2nd XV Match Report - 3rd September 2016

An excellent start to the season for a combined second and third team Ripon outfit over a hard hitting York team.

There was a feeling of excitement pre-game as quite a few players had seen through preseason training and were eager to put their drills to practice; the warm up was the standard mixture of focus and fun you would expect from a 2 and 3 team but it was very clear that every player was ready to get stuck in.

From the off, Ripon showed good form and cohesion as a team, working hard off the set piece and after a solid kick receipt, it wasn’t long until we were knocking hard on York’s door. Ripon managed to Barrel over the line in a maul try which set the precedent for the rest of the game. York struggled to hold back the fierce Ripon attack as more pressure was being put on the full back in the form of well-aimed snipes by Captain Hook(s), Mcara and Hooley which offered staging posts for further attacking plays.

The scrums were well balanced with York boasting a very strong front 3 which Brewster, Tyreman and Wolloms countered well against all game. After struggling with 2nd Row, usual No.8 Simon Williamson made up for lost time after reverting to preferred position by hammering over 2 trys for the Blues.

Other stand out performance included Tyreman for strong offensive surges and M.O.M James Blood who commanded the back line with presence and a clear head, darting through for 2 trys of his own. An injured hamstring brought him down later in game leaving management investigating potential Hat-trick avoidance charges.

All players played well in offence and defence, showing promise for the upcoming season. Unfortunately, we also proved a bit eager, giving away a multitude of penalties throughout the game and receiving 2 yellow cards mainly for off-sides and “messing about in the rook”!

As Ripon 2XV face Selby @Home and 3XV Leeds Corinthians Away, both teams will aim to keep up the positive start to the season and keep a watchful eye on discipline all round.

M.O.M James Blood
Trys:
Blood – 2
Williamson – 2
Hooks – 1
Aaron Harvey – 2
Justin Kirby – 1
Kieran Robson – 1
Findlay Lawrence – 1
Adam Howe – 1
Scott Mcara – 1
Final Score 72-10