Not having played for over a month, there was an expectation that a little rustiness may be evident, but that was nowhere near the case in the opening exchanges of this match, which proved to be defining for both teams. For Ripon, the challenge of sustaining the momentum they played with in the first quarter, was a big one and whilst succumbing to significant pressure for much of the second half, came good in the end. For the visitors, a heartening display of courage and determination and quite a lot of disappointment that the result didn’t go differently. Leos remain perilously close to the relegation zone despite their valiant efforts and Ripon consolidate their place in the top half of Yorkshire Division Two, despite playing quite poorly overall in comparison to recent performances.

With a decent enough break in the weather and a good home crowd, it was only going to be the heavy ground conditions and the fighting spirit of Leos that could stand in the way of an emphatic Ripon win. Complacency isn’t anywhere near the right word to use to describe the Ripon approach to the game and for those who witnessed the earlier reverse fixture, in which Leos all but destroyed the Ripon pack, there were no misapprehensions as to what may happen on the pitch. Admittedly, the Ripon scrum and line out have moved on in leaps and bounds since the start of the season and the crushing of previously dominant opposition packs, particularly in the scrum, has become commonplace more recently. Thus with a solid platform providing copious amounts of useable possession, it seemed inevitable that Ripon could dominate the game and perhaps come away with a reasonable score and perhaps a bonus point. Not so on two counts. The first was the titanic effort produced by the Leos players; who chased, harassed and attempted to make the most of a back-pedalling scrum and countered wherever possible. Second was the lack of cohesion and continuity shown by the home team. Despite plentiful possession, numerous opportunities to progress as far as scoring were squandered and needless penalties were conceded thus keeping the opposition in the game for lengthy periods, when the result could have been put beyond doubt.

Ripon opened the game by kicking off deeper than expected and forcing the visitors into defensive mode straight away. A clearance kick gave Ripon the opportunity to exploit their line out success and a quick ball set up a chain of events that saw three phases of play built up with pace and accuracy of passing. A cross kick by Tombling on the three-minute mark saw the visitors’ Full Back fumble and Davin Jones hack the loose ball on to open the scoring for Ripon, with his second try of the season. Tombling coolly added the conversion from some forty metres out.

The momentum of the Ripon attack was sustained from the restart, with the home forwards picking and driving into the heart of the visitors’ defence. At eight minutes, in an almost carbon copy of the first score, Ripon drove forwards through three phases and showed great skill in the close order work. Tombling eyed the gap in the defence and measured a chip perfectly into the in goal area, only to be foiled by the Full Back, who made no mistake of the touchdown on this occasion. From the ensuing 22 metre drop out, Leos relieved the pressure and thus commenced a 30-minute period of attrition. Ripon dominated the scrum area and only the efforts of Leos’ outstanding Number 8 gave them any comfort from those torrid exchanges. What then followed, was a period of play in which Ripon failed to make any further seriously threatening inroads, through needless errors, wrong decisions, or stout defence and Leos trying everything to break out. The best part of this period for Ripon was undoubtedly the robust communications and commitment in defence that prevented Leos getting any kind of momentum. Ironically it was also Leos’ defence that prevented Ripon from exploiting their dominance of the set piece.

Clinging on to a 7 – 0 lead and with half time in sight, Ripon’s discipline slipped uncharacteristically and Leos pushed a penalty touch kick deep into home territory. The plan from the following line out was easy to see and with an effective line out catch and drive, Leos established themselves on the score sheet with a try in the corner. The conversion attempt didn’t have the legs and with the clock running down, Ripon were relieved to go into the break with a two-point lead.

The second half was more of the same for much of the time. Both sides attempted to respond positively to the heavy conditions rather than get absorbed in a forward dominated battle. Indeed, for a few minutes the Leos pack consolidated themselves sufficiently to slow down their retreat and launch some serious attacks. Much of the half however was strewn with handling errors caused by the heavy ball and keenness from both sides to do their best. Neither side looked like breaking the deadlock. However, a penalty opportunity was taken by Tombling at 72 minutes, but fell short. That looked like the end of proceedings with neither side looking capable of a dramatic finish.

At this point, with less than two minutes to go, Ripon were gifted with a penalty opportunity, which skipper Newcombe opted for the touch kick. The line out catch saw a succession of drives towards the visitors’ line, only to be repulsed by fanatical defenders. A carry over was deemed as not grounded and a five metre scrum followed. Repeated attacks on the line were attempted by Ripon, but the defence seemingly held well. What happened next was unclear, but a lot of frenetic activity in the Leos’ in goal area and a failed clearance kick, resulted in a touch down for Ripon Scrum Half Jake McRobert. Tombling added the conversion from in front of the posts and with no time left, Ripon ended up two clear scores ahead of the opposition and grateful winners.

Not wishing to detract from another winning performance, Ripon have worked immeasurably over the last three months, to become a confident and competent ball winning team. Using that possession wisely and consistently is the next challenge and sustaining the high levels of commitment from the players in what is becoming a tighter-knit squad, with a real ambition to improve the club’s playing performance.

Next week, Ripon travel for what promises to be an interesting encounter at Knottingley, who are currently struggling to find their usual form. Expecting to be challenged in all departments however, Ripon will need to sharpen up all round if they are to continue with their winning ways. All travelling supporters are welcome for the 2.15 kick off.