COLCHESTER Rugby Club enhanced their promotion chances with a comfortable seven-try win against a resurgent Leighton Buzzard, writes EDWARD MARRIAGE.

The Blacks stay sixth in London One North despite this emphatic 49-0 victory, but if they win their two games in hand - a more than realistic prospect - they will be up to third and in pole position to go up.

Director of rugby Anthony O’Riordan felt the win was an important stepping stone as the team continue to settle into their new home.

He said: “We’ve probably not really been comfortable here yet because it’s so new.

"We needed that game to help build the mindset of how we play here.”

Buzzard came into the match having won four of the five games they’ve played this year after a dreadful start to the season which saw them bottom at Christmas.

But in steady rain and despite having a stiff breeze at their backs, the visitors were made to toil.

Harry Bureau put Colchester 6-0 up with two penalties, the hosts dominating but failing to convert possession into tries.

As the rain turned to hail the referee asked the captains if they would like to take a pause - but on they played with Buzzard’s lock binned for a shoulder charge.

On the half-hour, Colchester should have scored, Jonah Varela dropping Sam Butler’s pass with the line at his mercy.

No matter - the referee was playing advantage for a high tackle and from the subsequent penalty Colchester opted for a scrum.

Prop James Mitchell - a late replacement for his brother Alex - bundled over from five metres.

It was new dad Mitchell’s first appearance since November but he completed the full 80 minutes as if he had never been away.

Leading 13-0 at the break and with conditions improving, Colchester brought on Connor O’Reilly for Harvey Skinner while Haydn Sykes replaced Oly Pickett.

The hosts pushed the accelerator. On 47 minutes, Harry Pickett scooted over from the base of the scrum for the first of four quick-fire tries.

Sam Butler fed captain Dan Whiteman for a try squeezed into the right corner, while wing Joe Flexman picked up on a Buzzard mistake to run in from 25 metres for the bonus point.

A good break by Whiteman and inch-perfect grubber by Bureau led to O’Reilly scoring number five.

With Alex Gerard on for Whiteman and Oly Pickett replacing brother Harry, Colchester soon had their sixth, Flexman again capitalising on a Buzzard error.

With the visitors long beaten, Alex Burman made it seven with the last move of the match, his second try in two matches.

Flexman was named Whitehall Resources man-of-the-match while the coaches’ award went to scrum-half Dave Tonge, who was impressively busy on his first start.

Colchester go to bottom club Chingford for the first of their re-arranged matches on Saturday.

“If we play like that, next week won’t be an issue,” added O’Riordan.

“We’re in a really good place. Every game is week-by-week now as we try and secure our place in third.”

Colchester: Varela, Flexman, Thomas, Cutbush, Skinner, Bureau, Tonge; McMillan, Butler, Mitchell, Miller, Burman, O Pickett, Whiteman, H Pickett. Replacements: Gerard, Sykes, O’Reilly.