On an afternoon when the weather couldn’t make up its mind, the home side had clearly decided on a win and that’s what they did. For a leading club in the division, Barnsley seemed rather ordinary and the score-line certainly flattered their lack of inventiveness or domination of any department of the game, but a win is a win. Ripon arrived very early and enjoyed a leisurely warm up in rain, wind and sun. Out on the field probably 30 minutes before their hosts, Ripon looked keen and hungry to make their mark.

From the kick-off the game however, went less according to Ripon’s plan and Barnsley were able to exert disproportionate pressure to their effort on the visitors. And so followed a very unfortunate series of events in which Ripon’s best efforts were beset with simple errors and “unlucky bounces”. To be fair, Ripon made great inroads at the scrummage and had an effective lineout, both of which challenged and competed against the opposition’s put in. The Ripon backs were slightly re-arranged from last weekend, but nevertheless were incisive on the break and very well organised in defence. What happened after primary possession however, was difficult to follow thereafter as Barnsley were gifted an abundance of loose ball, from which they fashioning punishing counter-attacks. The usual cohesive support play from Ripon didn’t materialise and all too often attacks broke down through kicking away possession, overrunning the pass, or loose off-loading.

The first few minutes were a torrid time for Ripon, with relentless pressure forcing them to stay in their own 22 metre area for a number of phases. Ripon took a drop out at seven minutes and the home side pounced with a series of forward drives from each breakdown and scored the first of their four converted tries. From then on the exchanges became more even, with Barnsley’s only close encounter resulting in a well struck penalty goal at 22 minutes. The rest of the first half saw Ripon camped in the home half and throwing everything at a reasonable defence, but making too many basic errors to let them off the hook. Turning around 10 – 0 down and with the wind and the slope in the second half, Ripon maybe were a little complacent about what they need to do. When Barnsley scored a converted try after five minutes of the second half, it began to look more ominous. Ripon tried as best as they could to control possession and sterling performances were evident all around, but the score just wouldn’t come. After an unsavoury incident in which Centre Davey was assaulted and the perpetrator red carded, Ripon expected a penalty decision to go their way, but by virtue of a bizarre refereeing decision, Barnsley, despite having lost a player, were awarded a penalty, which they duly turned into three points and that was pretty much game over.

At 20 minutes in the second half, Ripon enjoyed a wind assisted venture back into Barnsley’s half and pressed the home side into conceding a penalty. The goal attempt by Davey was just under the bar, but the defender dropped the catch and offered Ripon the advantage of a five metre scrum. Just when it needed to be perfect, Ripon were penalised for “foot-up” at the scrum and while the Ripon forwards were reeling from the shock, an audaciously quickly taken penalty from in front of their posts, saw Barnsley break out to score another converted try.

Consolation was soon taken by Ripon from the restart, which saw a turnover from the restart and some quick recycling which allowed Fly half Oli Stirk to pounc on the opportunity to break through the opposition for a try. Conscious of time remaining, he coolly converted with a drop goal. With two minutes to go, Barnsley restarted deep and pressed Ripon into their 22 metre area. After a handling error Ripon gained the advantage of the scrum put in, but in valiantly trying to clear their lines, the ball got turned over and Barnsley scampered in for their fourth and final try to seal a bonus point victory. With their two penalty goals, Barnsley’s score flattered their input to the game Ripon if they are going to make a mark on this division, simply must stick to the basics of retaining possession under all circumstances and scoring points when in a position to do so.

This weekend Ripon are at home to well-placed Bradford Salem in yet another winnable confrontation. With subtle changes in the team likely yet again, there is little chance to consistently build on each week’s performance with the same squad. What is showing, however is a team spirit that has been lacking of recent years and a determination to train harder and work positively with the new coaching regime to put the team and the club in a better place than before. Another very positive note is the fact that the club has fielded three teams for three weeks running and that the challenge of finding replacements for the 1st XV is becoming easier as the squad develops strength in depth. The game on Saturday 4th October kicks off at 3.00pm and players will be meeting at 1.45pm, all support is very welcome.