Walsall Colts made a better fist of it this week as they lost to an accomplished Derby side, thought their game was still riddled with handling errors and fumbles so uncharacteristic of the earlier part of the season.

Ben Tipson slotted a penalty, the result of strong Walsall pressure early on but the Colts rarely threatend the Derby line after that. The Walsall pack achieved parity around the park and had dominance in the scrum and stole several line outs against waht looked like a bigger pack. A strong plus point to build upon as Walsall take a short breal from rugby before the County league resumes in February.