Tricky Tykes Tame Toothy Tigers
By Mark Cotton (aged 48 3/4)
October 17 2006
Strange things happen when you get older: Rugby players, like policemen, all seem to get younger. Visiting teams like Sedgley Park, who one would expect to beat easily, put on a fighting performance full of honest endeavour....
... and I know that this is one is hard to believe gentle reader, but there are actually referees out there capable of more mysterious decision-making than Dave P**rs*n! And for those of you that know me you know how difficult I find it to criticise match officials…..
Leeds kicked off and for once made a good start. Hepworth and Rauluni immediately getting stuck in to Vasey’s kick. However the referee started to stamp his mark on the game by awarding the first of many mysterious penalties though the impressive Myall stole the resulting lineout and Tykes cleared their lines. It soon appeared that the ref was going to blow for the slightest reason and on eleven minutes a penalty was awarded to the visitors which fly-half Jones duly converted.
Leeds again started well from the restart, and good follow-up work by the back-row forced a scrum, but the price of oil dropped by a dollar a barrel and the ref awarded ‘Park a free kick. The game ebbed, flowed, and stuttered on, and the referee awarded a bindingly obvious (to him) penalty for some misdemeanor taking place in the Far East. Fortunately Tiger Jones seemed rather embarrassed at the decision and put the kick wide of the post. Park however were starting to put together a very workmanlike display which belying their lowly league position, and on 16 minutes Hall raced in to score on the left with the Leeds defence sucked in. Jones added the conversion to give the visitors a deserved if unexpected 0-10 lead.
Tykes immediately struck back from the restart with Hepworth, a revelation at centre, latching on to a great ball from Oakley following some lovely simple direct play. Hinton converted to bring the score to 7-10. However the try was won at a cost with skipper Rawlinson limping off to be replaced by Nilsen.
On 25 minutes, livewire Richard Welding was sin-binned for wilfully and persistently wearing a Leeds shirt. Sedgely Park took immediate advantage of his absence to score through No.8 Skurr near the foot of the posts. Again, Jones claimed the easy conversion to restore the visitors’ 10 point lead.
31 minutes saw the ref decide to award Leeds a penalty which was kicked to touch, Hepworth collecting the ball from the resulting lineout and making more yards as he had done all afternoon. He was unfairly pulled down by former Tyke Andy Craig, earning the latter a ten minute ‘rest’. Hinton slotted home the penalty to bring Leeds back into the game at 10-17.
For once Leeds seemed to be doing everything right at the restarts and played some magnificent football taking the ball back to the visitor’s 22. Following some magnificent interplay between Hepworth and Welding, Kearnan Myall popped up to score a well-worked and well-deserved try to the right of the posts. Hinton duly converted to level the scores at 17-17.
Leeds kept up the pressure to the end of the half, and only a dropped pass by the unfortunate Tom Rock following another darting Hepworth run prevented the home team going in at half time in the lead.
As I came back to take my place for the start of the second half, I passed a dishevelled and wide-eyed elderly gentleman exiting the South Stand bar muttering incoherently into his pint. I noticed he was wearing an RFU ‘Assessor’ badge on his blazer……
The second half saw Ian Humphreys replacing Richard Vasey, who had played well on his first start; and Jon ‘Fingers’ Dunbar coming on for Richard Bryan. Leeds started brightly again, and took the lead on 43 minutes with a Hinton penalty.
The ball was flowing sweetly along the Tykes back line now, when the ref would allow it that is, and Sedgely Park came under the cosh. A penalty scrum on 53 minutes saw quick service to Richard Welding leading him to score his first try for the club. For once, Hinton’s accuracy deserted him and his conversion drifted wide. 25 –17 to Leeds. At this point Colin Noon was replaced by Tom McGee, Noonie having had a quietly effective hour in the front row.
From the restart, Rauluni gathered the ball and broke through but was called foul by the referee for no apparent reason. Then in an almost Tolkeinesque moment an unearthly rumbling and moaning was heard….it was the North Stand, unable to remain silent any longer against the appalling and inconsistent decision-making of the Bristolian official. Tigers however were unphased by this once in a lifetime event, and were rewarded for their hard work on the hour with a converted penalty. 25 – 20.
It seemed to be a day for surreal decisions. Leeds were awarded a penalty well inside their own half. With the crowd baying for the ball to be kicked to touch Leicester loanee Humphreys inexplicably decided to go for goal. Predictably his kick fell short, not by much mind, and had many of us debating the folly or otherwise of his decision. A confident young man. Leeds pressure led to another penalty three minutes later and this time a conventional Leigh Hinton punt took the score to 28-20.
Leeds kept up this new brand of enterprising fast rugby, and Jonny Hepworth superbly sent Tom Rock flying down the left wing, however desperate ‘Park defending bundled the winger into touch just short of the line.
Despite the wave upon wave of Leeds pressure, time wore on and looked as if the much-needed and expected bonus point was going to evade the hosts. Indeed, the visitors piled on an attack of their own as they sought a losing bonus-point, but a badly-executed chipwas intercepted by Ian Humphreys who made up for his earlier gaffe by sprinting nearly the length of the pitch to touch down for the bonus-winning try. ‘Hawkeye’ Hinton converted the try and Tykes took maximum points by 35-20. Full credit to Sedgley Park, they played manfully, never stopped battling, and could have pushed the Tykes closer had luck gone their way.
Kearnan Myall was judged Man of the Match, and must surely have been push all the way by Jonny Hepworth. However the whole team is beginning to take an exciting shape now. I believe that good days are on the horizon. This weeks plusses: good, safe handling; better kicking from hand; solid lineouts and steadier scrums.
Two tough matches on the trot now….Bedford away next Saturday, and the first of the Yorkshire derbies the following week when the Doncaster Dragons come a-calling. Five wins on the bounce for the Tykes now, let’s hope ‘Lannies Littl’uns’ start attracting the sort of crowd their excitingly evolving brand of rugby deserves.
