Roundhegians vs Ripon - Saturday 9th December 2023

Barely a season goes by without mention of the weather impacting play but rarely has the weather impacted so much on whether games go ahead or not at this tender point in the season. Barely half way through and with some clubs two matches behind already, Ripon found themselves fortunate to be able to play on one of Yorkshire’s best drained pitches at Roundhegians this week. The ravages of Storm Fergus held off for the most part and whilst the going was very much good to soft, the sun shone for a while and the torrential rain succumbed to the finest of drizzles at times during the game. The air was chill and by no means still, with a stiff cross-field breeze to remind folks that despite the intermittent sunshine, we were already deep into December and layering up on the touchline was the order of the day.

Talking of touchlines and there will be further analysis of the 78th minute touchline dispute of “McEnrovian” proportions, The Blues squad was ably bolstered by a vociferous and appropriately sporting contingent of spectators, made possible by the late cancellation of the 2nd XV fixture. A shame that there weren’t more away supporters in attendance and a shame that interest in the efforts on the pitch by this still predominantly young and very exciting group of players, doesn’t attract more attention from other club members. When they get going, you don’t know what you’re missing!

A classic game of two halves unfolded before the Ripon travelling faithful, as a solid team performance in set piece and open play, created a significant advantage for The Blues in the first half and a seemingly unstoppable half time lead of 3 – 17. The hosts, however, had other thoughts and whilst overall looked pretty devoid of a plan, did show some glimpses of brilliance, as well as a couple of lucky breaks to draw even late in the second period. Were it not for the Mercurial presence of Charles Robinson in his first 1st XV game in over a year with his last-minute Try, Ripon would have had to settle for a draw. Could it also have been the confidence that the hosts developed whilst anxiously watching time ticking away whilst superstar bench-warmer Jason Bell remained off the pitch? The longer Bell remained on the bench, the less chance it seemed, there was of him wreaking havoc with his decades of experience and mythical physical prowess, mercifully for Roundhegians, the time didn’t arise when it was appropriate to release “The Bell” And so, the legend of Belly; selected for 1st XV duties in his fourth successive decade, lives on. Where next, will he appear, to strike fear in the hearts of the opposition and like “El Cid”, win battles by his mere presence alone.

Whilst not doing quite enough to gain the precious Try bonus point, The Blues’ display with another away win, gained a solid place at 5th in Counties 2 Yorkshire. With only eight points between Ripon and new league leaders Yarnbury, this competition is very much wide open and the attraction and possibility of promotion for any of possibly seven clubs is a reality.

Despite the pretty nasty conditions, Ripon set out to play and based that principle on the soundest of forward platforms and a rock-solid set piece. Dominating up front is ok but has to lead to efficient and effective use of the plethora of quality ball delivered. In this respect, The Blues didn’t disappoint and through silky smooth sleight of hand movements, they maintained attacking momentum like poetry in motion. Some of the narrative was a bit rough and ready when the likes of Thompson and Newcombe carried, with defenders falling like nine pins in their wake. Thompson perhaps his finest and most aggressive performance of the season to date, making several yards repeatedly and Newcombe soaking up defenders like a sponge.

A strong disciplinary display of control kept Ripon relatively clear of trouble, but with the opposition making more of their limited Penalty opportunities, The Blues again need to ask themselves not only how they can reduce the number of offences, but also how they can limit the damage caused by them. Some strong performances all round, with Bray on song from the tee, with an 80% kicking record for three Conversions and Penalty Goal. Hooley in his favoured position of Full Back, fielded faultlessly and countered with pace and territorial advantage and whilst difficult to pick a forward out of the pack, Roebuck shone brightly for his line out dominance, ferocious defensive play and pace in possession.

After a two-week layoff, the selectors had some tough decisions to make, as player availability fluctuated and in attempting to field two squads, resources had to be spread thinly. What transpired, was a well balanced and as strong as any Blues side to take the field in many seasons and again, a subtle blend of youth and experience, as well as a couple of significant recalls.

Up front, the “dream team” front row was selected, for physicality, ingenuity and creativity. The reader can determine which applies to whom. George Evans made a welcome return from Injury at Loose Head, with his usual attention to detail at set piece and audacity with ball in hand. Adam Newcombe made his first start in three weeks at Hooker and added pin point accuracy to the line out throwing as well as some heavy duty go forward. Dom Dalby completed the triumvirate at Tight Head, with a powerful shift in which he demolished the opposition scrum and bagged a first half Try for his efforts. Skipper Iain Barker and Tom Roebuck made up the second row for the third successive outing together. The former attracting all sorts of off the ball attention for a change and the latter showing great pace and agility in avoiding contact, as well as staying on his feet. The back row saw a complete reshuffle from the previous outing, with James Pearce set to play fast and loose at Blind Side and Harry Veitch to bring his aggressive stye of play to Open Side. Nick Perez also made a welcome return to the squad after a short absence at Number 8, to add his considerable strength in carrying and demonic tackling.

In the backs, Max Marston in his 8th straight appearance at Scrum Half, sniped terrier like and provided quick ball throughout. Mikey Bray occupied the Number 10 berth and as well as his solid place-kicking shift, opened up play cleverly with ball in hand and put in some monstrous territorial and clearance kicks. Archie Thompson dominated the midfield at Inside Centre, with his mule-like hand off and aggressive running, while Freddy Wharton, again guested at Outside Centre to show his pace. Birthday Boy Tom Graham put in his usual heavyweight shift on the Right Wing, with a celebratory Try as well as influencing strongly in broken play and Charles “Where’s he been?” Robinson made his first appearance in over a year on the Left Wing to clinch victory for Ripon in the last move of the game. Robinson, an unassuming character, looked every bit the squad player of old and excited to the extent that even the opposition stood mesmerised by his speed and fleetness of foot when in possession. Harvey Hooley brought up the rear in his favoured position of Full Back and showed not only a safe pair of hands in defence but also a captivating speed and balance in attack.

This week’s bench was a marked contrast and whilst youth and experience understates the matter, sublime to ridiculous over-eggs the situation somewhat. Jacob Drane made his adult league debut to ably follow in his father’s footsteps in the 1st XV and whilst not exactly snappy Scrum Half material, put in a decent shift towards the end of the game as an aggressive back row replacement. Fin Middlemiss took over from his brother to keep the bench warm this week and also added some youthful exuberance and passion during his second half sortie. Secret weapon Jason Bell took up the final bench position and whilst not actually intending to leave the warm confines of the dugout, kept the opposition guessing in some trepidation, as to when he would enter play and how much damage he would cause. Thankfully, with the game suitably rescued from disaster by Robinson, Belly was not required to enter the field of play and so the signature red beanie hat remained in place, as did the 1995 1st XV track suit and the legend lived on unscathed.

Roundhegians kicked off with the breeze slightly in their favour and Thompson fielded to take play to the left, Newcombe carried strongly to create the space to kick only for Bray’s clearance to hang in the wind and not find touch. The counter attack resulted in the first Penalty of the game to the hosts for Ripon not releasing in the tackle. Exchanges evened up, with Ripon pressing more strongly and cohesively. With the hosts offered their first scrum put in at nine minutes, Ripon took their chance to use their front row dominance and destroyed their put in. Perez snatched up the loose ball to feed Veitch, then Marston shipped the ball out to Robinson for his first run. From the tackle, Barker was involved twice in close order moves, until Perez joined in again. Quick ball again went out to Graham who with the mere formality of beating three defenders, smashed his way over the line for his birthday treat and Ripon’s first Try. Bray added the first of his three successful Conversion attempts to open the score at 0 – 7.

After some more passages with Ripon playing the expansive game, the hosts managed to counter on 17 minutes. A soft off side call saw the hosts reduce the deficit with a Penalty Goal to 3 – 7. Bray responded positively with a Penalty Goal for The Blues after just two further minutes to increase the lead to 3 – 10.

Play for the next 20 minutes saw Ripon repeatedly attacking and let down by break down offences and handling errors. Almost at the point of knocking on for fun, Ripon lost no advantage, just momentum, as the home scrum was in such a parlous state that The Blues quickly regained possession after losing it. The final couple of minutes of the first half saw a steady build up from Ripon encroaching on home territory. Carries from Barker, Perez and Newcombe were matched in effectiveness by Thompson and Graham. As play entered the home 22, Veitch cut loose to make some 20 metres before feeding Barker and then Newcombe. With Dalby in open space to the right with only three defenders to beat, the right option was taken and the burly Prop ambled his way through the opposition, swatting them like flies, to touch down for Ripon’s second Try. Bray added the Conversion for a half time lead of 3 – 17.

The second half opened strongly for the hosts, with the kick off received well and good running back into the Ripon half. Pressing close to the Ripon 22, the hosts drove for the line and when a breakdown offence was penalised, Roundhegians took the quick tap Penalty for one of their chunky forwards to crash over for their first Try. The conversion narrowed the deficit to 10 - 17 and sparked a resurgence of energy in the visitors. Fresh legs were brought on with Drane and Middlemiss and soon their pace was beginning to tell on the opposition.

As the game neared its ending, the hosts started to play with more passion and intensity and caused Ripon to adopt more of a defensive stance. With two minutes left to play and Ripon doing enough to keep the game alive for them, the cruellest of quirks of fate occurred and let the hosts in. A touch kick from the hosts from deep in their half designed for the chase, hit the line and was clearly out of play. The home Touch Judge, however, unashamedly judged it in play and the Referee awarded the line out as a host throw in, it reaching the 50 – 22 threshold.
Discreet and sportsmanlike representations were made to the Referee and Touch Judge alike but to no avail. Had the pitch been dry, the casual observer would undoubtedly have seen “chalk dust” flying from where the ball grounded and so this will go down in history as one of the most ill-informed decisions in Touch-Judge Manship. Some advantage was gained however, by Ripon actually winning the line out, The Blues were clearly not well enough organised to play out of defence though. A handling error gifted the opposition possession 5 metres out and through dogged determination, the line was crossed and the Converted Try drew the scores at 17 – 17.

Undeterred and somewhat incensed by the previous play, Ripon attacked the restart with aggression and absolute genius. Ripon restarted with Middlemiss and Drane hitting the catcher, turning over possession and setting up the counter attack. A deep pass back to Robinson biding his time on his touchline, gave him sufficient space to build up momentum to dance his way through almost the entire home pack, who were left grasping at thin air. After some 40 metres of scintillating swerves and sidesteps, Charles Robinson stole the show with perhaps the most audacious and most welcome Try of the season. Bray’s Conversion took the score to 17 – 24 and the final whistle recorded Ripon’s gratitude for another victory on the road.

Good discipline again this week, not great but a step in the right direction. Good use of a solid platform for launching attacks and finishing effectively. Good team play and flexibility as to who plays where and when and how the squad flexes to meet availability of players and everyone’s demands. Plenty to celebrate and plenty to work on.

Next week Ripon 1st XV, are back on home territory at Mallorie Park on 16th December and entertain Bramley Phoenix, who are not having the best of seasons. Expecting solid and vociferous support from the week’s past playing sponsors the “Grumpy Old Ruckers”, The Blues will be looking to make it four wins on the trot, to head into the Christmas break with a strong league position. Kick off will be at 2.15, all supporters very welcome.