UNIVERSITY OF YORK 0 – 65 DURHAM UNIVERSITY

York’s rugby seconds suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Durham in their third game of the season.

The home side came up against a strong and well organised Durham team with the match finishing at 0-65. Top of the league Durham began well and scored their first try within minutes. After York tried to push into the Durham half the away team intercepted and the attacking player was able to run straight to the tryline. The visitors then easily scored the conversion.

York kicked off again and almost immediately found themselves two tries behind as Durham broke through with the try-scorer making a superb run.

Despite missing the conversion Durham continued to pile on the pressure. Some better play allowed York to push their way into the Durham half. However a mistimed pass led to a Durham interception and the away number 9 broke through to get the try.

Durham then converted to make the score 0-19. After a promising break on the right Durham were quick to regain possession and kicked the ball into the right side of York’s half.

The opposing number 19 then sprinted through and was able to add another try to Durham’s tally after some poor tackling. The away side then took the points from the conversion on the half time whistle.

After the break things turned from bad to worse for York. Only minutes after the restart Durham pushed through to score their fifth try of the day before making the conversion.

Durham soon sliced through the defence again but this time missed a much tougher kick for the conversion. It wasn’t long before an away back made a run down the left wing which again resulted in a try.

The visitors then hit the post with the conversion. The home team briefly put some pressure on the Durham defence. York’s progress was quickly reversed though when Durham intercepted a pass and the away back sprinted to the tryline to make it 0-48.

The visitors then scored a longer conversion to hit the 50 mark. Jake Deppe set up a great chance for York when he kicked the ball out on the left to force a line out close to the away tryline.

However York were caught out as an away back advanced up the field where a visiting forward was able to finish off the try. After the away side missed the kick York tried to attack again but made the same mistake.

A poor line out led to the visitors manoeuvring their way up the pitch to score their tenth try of the match. Of little compensation to York was that Durham missed the conversion. York tried one last attack but Durham easily regained possession.

The visitors then played the ball across from left to right culminating in their final try of the game. While the conversion was wasted the visitors still walked away clear winners.

After the game York Captain Jack Eastwood said, “We were playing against a very strong third team. The result was unfortunate but we will be looking forward to playing Durham again. They are an excellent side but we played some good rugby.”

York Team: Fiifi Botchway, Joe Turner, Rob Golding, Sam Carr-Archer, Harry Pampiglione, Jonny Robertson, Matt Thorpe, Jack Eastwood (Captain), Tom Finnerty, Jake Deppe, Baz Bhavich, Alex Summers, Conan Osbourne, Aaron Rolph, Fergus McCallister. Subs: Stuart Duncan, Ed Kemp, Rich Rhodes, Harry Illes, Luke Cuanan, James Ramm, Ian Packard

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UNIVERSITY OF YORK 17-20 LEEDS METROPOLITAN CARNEGIE SECONDS

A superb comeback from Leeds Metropolitan seconds earned them the points on 22 Acres today and ended York’s unbeaten start to the season. A great start had seen the White Rose go 17-0 up but the visitors stormed back into the match and a late penalty from fly-half Ross McIntosh sealed a 20-17 victory.

York were first to strike with stand-in scrum half Will Peters going over the try line. Peters, deputising for the injured Will Ward, went over from close range to make it 5-0. Fly Half Tomasz Chadwick added the extras to put the hosts 7-0 up.

It was soon 12-0 and and it was captain James Faktor with the points. An up-and-under bounced favourably for York and second-row Sam Lord did extremely well to pick up, his pass was measured to perfection, finding Faktor who did the rest.

York were playing some superb rugby and coach Kerry Wood was impressed with what he was seeing. Every aspect of their play was impressive and the visitors appeared rattled. One area of particular domination was the pack and the big men did their stuff to earn York another score, a catch and drive lineout seeing Campbell Paton rumble over the whitewash.

At 17-0 York were well in control but just before half-time the away side began to get back into the contest. A spell of exerted pressure meant Faktor’s side were on the back-foot and scrum-half Ollie Simcox went over to make it 17-7 at the break and slightly change both side’s team talks.

The second half started as the first finished with Leeds Met on top. York’s superb start had hit the buffers and it was the visitors who were growing in confidence. 17-7 became 17-12 as Matt Marskell demonstrated some strong running to go over in the corner and not long after things were all square.

This time it was Matt Keen who went over and on this occasion York were the authors of their own demise. A kick over the top fell to winger Ben Turner but his pass inside was intercepted by Keen and he just had enough pace to touch down. The subsequent conversion was missed leaving the game brilliantly poised at 17-17.

York went on the offensive looking for the win but Leeds Met threatened as well. It was the away side who edged in front, McIntosh knocking over to make it 20-17. The last ten minutes were all about York trying to get ahead but, barring a penalty that was kicked to the corner, there were few clear-cut opportunities to make the match theirs.

The game ended with Leeds Met still ahead and with it went York’s 100% record this season. The home side had started so well but they couldn’t maintain their dominance and Leeds Met displayed why they are one of the best sporting universities in the country.

Captain James Faktor was unsurprisingly disappointed to lose but couldn’t blame his players for their effort: “We came in at half-time and Woody (Coach Kerry Wood) and I were saying we had been pretty much faultless. After that we couldn’t pick anything else up, it was perhaps a touch of complacency on our part. We took our foot off the gas but they were quality outside as well, we tend to deal very well with big sides who hit us hard up-front but they were impressive in the backs.”

With hindsight the late penalty could have been used as an avenue to kick at goal, level the scores and go again but Faktor explained the thinking behind kicking for touch: “Two of our tries had come from drives, we were confident we could do it again but they stood firm. The kick was no gimme either, and the last one hadn’t gone so well. I spoke to Tomasz and he said ‘let’s go for the corner’. It was always going to be a risky call.

“Credit to them though, their defence really held up. We’ll get back on the training pitch, keep working and hopefully we’ll come back stronger.”

George Wissen, Gregor Morris, Fraser Kirkly, Jordan Huey-Abbott, Sam Lord, Adam Gaskill, Sam Morrison, James Faktor, Will Peters, Tomasz Chadwick, Gabriel Adebiyi, Matt Pollen, Will Sharp, Ben Turner, Richard Bremner.

Subs: Greg Walsh, Campbell Paton, James Arnold, Tim Ross, Hugo Watson, Matt Darroch

Try: Paton, Peters, Faktor

Cons: Chadwick

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The last time the rugby teams of York and Lancaster went up against each other they did so in front of a crowd of 3,000 people as part of a thrilling Friday night of Roses. When they kicked off yesterday, watched by approximately thirty people, the game had a very different feel to it – a point underlined by the fact that running the line was Will Sharp’s dad, persuaded to help out just as the whistle was being blown.

Nevertheless the result was the same with York putting in a fine second-half display to overpower their opponents and win comfortably 29-13.

It was the visitors, no longer sporting their let’s-all-look-ridiculous-together bleached blonde hair, who started the strongest, enjoying much of the possession and the territory with York struggling to grab a foothold in the game. Their cause was not helped by the referee who failed to endear himself to the York faithful throughout the match, often blowing up for penalties that the White Rose was less than impressed about.

Lancaster went ahead via the boot of Luke Flanagan, converting his second attempt at a penalty. The referee then risked the wrath of the home side even further, sin-binning centre Matt Pollen and reducing the hosts to 14 men. Flanagan doubled his side’s lead soon after, dropping a goal to make it 6-0.

Captain James Faktor’s side stood firm despite being a man down and after a Lancaster player joined Pollen in the bin for hands in the ruck the hosts struck back with a superb score. Gabriel Adebiyi received the ball near his own try line, put on a demonstration of his lightning pace before releasing flanker Adam Gaskell who impressed with gas of his own to touch down and reduce the away side’s lead to just one point.

Another drop goal, this time from York’s Will Peters, put the hosts ahead but Lancaster came back strong and went into the lead ahead through prop and captain Wilf Whittle. The big man showed an impressive turn of pace, allied with some more evident strength, to barrel over from just inside the 22 and when the extras were added Lancaster were up 13-8 at half-time.

The first forty minutes had been Lancaster’s, in truth, but after the interval it was all about York. Their first of three tries in the second period did come thanks to a slice of luck but once it had been scored York looked resolute and offered no avenue back for the away side.

A high kick bounced fortuitously for York and, after some great work by Matt Pollen, winger Ben Turner went over for the try. Fresher Tomasz Chadwick, who looks an impressive addition to the side, added an impressive conversion from the touchline. The next ten minutes were all York, but Lancaster defended bravely and stood firm, keeping the score at 15-13 to the White Rose.

The game then took a twist and once again it was at the behest of the referee, sin-binning York’s captain James Faktor. A player down and with just a two-point lead the pressure was on York but they were hard-working and professional and didn’t look like conceding in the ten minutes that they played with 14.

The game was wrapped up in the last ten minutes in impressive fashion. Firstly a great break by the powerful Greg Walsh set up scrum-half Will Ward who went over for five more points before some more impressive work by Pollen saw full-back Richard Bremner cross the whitewash to seal the game.

New captain James Faktor was pleased with his side’s performance, their second victory in two games: “I’m pleased with the second win on the bounce. I told the players to forget about Roses, this game was all about getting points on the board for our promotion push.

“The Freshers did well, we haven’t clicked yet but we’re always improving. It’s a pattern we often see, teams hitting us hard early on before our fitness, tactics and hands see us fight back in the second half. We have a great chance of going up, the quality of Freshers is very high, some third years said the trial was the best they’ve ever seen.”

York’s starting XV
1. Rishi Naidoo

2. Gregor Morris

3. Fraser Campbell

4. Jordan Huey Abbott

5. Sam Lord

6. Adam Gaskell

7. Sam Morrison

8. James Faktor (c)

9. Will Ward

10. Will Peters

11. Gabriel Adebiyi

12. Matt Pollen

13. Will Sharp

14. Ben Turner

15. Richard Bremner

16.  Campbell Paton

17.  Greg Walsh

18. James Arnold

19.  Tom Chadwick

20.  Hugo Watson

21.  Matthew Darroch

Try: Bremner, Gaskell, Ward, Turner

Cons: Peters, Chadwick (2)

Drop Goal: Peters

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The team were fired up and for many of the 1st XV this could be the last game of their York careers on home turf so all were ready to go in hopes of an upset. As the game began hits came in from both sides, Birmingham dominated early play and broke through a couple of tackles early, however York defence was strong and Birmingham were put back in their half unrewarded for their efforts.

York more than matched Birmingham in the scrums and were even breaking through their back line with breaks from Michael James and Tom Bugge however ill-discipline was costing York badly, and with a line-out on their five metre line York were under pressure. It was only a last ditch tackle by Mike Callis that saved York from conceding early points. Despite York’s resilience Birmingham did profit from another York penalty only getting three points on this occasion.

York fought back hard and with the forwards working tirelessly in defense it seemed like York were open to more scores, however some more exquisite scrambling defence from backs and forwards York felt like they could match this Birmingham side and started to put some phases together. Unfortunately, York’s defence and attack came at a price a double hit on the Birmingham centre from Rob Grant and Will Felgate saw Grant leave the field blooded and sore. (currently recovering after several nights in hospital, minor surgery on the two breaks in his jaw, metal plates and screws in place, still looks great though) and then injury prone Mike Callis once again charging through the centre with his head, having to be substituted after another lack of consciousness on the pitch.

Despite the blow of losing two key players changes were made to the York side. Play resumed with Tim Walker slotting three points and drawing things level, York had a new spring in their step.

The start of the second half saw the barrage of hits and crashes continuing from both sides. Some solid work from the York scrum was starting to really turn the screws on their opposition however line-out ball was scarce it appeared the two titans were locked in epic battle one an unmovable object and the other an unstoppable force either side willing to do anything for that half a yard that could change the game in their favour.

With great work from the York back-line an opening appeared Ryan Johnson on as a substitute beat his man on the outside down the right wing and he had support, Michael James on his inside moving up past the half way, drawing two defenders, a secure offload and York were through Felgate came steaming up the inside only for a Birmingham full back to get the slightest of touch leaving the ball agonisingly short of his grasp, this was a chance gone begging for York.

Birmingham fought back and were making ground the legs of the York defence were growing weary after making tackle after tackle, and it was at this time when the one crack in the York  defence appeared, a quick passage of play saw Birminghma move the ball from left to right and then back quickly, with the York defence not being able to scramble back across in time a soft try was conceeded, York heads dropped with only a short amount of time left to play had they thrown it all away, however with the conversion missed their was still hope for York another memorable comeback was on the cards.

York pushed and pushed and from the kick off found themselves deep in Birmingham territory and huge scrum five metres out, and it was here where so many times this season York would drive over. The surge came the ground churned before them the line came closer and closer still Tom Weir had the line in his sight….that is until the opposition seven decides that the ball is now in-play and smothers the ball. The referee is no where to be seen and Birmingham sigh with relief as they play the ball away.

A missed penalty was the closest York came to rescuing their trophy dreams after this, Birmingham leave surely content to have beaten a strong York side. final score 8-3. A mention of congratulations and admiration must go to all our departing third and fourth years who have given years of dedication to the club as this will be their last home game of their UYRUFC careers they have taken York to new heights of rugby and we all give a thanks for that, and best wishes in their future careers.

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