After the ‘Battle of Barnsley’ last week Ripon find themselves in the relegation zone with games running out. A brave effort by our lads in this struggle unfortunately came to no avail as we lost 27-22. It was never going to be a classic, Barnsley second bottom and Ripon third at the start of the day. Barnsley is never an easy place to go at the best of times and a physical and defiant contest perhaps best suited their style of rugby. They were resolute in defence, unsurprisingly aggressive in contact and despite some very positive aspects of Ripon’s possession and desire to play, the roles of the two clubs were reversed in league positions at the end of the day.

The great thing about rugby is that we move on to the next Saturday! Today we welcome Northallerton to Mallorie Park, their first visit for some time. Our visitors have enjoyed a good first season in Yorkshire League Two and find themselves just below the two automatic promotion places. Although defeated at Northallerton in December and an apparent mismatch in league position, I fully expect our boys to have a real go today!

The Six Nations ended last week leaving England fans bemused and somewhat perplexed! From the high hopes created from the excellence displayed in Dublin to the destruction of France and Italy, there were some real moments for us to enjoy. The second half against Wales saw a familiar flaw in big match bottle and the second half against Scotland…….. well what was all that about? Mr Jones must be seriously wondering whether his pool of clearly talented players have the mental strength to mount a serious challenge in the Land of the Rising Sun in September! Time will tell.

The match today is sponsored by KA Anderson today, which is our President Keith Anderson’s company and we are very grateful for his and their support. With the Hornblowers away at Northallerton and the Bluebelles taking on Northallerton Ladies at home, Robbo is dreaming of a ‘Blue Rinse’, let’s hope we make him sing!