As the score-line suggests York delivered a comprehensive and resounding 89 point drumming of Sunderland. The real mismatch between the teams was in the quality of their backlines: York with talent in abundance in this area proved all too much for Sunderland with stand-in fly half Matt Pollen picking up five tries. Lacking Mortimer, full back Tom ‘Bummer’ Morris was also clinical in picking up the extra two points, and in all collected 32 points. Scrum-half Woodley showed his class once again and was particularly efficient with the boot finding Pollen or Gabriel on the end of every kick as regularly as clockwork.  Terrager (T-bag) also collected a hat trick of tries and all the rest of the backline also added themselves to the score board except Woody. No tries did came from numbers 1 to 8.

Nevertheless as any forward will attest, had it not been for the energy about the park, mastery of the lineout’s and all around commitment, the backs wouldn’t have had a ball to play with and the bigger Sunderland pack may have made more of an impression. As it happens the Sunderland pack did have their moment despite resolute York defence and through an endless series of crash balls and consecutive rhino’s they finally managed to cross York’s line. However that was the only sniff Sunderland were allowed all game and had it not been for some very suspect fly hacking coming from open-side flanker Sam Morrisson the Bumblebees could well have picked up a Century. Indeed it was only on his third kicking display instead of picking up the ball and running with it that Morrisson was able to convince the team that his man of the match performance in fact translated to dick of the day!

In all it is a very positive result for the 2nd XV as they now home their sights on promotion into northern conference league 2, yet they do require maximum points from all five remaining games and still have league contenders York St John 1st XV and Sheffield Hallam 2nd XV’s to play. Prediction: York will get promoted after tight games against St John and Hallam as long as they remain injury free and their focus at training remains at match intensity.

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