Sheffield Hallam 2nd vs. York 2nd
March 8th, 2010 by Reporter_2ndSheffield Hallam University’s Men’s 2nd XV: 15 – University of York Men’s 2nd XV: 17
This night game, under the Huddersfield 1st XV flood-light pitch was pipped by most as the league decider. UYRUFC had never seen their second team so focused or fired up and the warm up was executed with real purpose and precision. The Hallam boys made the mistake of making the Yorkies wait around five minutes before they emerged from their changing rooms, and the opening minutes set the tempo for the entire game. From the kick off (Morty once again delivered his textbook high and lofty restarts) Captain Tate was there to put in a huge opening hit and win York the turn-over. York proved totally dominant in this opening spell and it wasn’t long before Bremner was given a little space on the wing, and following a vintage Brem side-step he was able to just get the ball down in the corner. Mortimer added the two points in all too familiar a fashion.
York continued to apply pressure but ill discipline now crept into the Yorkie game and successive penalties relieved Hallam defence. The penalty count continued to mount and Morrisson was sin-binned on the fifteen minute mark for repeated handling infringements in the ruck. York down to 14 men now had the pressure applied on them. The York defence held tight though and Morty was able to get the boys out of hot water with a sublime tactical kicking display. Still playing with a man down, York were showing their class in the scrum and won a penalty against Hallam, Wood took a quick one and Pollen finished it off with a hand off to score under the posts. Morrison returned to the field with York 14-0 up and York were soon exerting serious pressure on the Hallam lines. Wood took a quick penalty again and went it alone being brought down but not held and burrowed his way past another Hallam defender to score under the posts. Unfortunately in a bizarre decision the referee declared double movement and Wood and York were denied. The half ended with York pressuring the Hallam 22 but again ill discipline saw the Bumble-bees leave their ending spell on the Hallam 5 metre line with nothing.
The Hallam boys came out firing and play was tight for the opening 10 of the second half. The York backs showed their class again and in an unbelievable refereeing decision York were denied a try as it was deemed Matt Pollen was held up over the line. The York defence now really started to get stretched and Captain Tate who had been leading from the front with some monumental hits was unfortunately was forced off as a blood replacement having ripped the top of his right ear around the 60 minute mark. On came Crosse. Having lost the instrumental Tate, Hallam were now finally able to find a way through and break over the York line, but the referee deemed this ball held up too. Carma.
With the York scrum under serious pressure following Hallam (1st team) replacements, Hallam made the most of their five metre scrum and crashed over the York try-line. York now brought on Blessed for Garmston to bolster the front row (about 8 stone of added weight) and some fresh legs in the backs seeing Johnston come on for Gabriel and Tilney for Morrison. With these more experienced heads brought on York were looking to close the game out. Indeed when York were awarded a penalty and Morty slotted it the lead was 17-7 with fifteen minutes remaining: York took their foot off the gas. As a result of this and the fatigue of the first sixty minutes play started to open up and Hallam won another penalty to bring the scores to 17-10.
On the end of a Hallam boot Forsythe had his eye cut open and Sam Carr-Archer was brought on as York’s final replacement. However within two minutes of joining the field, a minor infringement saw the referee lose patience and sin-bin Carr-Archer with ten minutes left. A tired York side after a very physical encounter could no longer hold Hallam out with 14 men and Hallam scored in the corner. Thankfully the Hallam kicker missed to leave York 17-10 ahead. When another scrum went down Johnson’s temperamental ankles buckled but with no further replacements he was forced to stay on or else York would be playing with 13, hobbling around he failed to make any impression in the last ten minutes. Indeed York were lucky to hold out and watching the Hallam ten line-up a final penalty hearts were filled with dread; he thankfully missed and in the final play Tate (back on from his blood sub) kicked the ball out. York should have won by more but did well considering 20 minutes of the game were spent with just 14 men.
York 2nd XV:
1.Welsh, 2.Garmston, 3.Shepherd, 4.Forsythe, 5.Johnson, 6.Tate, 7.Morrison, 8.Rishi, 9.Wood, 10.Mortimer, 11.Gabriel, 12.Pollen, 13.Terrager, 14.Bremner, 15.Morris, 16.Wissen, 17.Holder-Williams, 18.Carr-Archer, 19.Johnston, 20.Felgate, 21.Tilney
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