Kick off 7:15pm
1st Team Pitch
Lockwood
Referee – James Bouch
The history of our Aged Grades playing each other tells us that this fixture is always going to be close. The last 3 times we’ve played each other we have just pipped Rish in very hard fought physical tussles, with lots of niggle and plenty of banter – the last time we played (at theirs) we won in the mud by a single try. Rish bring a big pack of forwards and always like to play a narrow game through the middle. It was to prove nothing would be any different this time around.
A good crowd turned out for both sides, and the game moved quickly from the off. We encourage the lads to play a fast running style of rugby which suits our speed and smaller stature. Rish were a significantly bigger side. We got the hop on them and scored what would be a disallowed try after only 3mins, for a knock on over the line, but we could already see that pace was where we were going to beat them. Our defence held solid and although smaller, some crunching hits were put on and many a Rish player was repelled and driven back by our marauding tacklers – right across the pitch.
It didn’t take us long to get control of the game, even though we had not played a competitive game for nigh on 12mths, we looked sharp in places and certainly faster than Rish. After 15 mins we’d run in three tries and we leading the game 17-0, and we could see that Rish’s heads were dropping. With our defence bullying them in the middle it was left to their backs to try and find a way round our better drilled and positioned players. It was not to be. Whether it was our forwards running through the middle and support players always following, or moving the ball wide and simply running round them, Rish were spent by half time – 29-0.
The message at half time was clear; ‘no mercy – do not allow them any way back into the game – more of the same’, and that is precisely what the lads did. To Rish’s credit they came back breathing fire and started the second half in the same way they started the first, hard uncompromising running through the middle, which encountered the same treatment they got from our defence in the first – a brick wall.
It wasn’t long before we got the scoreboard ticking over again and 4 more tries really did finish off a very accomplished performance.
Final score – 53-0
We would usually award a man of the match, but every single player made their contribution and it simply wouldn’t be fair to single out one performance. They were all outstanding to a man.
We now welcome Hull Ionians this Saturday 8 May @ 11am on the 1st Team Pitch again.
Then Harrogate away, as their 1st Team curtain raiser, on Saturday 15 May @ 1pm
Sheffield Tigers away on Saturday 22 May 12:30pm
Closing the season with Scunthorpe on 29 May, venue tbc
We look forward to closing the season on a very positive note, and hope that some of you can come down and support this Saturday.
Tim Scott
Head Coach
U14s HRUFC
