In very much a game of two halves and in rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, The Blues ground out an almost victorious performance against league leaders Wath, to fall at the final hurdle and succumb to a single point difference loss from the last kick of the game. The irony of this being as a result of the only Penalty being awarded against Ripon, in a top drawer second half performance and as gutsy a display of come-back Rugby as one will ever see. The single losing bonus point was scant consolation for the disappointing result, which despite The Blues running in three second half Tries, reduced them to ninth place in the Counties 2 Yorkshire divisional standings. Turning around a 6 – 21 scoreline at half time to a 30 – 28 position near the end of the second half was no mean feat. A second half turn, which was energised by the input of the likes of Anderson and Burgin as impact players and a gritty determination throughout the rest of the squad, was so very close, but no cigar.

Game management on the whole, went according to plan and despite some expected pressure at the set piece, Ripon had their fair share of ball to play with constructively and as with previous weeks, made progress where needed through the close order work and played expansively when opportunities arose. The weather conditions favoured Wath as they adopted their preferred style of using big, one-up runners to bludgeon their way through. Ripon, as ever, looked to play a more sophisticated style and rather than outpacing their opponents, fell foul of their rigid defensive alignment. One that worked well enough in the first half and then fell apart in the second. Power did not therefore reign supreme overall, the result more down to discipline, where Ripon managed to keep their offences down to single figures later in the game and how the advantages of the opposition’s indiscretions, were capitalised upon.

The relatively mild and still conditions may have attracted a decent crowd but the early onset of progressively steady rain put paid to there being any substantial numbers on the touchline. The local supporters were a shadow of the numbers attending last season’s Papa John Cup Final in Darlington and had they been present on this occasion to spur The Blues on, the result might just have been better for Ripon. As it was, there seemed to be more Wath faithful on the touchline on this occasion, but of course it they’d set off from South Yorkshire before the rain started, they would have been committed and past the point of no return.

Pre-match, the coaching team expected a positive reaction from the previous week’s heavy defeat and some stronger evidence of a desire to win, through better communications between players and most of all, to enjoy playing for each other. The mood in the changing room was positive and bode well for a thrilling encounter.

This week’s selection saw eleven changes in all and more unsettlement due to various unavailability and last minute drop outs and reshuffles to accommodate them. Six of last week’s squad were redistributed to different positions and there were five recalls from previous absences. Up front the now standard selection for the number 1 jersey was George Evans, who gave a masterclass in set piece and loose play and ensuring that wherever he went, the ball was either in his possession or within reach. James Pearce swapped his bench selection to a starting position at Hooker, to accommodate the late loss of the long-awaited return of Dom Dalby, who needed another week to lick his wounds. Originally named as Hooker, the perpetual presence that is Adam Newcombe stood in at Tight Head and made a huge impact in loose play. The boiler house saw a return for Skipper Barker, who leading by example bagged a second half Try and the retention of Henry Fletcher at Lock. Yet another new-look back row, saw Tom Roebuck change to Blind Side from last week, Tom Austin recalled to Open Side and Nick, wishing he was called Tom, Perez stepping back to Number 8 and having the freedom to roam the pitch and create damage with and without the ball. Perez, notably also stepped back into the front row later on and made a huge difference to the Ripon scrum integrity and put the icing on his own cake with a second half Try.

The backs saw the selection of Max Marston at Scrum Half and Archie Thompson at Number 10 for the second week running. The Centres saw Liam Wood and Tom Graham together again and the Wings saw Harvey Hooley on the left for his third week and Try scoring Lucien Wray back from injury on the right. Mikey Bray brought up the rear at Full Back with another good day with the boot, notching up 15 points from three Penalty Goals and three Conversions. With just the two changes in the back line, the expectation was that they would get into their groove and come up with the points from their free running and pin point support play. Testament to the Wath defence, nobody got near their line in the first half and it was only the resilience of the Ripon team as a whole, that broke the opposition down onto opening up gaps to score through in the second half.

The bench this week had a certain “Bomb Squad” feel to it and included Keith Anderson, who entered the game like a hurricane and kept up the effort throughout, with Billy Burgin in close support. Freddy Wharton occupied the last bench position, keen to get back into the top tier again.

The game started with Wath kicking deep and the hosts recycling to get out quickly, though a ruck indiscretion within a few seconds gave the visitors the advantage from their first Penalty. Play progressed from the touch kick and line out and then a scrum offence, with another advantage, Wath pressed home for their first Try after three minutes. With the Conversion, the visitors led 0 – 7 with less that four minutes played. Ripon riposted well to get into enemy territory and after 7 minutes, Bray reduced the deficit with a Penalty Goal to 3 – 7.

Penalties were exchanged by both sides, with touch kicks and line outs creating varying degrees of success for both sides. Early on it was clear that the Ripon back row were keen to get in the action, with Perez and Roebuck carrying well and Austin doing the ground clearance work so well. At 12 minutes, Wath reacted to a disorganised scrum and shifted the ball quickly to their left and scored in the corner. A bizarre occurrence was the ball placed for the Conversion attempt toppling off the tee and the kicker not quite knowing what to do. The speedy Wray and Hooley intercepted sufficiently to prevent the replacement and the score settled at 3 – 12.

The rest of the first half saw Bray add to his points tally with a further Penalty Goal and three similar replies from the visitors to take the half time score to 6 – 21. Numerous attempts were made to get the handling play going by Ripon but the slippery ball and Penalty offences stifled progress. The loss of Pearce for an obstruction offence in the second quarter didn’t help but at least didn’t allow the defence to let in any more Tries.

The second half saw the changes rung with Newcombe taking a well-earned breather and Anderson coming on to bring some energy and aggression to the forward play. The third quarter saw both sides going at each other and the Ripon set piece growing in confidence to provide some decent go forward ball. Against the run of play however, Wath snatched an opportunity to get back in the game and through some patiently built phases, scored a further Converted Try to take the score to 6 – 28. Many a spectator at this point would have walked away thinking Ripon were well and truly done and may would have been forgiven for doing so. This was however, “Fortress Mallorie Park” and now The Blues were starting to play for pride and with passion.

On the cusp of the final quarter, from a Penalty line out, quick ball to the left saw Tom Graham make some good ground up the touchline before recycling left again. From Thompson, Evans appeared in space to offer the perfectly weighted pass for Wray to use his pace on the outside. Not an easy run in by any means but with some fancy footwork, the diminutive Winger danced his way through the opposition to touch down unharmed. Bray’s Conversion attempt was assisted by the woodwork and took the score to 13 – 28.

Next up was Skipper Barker, who used the full three metres of his wingspan to stretch over the line after again Perez and Anderson had smashed their way through the defence. The Conversion in front of the posts was a formality for Bray and there was something really exciting about the 20 – 28 scoreline. Halfway through the final quarter, Ripon were starting to rip loose and Wath, apart from their early Converted Try, were looking a bit out of sorts. Bray’s Penalty Goal from a tackle offence reduced the deficit to 23 – 28 and Ripon started to play like they could win this game. Next up, after a concerted set of drives at the Wath line, the ball came back deep to reset the attack. From a well-rehearsed move, Perez sat in the pocket for the crash ball and burst his way through the initial line of defence to score Ripon’s third Try and level the scores. Bray’s Conversion nudged Ripon in front to 30 – 28 and a strong feeling of what could possibly go wrong now with five minutes left to play.

Ripon to their credit, dug deep to hold onto the lead and in an almost carbon copy of the Cup Final, threw everything they had into attack and defence. The cruel blows came as the game was running out of time and Wath edged into an advantageous field position, so when the kickable Penalty Goal offer arrived at 43 minutes, it was gratefully received and taken. With the score shifted to 30 – 31 the final whistle blew and Ripon were left with heads in hands as to what else they needed to do to have won.

The simple solution would be to go back to basics and eliminate disciplinary errors and work on set piece, cohesion in attack and co-ordination in defence. That will happen in the training paddock and rest assured that this largely young squad remains enthusiastic and energised to do well in this league and get back to winning ways and stay there.

Next week’s Yorkshire Shield home fixture against Hullensians has been postponed due to their difficulty in fielding a side. League action will continue in two weeks when The Blues travel to newly promoted Hemsworth on 14th October. Kick off remains at 3.00pm until the end of the month and all travelling supporters are welcome.