Wath Upon Dearne vs Ripon - Saturday 13th January 2024

More akin to the Okefenokee Swamp than the Oklahoma dustbowl, the low lying and waterlogged playing fields of the Dearne Valley provided an apt setting for a saga of the downtrodden farmers doing their best to smile in the face of adversity and better themselves through sheer hard work and togetherness. Like the Steinbeck novel, not a happy ending in sight, more a “less worse” than it could have been, had the greedy oppressors had their way and extended their first half domination of the game beyond the break. Fortunately for The Blues, some tenacity and resilience kicked in at half time and whilst reducing their hosts to a point-less second period, weren’t able to get enough traction on the game to close the gap.

A classic game of two halves, in the first of which, Ripon were under the cosh from the relentless pressure of the powerful home pack and their not insignificant back line when they cared to release the ball on occasion. Whilst holding their own at scrum time, Ripon’s line out misfired somewhat to start with and the team as a whole just couldn’t get into its normal fluent groove. Stern defence by the hosts stifled Ripon’s usual flair and the postage stamp of a pitch meant running out of space was a continual hazard, whilst falling neatly into the plans of the chunky home forwards to trundle along in straight lines. With the hosts’ 21 first half points all arising either directly or indirectly from Penalty situations, Ripon’s early discipline was questionable, though as the game went on and the refereeing became less consistent it was more a case of pure bad luck. Faced on two occasions in the first quarter, with the juggernaut home pack opting for close range drives from Penalty lines out, the score line was going to look favourable to Wath, with two relatively easily conceded Converted Tries. A further Converted Try later in the half and a solitary Penalty Goal from Bray, gave the hosts a 21 – 3 lead at the break and left Ripon wondering how to break the deadlock.

That’s where the usual suspects stepped up to be counted and the likes of Perez and Veitch dominated the carrying for the pack and Barrett and Senior were the pick of the backs for their line breaks and solid defence. The only score of the second half went to Ripon and from some magical handling, Freddy Wharton, guesting on the Wing for a change, ran in the consolation Try to restore Ripon’s pride. With a superb display of discipline in the second half, Ripon only conceded four Penalties to the hosts’ fifteen and were left bemused as to how so many repeat offences went un-sanctioned by the Referee and unpunished by further scoring opportunities for them. Of course, playing what’s in front of you is what matters and Ripon certainly did that a lot better in the second half by denying Wath any further scoring chances. In return, barring Wharton’s lucky break, Wath shut Ripon down effectively enough to prevent any further scores. Some spirited commitment saw The Blues tighten up their set piece in general and regain some continuity in their play, but cruelly not enough to gain any more points. The final score of 21 – 8 was perhaps flattering to Wath in the end, particularly as they used up so many lives surviving their Penalty count without sanction and sad for Ripon who had much more of a game in them than showed. The result saw some subsequent movement at the top of the table, with Wath moving into a title chasing second place. Ripon, with 44 league points, only 11 behind the leaders, are still in contention for glory and just need to find some consistent form. With five home matches out of the final eight and only two of them against top half teams, one could be forgiven for thinking that Ripon have a relatively straightforward run in to the end of the season. There are however, no easy games in this division and this Ripon squad remains committed and ambitious to be the best they can and put every effort into getting the right results for the rest of the season.

Selection this week was less challenging than of late, with good availability a chance for some more consistency in starting line ups. In the pack the highly esteemed Adam Newcombe started at Loose Head, James Pearce “badgered” his way onto the Hooker berth and the Titanic Dom Dalby returned to fill the Loose Head slot. In the engine room, Skipper Iain Barker partnered Tom Roebuck for the 6th consecutive outing, Barker committing outstandingly in defence and Roebuck eventually reigning supreme in the line out. The back row at last had a familiar ring to it, with Austin, Veitch and Perez being the logical starting line-up, same as last week. Tom Austin, bringing significant experience of game management before being cruelly sidelined after only 15 minutes, Harry Veitch, being the epitome of raw power and youthful exuberance and Nick Perez, bringing up the rear of the scrum but leading from the front in so many other respects.

The back line saw Max Marston in his 11th straight selection at Scrum Half, snapping at the heels of every breakdown and Archie Thompson as good as claiming the Number 10 jersey as his own, with another eclectic mix of line breaks, crunching tackles and howitzer territorial kicks. Liam Wood at Inside Centre made a cameo appearance for the first minute before being excluded from further play by an unlucky injury from the first tackle of the game. Will Barrett was recalled to the squad after a week off to play his usual “bagatelle ball” role at Outside Centre. The Wings were ably occupied by Tom Graham, who covered so many hard yards without scoring it was frustrating and Freddy Wharton, trying out the position for a change and clinching a Try for his trouble. Bray concluded the starting 15 at Full Back and whilst denied the opportunity to test his place-kicking boot for large parts of the game, added another dimension to attacks with precision kicking from hand and some elusive breaks. The bench saw George Evans looking to come on and make a difference to the front row, Tom Senior got an earlier than expected entrance to the game by replacing the unlucky Wood and looked to all intents like a squad natural thereafter. And finally… “Prodigal Son” Jordan Payne returned to the fold after seeking pastures new and finding them overrated, completed the finishers as utility forward replacement.

The crisp morning sunshine gradually gave way to a dull and damp afternoon in Dearne Valley and whilst the odd ray of sun broke through on occasion, the strengthening breeze brought a deep chill to the proceedings and a foreboding of cold comfort for Ripon. The Blues kicked off the game and in the first of four similar restarts, plonked the ball just out of reach of the chasers and into the welcoming arms of some big local chaps who just loved to run at people. The first Wath attack took them deep into Ripon territory and within moments after a heroic tackle, Lofty Liam Wood was unceremoniously felled and played no further part in proceedings. Early attempts by Perez and Thompson to clear the lines resulted in counters by the hosts and two quick fire Penalties for breakdown offences. The second on four minutes allowed the home pack to flex their muscles with the touch kick, line out, catch and drive, to make their first Try a formality. The Conversion took the score to 7 – 0 with five minutes played. Within moments of the restart, again the hosts built up the pace and strength of their attack and probed deep into the visitors’ half. After another Thompson clearance, Ripon won a home line out overthrow through Barker, only to be penalised for holding on in the tackle. A carbon copy of less than five minutes earlier, the touch kick, line out, catch and drive led to another Converted Try and within 10 minutes, Ripon were chasing a 14 – 0 deficit.

The next blow suffered by The Blues was at 15 minutes when Austin in making a break, was victim of a high tackle and took no further part in proceedings. Despite the Penalty touch kick, Ripon lost the ensuing line out and with no card evident for the offence, succumbed to the “treble whammy” of losing a player, no card for the offence and losing the advantage of the Penalty. That could have been Ripon’s lot for the rest of the game but the lads regrouped and with Payne on the field, continued to face up to the challenge of limiting the damage the hosts were inflicting and setting up some decent plays for themselves.

At 20 minutes Ripon finally got on the scoreboard with a Penalty Goal from Bray to narrow the gap to 14 – 3. For a good few minutes and a good few plays, Ripon built up their phases and retained their composure to even up the game considerably. So it came as a surprise to find Wath back deep in Ripon territory after the half hour point and pressing the line again. From a Wath Penalty touch kick and attempted line out drive, The Blues stopped the advance and gained a scrum put in from a handling error. Unexpectedly the home pack shunted Ripon off their own ball and from their Number 8 pick-up, allowed their Scrum Half in for their third Try. The Conversion sealed the lead at 21 – 3 and that’s where it stayed until half time.

Receiving the Wath kick from the restart, Ripon set out on the first of a series of sallies into enemy territory and within seconds the hosts fell foul of the laws with the first of their next 15 Penalty offences. With twelve of those offences committed at the breakdown, it was obvious how the hosts were strategizing slowing the play down and unbelievably getting away with it. That aside, Ripon stuck to their plans and kept the ball as alive as they could do. Though scoring chances were few and far between, let alone unhindered ventures into the home half, the likes of Dalby, Evans and Newcombe carried hard up the middle and Senior, Barrett and Graham followed suit out wider. The Ripon flow eventually got to tell and on 20 minutes into the half, Wharton collected a long looping pass from Bray to make The Blues only line crossing of the day. The move, initiated up the right touchline by Graham, saw a swift recycling before going left. Sleight of hand and confidence in team mates worked well to create the score and Bray was just a tad unlucky as his Conversion attempt veered right at the last moment to leave the score at 21 – 8.

That’s where the score stayed despite a further seven Penalties awarded to Ripon in the final quarter. Denying the hosts their Try Bonus Point was a Pyrrhic Victory of sorts for Ripon, though some more of their own points to match their efforts would have been helpful. In summary, a game in which an early lead was gained by the opposition and perhaps a little too much respect was earned by them. Ripon are far better than the score suggested and could have run the opposition far closer. The season is well past the halfway point with Ripon in possibly its most favourable position at this stage in a decade or so. With results more positive than negative, good league standing and a bustling and enthusiastic squad, the future for the rest of this season and beyond looks very positive indeed.

Ripon 1st XV are back on home turf at Mallorie Park, hosting currently struggling Leeds Corinthians. The kick off will be at 2.15, all supporters very welcome.