“We owe you one last quality performance” Canterbury skipper Martyn Beaumont told supporters before this final outing of the season and he was as good as his promise.

A commanding second half saw the city club through to a stylish victory which cemented the club’s tenth place finish in National 2 South.

With relegation pressures banished for both sides, the action was full of freedom and adventure and resulted in a game of cracking pace and twelve tries. Barnes played a full part in the opening 40 minutes and led at half time, but it was Canterbury who carried the sharper cutting edge and in the last quarter left the visitors trailing.

The tone was set early on with three tries in the first seven minutes, two of them to the city club. Full back Aiden Moss stepped cleverly through a suspect defence to open the account and Barnes hit back when wing Flyn Sagar’s pace left everyone for dead.

Within a minute a charged down kick opened a 40 metre path for Tom Burns and the big lock had just enough pace to make the line. There was a conversion apiece for Tom Best and visiting full back Tom O’Toole.

The game settled but it was the city club who were on the front foot thanks to a solid set piece and some real purpose in their ball carrying. Twice they were on the point of increasing the lead and twice the final pass went to ground, but constant pressure was eventually rewarded.

Martyn Beaumont exploited the narrowest of gaps to score behind the posts and Best converted. But nothing is ever straightforward with Canterbury.

Their emphasis on all out attack had its downside as over ambitious off-loads and loose work at a couple of rucks coughed up possession and the visitors made the most of their opportunities with well worked tries.

O’Toole, instigator of many good things, scored the first, converted a close range finish by Jamie Collins and, in the last minute of the half industrious flanker Grant Robertson was driven over for a fourth touchdown. That put his side five points ahead..

In an often misfiring season the city club have seen handy leads slip away too often for comfort, but they have displayed a new resilience in these final weeks and it surfaced again as they quickly took control of the second half.

Space was worked for Ollie Best to score three minutes after the break and, sticking to their attacking philosophy, Canterbury hardly looked back as a Barnes defence that became increasingly fragile was breached three more times.

The most eye-catching effort came from Number Eight George Micans who collected a 22 metre drop out and ploughed past four defenders to leave Best an easy conversion.

The last two tries came from the backs, first Guy Hilton wrong footing three men and then leading try scorer Mason Rosvall, on his last appearance for the club, taking a quick free kick before plunging over.

A 17- point lead was never going to be overtaken but in a late, defiant gesture Barnes persistence earned them a penalty try, converted by O’’Toole

 

Canterbury: A.Moss (repl M.Rosvall), H.Sayers (repl G.Hilton), C.Horey, T.Best, O.Best, M.Beaumont (repl H.Sayers), D.Smart, J.Green (repl C.Townley), T.Rogers (repl S.Rogers), R.Cadman (M.Cantwell), T.Burns, M.Cantwell (repl S.Nixon), S.Rogers (repl T.Edwards).