More than anyone could have possibly hoped for....
By apb on 6/5/2003
May 6 2003
We all knew this was a must-win game. A tall order indeed, given that - perhaps with the exception of the season opener against Leicester - this was going to be the toughest challenge of the season. Like that season opener, the boys did the business! Let me tell you how it all began....
The game started in a blistering fashion - excellent handling, quick movement, pace, passing - it had it all. This from the "one dimensional" Leeds side that was so frustrating to watch the previous week against Leicester. Lots of good work and pressure on the Gloucester 22 brought a penalty attempt for Leeds from BVS, which was slotted over as befits his normal ruthless efficiency. Gloucester responded from the restart with a good driving maul, forcing an offside against Leeds and Simon Amor kicked to level the score.
Leeds continued with their running game, and were looking increasingly dangerous as the game went on. The moves were mixed up well - a spin wide here, a cross kick for Stanley to chase there always kept the Gloucester defence guessing, and some good follow-ups were always putting the clearances under pressure.
Gloucester weren't to be outdone however, and started to apply some pressure of their own. Stanley's kick after a mark failed to find touch, and the Gloucester backs continued to batter their way into the Leeds defence, only to find themselves kept out by great tackling and anticipation.
Leeds came back up to the Gloucester 22, and won themselves another penalty for offside, which the metronomic BVS put over for a 6-3 lead. Next came an excellent piece of play from the Tykes, with BVS himself (remember him - the slow, defensive inside centre?) spotting the gaps in the defensive line, and setting up Winston Stanley for his first in the corner. The conversion was too much to ask, however, but the score of 11-3 was pretty pleasing to see from the South Stand. Could we hold on to that kind of a lead though, against the champions-elect?
Well, yes! A turn-over in the ruck situation set George Harder on a great run, passing out to Chris Murphy at the outside centre position at this point, and once again, Winston Stanley was on his shoulder to take the scoring pass and dab the ball down over the line, in an almost identical spot to his first. No mistake from BVS for the conversion, and the score became 18-3. It doesn't get any better!
Gloucester pulled their socks up and came back at the Tykes, and won another penalty after BVS was deemed to have dived over in the ruck. Simon Amor did the business, and it was 18-6. Gloucester came back ferociously, and were throwing the ball around the backs with aplomb, leading to nerve wracking gaps in the defensive line. The final act of the first half was a Gloucester sprint into a two-on-one overlap, only for Diego to target his man and bundle him unceremoniously into touch. Diego the try saver once again, and - looking back - this could well have been the moment that won the game for Leeds. Whatever, the teams went back into the tunnel at 18-6.
The second half saw the same frenetic pace as the first, and a minute in, Alan Dickens had a chance for a Tykes try under the posts when sniping around the fringes of the scrummage. He was stopped just short, and his desparate spin wide only found Gloucester arms.
Mr. Fanolua found his way into the sin-bin for a ten minute rest when he was deemed to have made an illegal tackle, but BVS couldn't convert the resultant penalty. It was starting to get nervy now - after all, 18-6 with a full 30 minutes to go, we couldn't afford to miss penalties now! We'd scored our customary two tries, we had to get these three-pointers!
But there was lots of good play going on. The forwards were playing a blinder, with Palmer spoiling at the line-out, Popham, Hyde and Mather making huge inroads at the fringes, and a generally solid scrummage throughout. But Gloucester were ensuring that they kept hold of the ball - while they had it, Leeds would not be able to make use of the man advantage they had. This ploy worked a treat, and Fanolua came on with the only change to the scoreline in Gloucester's favour, with another Simon Amor penalty. This was getting a bit serious now....
...And then it was all all right again! A great tactical kick from Ross put the Gloucester lineout on their own 22, and another excellent bit of spoiling work gave the turnover to Leeds, and Gloucester could do nothing about the rolling maul that pushed relentlessly on all the way to the tryline, with Alix Popham getting the ball down. Another missed kick from BVS left the score at 23-9.
And it got better and better! A mix-up at the base of the scrum allowed Gordon Ross to get straight in, and dashed unopposed under the posts for another score! Our first four-try bonus, and against the League Champions! How good was that?! Even in BVS's unusually poor kicking form, this one couldn't be missed, and the score now went up to 30-9.
Gloucester now had a concentrated spell of posession, and passed the ball along the line and back again while camped on the Leeds 22. Interestingly the ball never made it across the width of the pitch without it hitting the deck - the passes were occasionally inaccurate which allowed Leeds to push Gloucester back. However it was looking inevitable that they would make it pay, and Tom Beim finally went over under the posts for the first Gloucester try. The conversion was unmissable, and so the score ticked on to 30-16.
The same basic pattern continued from the restart, and Gloucester went over once more in the corner, this time from Darren O'Leary dispite the usually gritty defence from the Leeds line. Once again the conversion was made. Surely they couldn't snatch a draw? Things started to look a bit worrying, until a glance at the scoreboard showed that there was no time left - final score 30-23.
Conclusion
In all honesty I was beginning to dispair of the Leeds team as a spectacle. The promise they showed in the first match of the season seemed to ebb away in the winter, and - although mostly efficient at winning, some of the games they played weren't pretty. I could just imagine the Rugby League fans starting to grumble at the lack of running play in the game of Rugby Union. This game, however, restored my confidence that Leeds really can cut it as a running, flowing, quick-handed team that can play any type of game they choose.
While being extremely magnanimous in their defeat, Gloucester fans were very quick to point out that this was not a full-strength side they were fielding. This is undoubtedly true, but neither was the Gloucester team a particularly under-strength one. This win for Leeds wasn't down to a poor Gloucester performance - on the contrary, they showed some real flair and were always menacing when they had the ball. No, this was down to Leeds playing to the immense strengths they have in both forwards and backs, and used the ball intelligently in almost all situations.
It was a great day all round - the result of the Bristol game, announced in the Long Room after the match, received hearty cheers, the sun was shining, the beer was flowing, and Leeds now have a fantastic chance of making the last guaranteed Heineken cup spot.
What a finale for the Headingley season!
Don't forget to get your tickets for the End of Season Awards Dinner, to be held at Headingley on Tuesday 20th May. Tickets are £30, a can be purchsed from the club on 0113 230 4242, or book through the Leeds Tykes Supporters Association, giving your name and contact details.