North Ribblesdale vs Ripon - Saturday 2nd September

This week’s excursion into the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, saw an enthusiastic and somewhat more mature looking squad enter into a tough contest with northern rivals North Ribblesdale. In the balmy atmosphere of the newly arrived Indian Summer, it was a welcome treat for the spectators and not so for those players, who ran their hearts out for the eighty minutes. With temperatures approaching the mid-twenties, on a good to soft ground, and with two teams looking like the majority of them needed to carry ID cards with them, the scene was set for a full on and fast paced display of open Rugby.

Both sides sought to entertain in their own way. The hosts made much out of their off-loading game by keeping the ball up high in the tackle and the visitors’ their speed of support at the breakdown and quick ball from set piece. Merits to both styles of play, with perhaps Ribb making more penetration via route one than Ripon, but The Blues showing great pace and asking questions out wide. Both sides showed amazing fortitude and tenacity in defence and while the home line was threatened less than Ripon’s, The Blues stepped up stoically to turn over at least three goal line tussles and snuff out attacking options. With two Tries to one, the scoreline adequately reflected the efforts of the winners and sadly didn’t do Ripon the justice they deserved, particularly when in the second half, they apparently couldn’t do much right at all in the eyes of the Referee. Pertinent too, that all of the home scores came from penalties conceded by Ripon and the visitors’ only score, despite numerous line breaks and penalty opportunities, came from a last-ditch attack in open play in the dying minutes of the game.

Overall, an entertaining afternoon’s play for the casual and involved spectator alike, with two young sides looking to stretch each other and not get bogged down in a war of attrition. The set piece was fairly evenly matched and with wholesale changes in the Ripon pack not having any negative impact, the scrum was an effective launchpad and the line out provided the necessary quick ball to keep up the tempo of the game.

Selection this week saw some 12 changes from the starting line up in the previous week’s warm up game and saw three debuts – two new signings in Tom Austin and Tom Roebuck and the first adult league outing for ex-Colt Harry Veitch.

Starting at the back, Harvey Hooley returned to the squad at Full Back and despite a nervous start, came good in fielding anything coming his way and excited with his turn of pace joining the line, or counter attacking. Thankfully Harvey’s pre-match nerves didn’t manifest themselves fully until long after the game. Tom Graham maintained the position now regarded as his own at Left Wing and racked up plenty more carrying opportunities and some crunching defensive work. Morgan Clark obligingly guested on the Right Wing and showed great pace with and without the ball and was instrumental in achieving some significant territorial turnovers. A special mention for “Little Clarky” as this game signalled his 50th 1st XV appearance and a poignant revisitation of his first outing in senior Rugby four years ago. The starting Centre pairing saw “Fire at” Will Barrett, looking to maintain the momentum gained in pre-season and whilst earning the Man of the Match accolade, just didn’t quite achieve his usual depth of penetration. Archie “The quiet man” Thompson, started at 12 and drifted between there and Number 10, while on the pitch and whilst could be criticised for not reading the Referee’s intolerance for constructive feedback, by being Yellow Carded halfway through the second half, atoned appropriately with the sole Ripon Try late on in the second half.

The half backs saw Mikey Bray wearing the 10 jersey and showing good territorial command with his boot and vision to keep play flowing. Hamish Mainey made a welcome return at Scrum Half and put in a typical sniping performance, snapping at the heels of the pack and making the odd break for good measure.

In the pack, an experimental front row saw skipper of the day Ellis Anderson starting and putting in a solid shift in his first 1st XV outing at Loose Head. Nick Perez returned to occupy the Tight Head berth after some time away from that position and James Pearce kept his place at Hooker to maintain some continuity and stability at the set piece. Whilst looking tiny in comparison to more recent front row line ups, this threesome held their own admirably and put pressure on the opposition at scrum time and off course, worked their inimitable magic in open play.

The second row comprised the elder of the Fletcher boys, Henry and Charles “Glass Shoulder” Britton, who made it through the first quarter before withdrawing to restart his rehab. The back row had a subtle blend of youth and experience, with two debutants in Tom Austin at Blind Side and Tom Roebuck at Number 8, looking to make their mark on the game and the club, both of which were achieved successfully. Freddie Wharton made up the triumvirate at Open Side. The bench was occupied again by a blend of old and new, with Harry Veitch itching to get on anywhere in the pack and Noah Whiteley looking for his first real stab at adult front row play. Both entered the game later to great effect, with Veitch carrying hard and defending with vigour and Whiteley slotting into the front row like he’d been there forever. Last but not least on the bench was club Dentist Billy Burgin, happy to crop up anywhere and make a nuisance of himself to the opposition.

The game started well, with penalty exchanges for each side in the opening moments, with The Blues gaining the Referee’s confidence early on. A relationship to sour considerably later on. Both sides looked to run when appropriate and kick when necessary. Both sides ran and tackled hard, with little quarter asked or given. The set piece was evenly contested and whilst the hosts got closer to the Ripon 22 on more occasions, the “Blue Wall” defence held firm, with crunching tackles and heroic turnovers from the likes of Austin and Roebuck in defence. Thompson, Barrett, Clark and Graham all combined well in attack and just didn’t quite manage to get into scoring positions. With numerous penalty advantages and kicking options, perhaps going for goal may have been a safe option to get points on the board, but as the half played out, Ripon looked less likely to cross the home line and their defence looked absolutely uninclined to allow the hosts in for a score.
With moments of the first half remaining, a 0 – 0 half time score looked ok and a fair outcome from some very evenly contested play. Some confusion however, at a line out in injury time, misled the decision to kick for touch from the won ball. The Referee differed in opinion however, and with the next throw in awarded to the hosts, another penalty and line out catch and drive, saw Ribb cross over The Blues’ line for the first time with 43 minutes played. The Converted Try gave the hosts a 7 – 0 half time lead.

The second half went pretty much the same way as the first, with both sides sticking to their game plans, with consistent shape and structure, with the hosts definitely taking advantage of their skills with the offload. At the turn of the third quarter, Ribb increased their lead with a Penalty Goal after a ruck infringement. At 10 – 0 with 20 minutes remaining, nothing seemed insurmountable. The hosts however, stepped up a gear and the referee’s interpretation of their speed off the mark not transgressing the off-side law, set about stifling any attacking options Ripon could put together. Concerted efforts on behalf of The Blues, led to close encounters through the endeavours of Wharton, Burgin and Roebuck up front and Thompson and Barrett up the middle. Against the rub however, a line out overthrow saw an opportunist strike from the home replacement Hooker, by gathering the loose ball and waddling his way unopposed the full 15 metres over the Ripon line. Insult wasn’t added to injury with the missed conversion, but the 15 – 0 scoreline left Ripon seriously thinking about what they needed to do. An unfortunate indiscretion by Thompson soon after, led to his temporary dismissal from play and the call to The Blues to play with more tempo, urgency and discipline.

That they did for the remainder of the final quarter, with attack after attack, making inroads and wearing down the opposition. Gradually the Ripon efforts were rewarded with territory and possession and after his return to play, Thompson ingratiated himself with a touch of magic from a whole team effort that saw him slice through the last line of defence to open Ripon’s scoring on 79 minutes. Bray’s conversion eased the score to 15 – 7 and with some injury time left, there seemed sufficient fuel in the Ripon tank to increase the scoreline. Ribb had other thoughts and stepped up their game with a further attack which saw Thompson again step into the breach to dispossess the opposition Number 8 after his break from a 5-metre scrum. The break out was quick and effective, with Hooley opening his legs and showing his class up the right touchline. The next breakdown signalled the end of play as whilst the clock was probably showing time, the Referee probably couldn’t see it after taking a point-blank ball in the face and saw the final whistle as the best course of action.

Thus the game ended with the final score line of 15 – 7 and no league points for Ripon despite their best efforts. A good quality performance all round against opposition who wanted to do things differently. Thinking caps on for Ripon to consider options around the tackle and breakdown management. Apart from that, a decent on pitch display of solidarity, commitment and stamina.

Next Saturday 9th September, the Counties 2 Yorkshire league season progresses for Ripon with the 1st hosting recently relegated old friends and rivals, Roundhegians at Mallorie Park. The kick off will be 3.00pm and all supporters will be welcome.

For any existing players, or would be new members reading this who have not been party to pre-season training or available for the games so far, it’s never too late to get back into playing ways, so do get in touch and participate. We need as many players as possible to sustain our playing strength and league aspirations. Training continues at the club every Tuesday and Thursday evening and every little helps!