Bitter disappointment is the best way to describe this game, which played in front of a lively and supportive home crowd, simply should have gone in Ripon’s favour. High flying West Park Leeds, looked fit and toned and very well drilled, but apart from a devastatingly effective scrummage, had little to justify their top of the Division status. Playing their two South African holiday makers, Ripon looked buoyant from the start and threatened every time they had the ball in hand. In near perfect weather conditions, this was a day for running Rugby and the Mallorie Parkers did just that, looking to exploit every opportunity to attack. Were it not for the almost complete destruction of the Ripon Scrum, the home side had ample possession to make the opposition look vulnerable in defence and very limited in attack. All other parts of the game were better controlled by Ripon and showed what they are capable of when all departments of the team are able to function cohesively.

Ripon took to the field with a few changes from last week and introduced debutantes Joe Mpyana on the Wing and Dud Stead at Number 8 to Yorkshire Rugby. Both acquitted themselves with style and solid displays of superb skills and fitness, Mpyana scoring a Try for his efforts.
From the kick off the visitors looked to try and assert their forward dominance on the game, but Ripon’s swifter and more talented back row, were better placed to stifle their attacks in open play and turnover possession relatively easily. What transpired early on however, was West Park Leeds’ very effective scrum, which knocked Ripon off their first put in and set the scene for the rest of the game. Visitor’s pressure for the first few minutes pinned Ripon in their own 22 metre area and two penalties aimed at securing line out catch and drives, failed to yield any points to them through exceptional defensive organisation. At 15 minutes, Ripon were offered a scrum for a WPL line out infringement and the visitors barged them off their own ball to secure a pushover try. The conversion wasn’t forthcoming, but the writing was on the wall for the Ripon forwards.
From there onwards, whatever either side did and the visitors did a lot of knocking-on and accidental off-sides, there was no advantage whatsoever in Ripon being awarded a scrum. Eventually, the backpedalling came under control, but big praise has to go to Dud Stead for his bravado at the base of the scrum and fighting spirit in attacking from nigh impossible situations.

In open play, Ripon were faster to the breakdown and looked to use their speedier and more talented backs to attack at every opportunity. At 20 minutes Ripon strung together numerous phases of play to see Duffield make a characteristic break, to put Joe Mpyana away for his first Ripon Try. Stirk narrowly missed the conversion. From then on, Ripon were far more entertaining and enterprising with the ball and at 25 minutes, Stead and Mpyana, looked like they were having their own game of inter-passing down the right wing, before finally being held up short of the line. Shortly after a long downfield counter attack by the visitors, birthday boy Rob Harrison intercepted a misdirected pass and ran in a superb Try from 60 metres, Stirk slightly off centre with the conversion.
Almost on the stroke of half time, an audacious counter attack by Mpyana, where he stood half of the visitor’s back line stock still before screaming off down the wing, allowed him to put Pete Marsden in for a Try to make the half time score 15 – 5.
The second half saw the visitors attempt a revised game plan whereby they kept the ball in their forwards and looked to make incremental progression rather than the risky back attack strategy. This paid off after 10 minutes, when offered a 5 metre scrum, the referee saw Ripon’s capitulation as offensive and awarded a penalty Try to the visitors. The missed conversion from in front of the posts was a howler, but Ripon were not much better in the kicking department, having missed three conversions already. The WPL pressure up front continued and camped in the home 22 metre area, their continued handling mistakes just compounded Ripon’s misfortune as every scrum awarded to Ripon was a nightmare. If only this area of the game had been better executed, the score line would have looked dramatically different. A further converted Try saw the visitors nudge in front at 66 minutes and a penalty in the last 5 minutes saw West Park Leeds home and dry. No disgrace to Ripon and a worthy performance based on great resilience and skills. Establishing parity with weightier forward oriented sides is a priority, but a focus on attacking Rugby is also key to sustainable success.

This weekend Ripon travel to Barnsley, who are looking to play a more expansive game than of recent years in what promises to be an entertaining back line challenge. The game on Saturday 4th October kicks off at 3.00pm and players will be meeting to travel from Ripon RUFC at 12.15, all support is very welcome.