Manchester at Old Bedians on Saturday.
With the hosting side hot on the heels of Colne and Nelson in the league, both teams had everything to play for.
Bedians opted to kick and applied some good plays of rugby against the Colne defence, who seemed to have a bit of a shaky start, but good defending kept the home side away from the try line.
Colne fell behind to a penalty kick just a few minutes later, however, and this seemed to set the precedent for the game as the home side found it hard to break through the All Blacks’ defence.
Colne shot themselves in the foot with yet more penalties, and the Bedians kicker was on form.
The Colne pack were dominant in the scrum and managed to get a penalty just five yards out, which was opted to scrum again, with the locals driving over line only to penalised by the referee.
Colne did hit back and close the gap with a Jordan Sunderland try following some excellent forward work.
The home side’s pick and driving was in good form and gained ground at every opportunity, but the Colne defence was strong all game.
Bedians managed to keep the score ticking over with their penalty kicks, leaving Colne constantly playing catch up.
Colne added pressure and gained ground upfield, using the forwards to pressurise the home defence, and the All Blacks had the opportunity to punch holes in the defence but mistakes at crucial times sent them backwards .
As always, the All Blacks never gave up as they narrowed the gap to just a few points with a couple of penalty kicks slotted over by Callum Kinnane.
Colne were having a good portion of the possession, but Bedians were not letting go easily and put in some excellent work defensively and managed to hold Colne off.
With the clock ticking down, Bedians manage to slot over another penalty to leave Colne needing a converted try to tie the game. Colne pushed hard but the try never came and the game finished 18-11.
Colne have a rest this weekend but are back in action the week after at Holt House against Newton Le Willows.
Colne are really progressing with a young side and have a well-established second team as well as a senior colts side.
Anybody wishing to play rugby can contact the club on 07590818341.