Despite the buoyant feelings after the previous week’s defeat to West Leeds, Ripon succumbed to a fourth loss on the trot as a workmanlike performance from Pontefract put paid to any hopes of an immediate recovery of winning form.

The game in general failed to excite and for long periods, sound defence from both sides snuffed out any glimpses of attacking brilliance. With further personnel and positional changes this week, Ripon again showed the flexibility to put out a decent side, but again, showed a lack of cohesion, communication and effective finishing when it mattered.

A previously dominant Ripon scrum was clamped down on by the visitor’s pack and with a key contributor to first phase possession denied, Ripon were reduced to making plays from back pedalling situations for much of the game. The line out worked well enough and quick ball saw some interesting opportunities emerging, but the killer blow was not to come on so many occasions. Unfortunately for both teams, there was little to be contested at the breakdowns, so little in the way of turnover ball was available to explore chinks in the defences by counter attacking.

Overall, Ripon did well enough in a game that saw no particular domination on either side. The difference between the teams perhaps was the accuracy with the boot, with three missed penalties and one missed conversion, Ripon could easily have been in reach of a precious losing bonus point. Pontefract to their credit, stuck to their guns, with concerted efforts to attack at every opportunity and used their three forward replacements to great effect, by constantly changing their scrummage line up.

On a positive note, Ripon’s first time tackling was vastly improved on recent weeks, with players in all departments showing great commitment to chop down attacks before they gathered momentum. Also the half back partnership of McDaniel and McRobert grew in strength this week. The game however was marred by poor discipline at the breakdown, with many needless penalties arising and critically a lack of commitment at the restart, saw Pontefract exploit the indecision to good effect.

From the initial kick off, the visitors seized on the lack of a call, to take possession and set up camp in the home 22 metre area. Maintaining forward momentum, saw the visitors pack driving perilously close to the home line and on the two-minute mark an off side decision against the Ripon backs, gifted Pontefract with the opening three points.

In an almost carbon copy repeat of the first kick off, Ripon did the same to the visitors and pressed deep into visitor’s territory from their inability to own the catch. An indiscretion by the Pontefract backs then gifted Tombling with his opportunity to open the scoring for Ripon on the eight-minute mark. In a tit for tat encounter, Pontefract did the same again from the next restart and another penalty goal to the visitors on twelve minutes, looked like setting the scene for a high scoring game. Indeed, after a further seven minutes, a ripping break by McDaniel put Tombling into space to present what appeared to be the first try scoring opportunity of the game. Unfortunately, the resulting tackle snuffed out the attack, but an offence by the defenders gave Tombling the chance to level the scores at six all, with another penalty goal.

The next ten minutes saw both sides probing without much success, until at the half hour point, a Ripon line out catch and drive got close to the visitor’s line and interference on the floor by the defence, offered Tombling his third shot at goal, which he narrowly missed. From the drop out restart, Pontefract kicked long and sought positional gain. From a well-executed Ripon line out on their own 22 metre line, Ripon drove well up field, only to have the progress disintegrate and a Pontefract player steal the ball unexpectedly and set up a counter attack. The ball travelled slickly through a few pair of hands before being grounded in the corner, just out of conversion range. Pressing again from the restart, Ripon soon got themselves into another attacking position and another indiscretion at the breakdown by the visitors, saw Tombling offered another penalty shot, which he narrowly pulled wide. Thus the half ended with a creditable score-line of 11 – 16.

Ripon kicked off the second half determined to gather strength in the scrums and use the strike power of Cleary at outside centre and the back three of Buckley, Leeming and Tombling. The perfect opportunity presented itself at seven minutes, when from a penalty touch kick, Ripon caught and drove the line out for some ten metres, before releasing the ball. Euan Findlay, stepping up to play out of position at Inside Centre, crashed through to within five metres of the visitor’s line. Quick recycling from McDaniel to Cleary, saw a perfectly weighted flip on to Buckley, to run in his eleventh try of the season. Too far out for Tombling, the conversion attempt fell short.

The next phase of play saw a Pontefract player yellow carded for persistent offences at the breakdown and despite their inferior numbers, the visitors stepped up a gear to put themselves in a number of scoring positions. A missed penalty attempt at fourteen minutes into the half and then at eighteen minutes an unconverted try, pushed the score-line further in Pontefract’s favour. The last quarter saw a number of attacks from the visitors growing in their effectiveness and a steady decline in Ripon’s composure. A penalty trade off around the start of the quarter saw another miss for Tombling and another success for Pontefract.

With a scrum under more pressure than it has experienced for many weeks, Ripon struggled for quality possession in the dying minutes and from a turnover from the base of a retreating Ripon scrum, the visitors delivered their killer blow, with an injury time try, the conversion just dropping short.

At this point of the season, players are tired and carrying injuries, but that must be the same for all clubs. Ripon has used less players in the 1st XV squad this season than in many years previously, so a more stable side might be expected to yield better and more consistent results. With three games remaining, none of which will be easy, the squad needs to dig deep into its reserves and find the ambition, belief and courage it had only four months ago when there was a more buoyant mood and results were more favourable.

Next week, Ripon will take to the road again to visit another top half team at Roundhegians. A sterling performance in December by Ripon, saw a narrow bonus point defeat. After the recent run of defeats, a better performance must surely be on the cards.

Travelling spectators for the game will be very welcome as usual, details of meet time to follow.