Plymouth Albion 54

Moseley 24

Moseley begged the indulgence of the supporters who made the 400-mile round trip to Brickfields by finishing their Championship programme in vaudevillian style.

After all there was something both comic and freakish, both novel and curious in a Moseley performance that helped Plymouth turn a 41-point beating at Esher into an eight-try romp in the space of just seven days.

But then we all should have known there was going to be something knockabout to the afternoon. Once Moseley lanced their final remaining boil by beating London Scottish last weekend many of their players clearly felt their job was done.

It is fair to say training lacked the intensity of a regular play-off week and some Moseley wag was obviously up for a laugh when they sent their team to be printed in the match-day programme in reverse order.

That august publication promised an outing at full back for Marshall Gadd, a run on the wing for Adam Caves, a second row partnership of Billy Robinson and Andy Reay and the wiles of Neil Mason at fly half. Now that I'd pay to see.

It clearly affected the visitors' mindset, either that or even before kick off their attention was already sliding towards the Fun Bus and all the refuelling they'd be doing on the way back up the M5.

It certainly wasn't on shackling the home back row, slowing down their supply of ball or getting their ruck guards into place and as a result when they didn't have the pill Moseley were little short of dismal.

By contrast when they did have possession they gave it a whirl, with Michael Ellery once again eating up the yards on his final appearance for the club. The No. 8 scored one, his ninth of the season, and created another for Michael Maltman.

But it wasn't until the last ten minutes Moseley actually discovered some urgency and when Colin Quigley rode a 76th minute maul over the home line, the Billesley Commoners realised they could nick a try bonus and with it top spot in Pool C.

And when they actually went purposefully about securing it they produced one of their best moves for many a week as Ollie Thomas opened up and then sent Billy Robinson down a left wing corridor for the fourth score.

Other than that it was a pretty disinterested effort. So just how irritated should we be?

The players will argue they had already achieved the necessary, stayed in the Championship with a minimum of fuss and that there was nothing to be gained by putting their bodies on the line in a dead rubber.

Supporters could right argue 'Fifteen quid is fifteen quid, pal.' To be fair they have a right to expect better for their dedication and backing.

However, this was an afternoon when not too many people seemed especially exorcised. As the scoreboard rolled around, attention flitted to and from Richmond where London Scottish and Esher were locked in a death roll.

Moseley's four tries were at least something to take home and this is a group of players who have performed so admirably in the last couple of months they perhaps deserve a free hit. But maybe not four hours from home.

PLYMOUTH: Tuipulotu; Love (Johns 66), Bailey, Armitage (Lee 73), Lewis; Roberts, Rowley; Cowan-Dickie, Vickers (McGregor 66), Morton (Dugard 40), Hotson, Stephen (Lockley 66), Stupple (Hocking), Sprangle, Carpenter. Replacements: Evans

MOSELEY: Thomas; Robinson, Adams, Reay (Brown 28), Hunt (Locock 54); Davies, De La Harpe; Gadd (Fairbrother 52), Caves (ODonnell 68), Quigley, Lyons (Stott 66), Spivey (Sanderson 40), Mason, Maltman, Ellery. Replacement: Taylor

Referee: John Meredith (RFU)