CSU Bathurst produced a season-defining 14-10 win on Saturday night as it defied a hostile territory during Mudgee Wombats’ old boys day.
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The scrappy style played into the Wombats’ hands and with ten minutes to go, the home side held a 10-7 lead before CSU captain Jack Keppel scored the match-winning try.
The win was CSU’s second of the New Holland Agriculture Cup season as it’s made a habit of beating the Batties in 2018, first collecting a win over them in round 2.
The Mustards will draw a stack of positives from the game but nothing stood out more than the grit they showed, finishing the game with no reserves after losing six of their starting 15 players to injury.
The epidemic prompted the injection of coach Luke Kelly who took the jeans off and pulled the boots on with just over ten minutes left.
After a wild 80 minutes, Jack Keppel’s number one take away was simple – the four competition points.
“It was one of those games where it didn’t really matter how we won, as long as we won,” Keppel said.
“We had blokes coming back on after they had been injured. To win that game was pretty damn good.”
A glaring strength CSU has in 2018 is the Jack Keppel to Regan Hughes combination as the rugby league convert is finding his stride in the 15-a-side game.
“He’s a freak,” Keppel said.
“He’s still learning how to play rugby but once he learns, he’s going to be a handful.”
Hughes, who’s playing outside centre for CSU, is loving his transition to rugby so far but has been surprised with how much it’s challenged his fitness.
“It’s a different kind of fitness for me,” Hughes said.
“Every time someone runs the ball, you’ve got to have two or three blokes in there behind him to clean out.
“I have to always be running to get there whereas in league, I can stay out in my line and just play the ball after I run.”
Thankfully for CSU, Keppel doesn’t think any of his side’s injuries are serious and expects the likes of Lachie Robinson, who left during the first half with a knee injury, to be sidelined no longer than one or two weeks.
The win lifts CSU off the bottom of the ladder ahead of its home game in round eight against Dubbo Rhinos.