Ripon travelled to Leeds to take on Bramley Phoenix on their home turf and in the aftermath of “Storm Amy”, it was the hosts who played the difficult conditions better and ran out deserved winners. Ripon turned in their least successful performance in the past four weeks and simply couldn’t make the most of their good possession and strong set piece, or the weather when it offered a distinct first half advantage. Bramley contested every area of play and Ripon scored two good first half tries to turn around level-pegging at half time, but the hosts went on to use the weather to their advantage and take the spoils. Ripon will have to be satisfied with a losing bonus point, but now languishing in eighth position in the league, this is not a place Ripon expected to be in at this point in the season and will be searching for inspiration and better fortune in the weeks to come.

After the deluge of injuries from last week’s game and other personnel being unavailable, the Ripon squad was hit by a further 10 changes from last week’s selection and a situation not conducive to building a stable or consistent platform to sustain success on the field. Returning to the fold were last week’s absentees: Player Coach Allan Hudson in his favoured position at Open Side and man of the match Jordan Layne at Number 8. Recalls were also given to Anderson as front row replacement and co-Player Coach Alex Riley as back replacement. Four positional changes reorganised the back line so as to be unrecognisable from last week and the squad celebrated the 1st XV debut of Ben Rickard as utility forward cover.

The rest of the squad saw Mark Baldwin starting at Full Back from last week’s bench and ending the game at Number 10, gaining a place on the scoreboard for his troubles. Zak Kirby was out, then back into the squad again and contributed effectively on his Wing. Henry Hanson complemented the Wing pairing on the opposite side and added to the scoreboard with a good try to finish off a back row move. Will Barrett moved into his favoured position at Outside Centre and whilst instrumental in several strike moves; didn’t quite achieve the penetration he sought. Jacob Drane completed the Centre pairing and gained credit for Ripon’s first score on two minutes. James “Barney Rubble” Cooper started at Number 10 and Harry Drane kept his position at Scrum Half.

In the pack the inexorable Newcombe started at Loose Head and then crept his way insidiously across the whole front row as his fellow triumvirate compatriots, left the field though injury or exhaustion. Skipper Pearce started at Hooker before being sidelined with a back injury. However, showing true grit, the hardy Hooker returned to the fight later. Sam “20 minutes max” Stoddart, started at Tight Head and managed to beat his own record by being subbed at 17 minutes, with nobody quite sure of the reason.

The second row saw the now familiar pairing of Britton and Rayner, the former aiming to improve his impact during games by shortening warm up times so as not to peak too early and the latter being removed from play prematurely with a head injury. The back row saw stalwart Billy Fletcher keep his place at Blind Side and put in another unsung hero performance. Hudson and Layne made up the rest of the back row, both of whom created havoc in open play and proved a dominant force at line out time. The bench saw Keith Anderson champing at the bit to beef up the scrum and Alex Riley eager to put his coaching practices into game play. Bringing up the rear was a fine 1st XV debut for Ben Rickard, establishing himself neatly at Number 8 in the second half.

Ripon kicked off with the advantage of both wind and slope and Wing Zak Kirby was first to the hovering ball to reclaim possession for The Blues. A fumble in midfield brought the move to a close and the hosts cleared their lines. The following line out was won by Layne and a blind side attack by Kirby kept the ball in play to feed Jacob Drane to cross the line. The conversion attempt went awry in the unpredictable conditions but Ripon were happy to be 0 – 5 up within two minutes.

Bramley responded positively within the next couple of minutes and after a foul tackle, reduced the deficit with a finely taken penalty goal into the wind and 3 – 5 on five minutes. Play hotted up somewhat as both sides got into their groove. A clumsy tackle attempt by Hudson saw him yellow carded at nine minutes and with the hosts opting for a scrum from the penalty, launched a simple attack from the base to cross the Ripon line. A moment of confusion between touch judges and referee, led to the wayward conversion attempt being awarded and Bramley in the lead for the first time at 10 – 5.

Further attacks by both sides were stifled by stern defence and despite the dreadful weather and slippery pitch, some surprisingly good rugby was played. Into the second quarter, Ripon started to get the advantage in terms of territory gained and refereeing decisions. With a Bramley forward yellow carded for a repeat breakdown offence, Ripon made the most of the extra man and in a carbon copy of the host’s try, Ripon opted for a five metre scrum. Layne broke blind and fed Hanson to scamper over for The Blues’ second try. The conversion attempt went as badly as its predecessor and Ripon finished the half with a balanced 10 – 10 scoreline.

The second half saw both teams using their bench to try and ring the changes and cover for yet more injuries. Whilst the hosts used the conditions much better than the visitors in terms of territorial kicking, this was very much a war of attrition with neither side giving nor taking any quarter. As the final quarter got underway, Ripon transgressed at a scrum and from the touch kick, Hudson saved the line out for Ripon, but a fumble in midfield gave Bramley the initiative again. Recycling the ball quickly and effectively, the hosts put their speedy left Wing into space and the flat footed Ripon defence succumbed to the reversal of play. Bramley touched down with the unconverted try with 12 minutes to go and 15 – 10.

A further opportunity for Bramley to extend the lead was missed as a penalty goal attempt drifted wide, but another chance came four minutes later, when a foul tackle gifted an easy penalty goal to them for 18 – 10 and Ripon needing a prayer to stay in the game. With further personnel changes, just to keep the game alive in the dying moments, Ripon were gifted a penalty in front of the posts. With the chance to reduce the deficit to a losing bonus point via either a try or a penalty goal, the latter was seen as “discretion being the better part of valour”. Stand in goal kicker Mark Baldwin coolly converted the penalty goal to give Ripon a less worrying final score of 18 – 13.

In a game that was a far cry from recent outings against the same opposition, Ripon had much to take away in terms of learning, particularly in match management and scoring from pressure consistently. A major positive of the afternoon was, despite the one yellow card awarded against Ripon, the overall penalty count was restricted to just three in each half: Ripon’s best outcome of the season to date. Improved discipline is always a welcome contributor to team performance, so this is a good step in the right direction. In other aspects of the game, the challenge remains around sustainably exploiting advantages and converting pressure into points.

Next week, Ripon are back in league action and still on the road again to Otley this time on Saturday 11 October, where they face Old Otliensians at “Chaffers Field”. Newly promoted to this Division this season and already getting used to winning ways, this will provide a tough challenge for The Blues. All travelling support will be very welcome for the 3.00pm kick off.