3rd XV
Matches
Sat 05 Oct 2019
Burley 2nd XV
0
14
Leos RUFC
3rd XV
Tries: K Parsons, N HarrisConversions: F Johnston (2)Yellow Carded: T Davies
Burley Away Match Report

Burley Away Match Report

Billy Marsh6 Oct 2019 - 19:03
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Match Report by Kenny Parsons

Leos 3s continued their solid start to 2019-20 as tries from Kenny Parsons and Nick Harris saw off a determined Burley 2nd XV. This was a win built on solid defence and work rate, as well as attacking structure which continues to improve as the team gels together.

This match was also notable for the return of glorious leaders Billy Marsh and Adam Ketteringham from injury, but as they started the match on the bench the side was led by James “JD” Debenham. Played on the smaller of Burley’s two pitches, the match started ferociously and continued in that vein throughout, with strong tackling and a general lack of space meaning that clear cut opportunities were rare. Leos started well, with the 9/10 axis of Fergus Johnston and Tom Davies working well and moving the ball around the field efficiently. Up front it was a real battle as the Leos’ forwards clashed with a sizeable and physical Burley pack. Despite playing up the hill Leos competed ably, with back rowers Mark Kerruish and Sammy Parmenter carrying hard whilst Kenny Parsons and Carl Stephenson made a nuisance of themselves on the floor, claiming repeated turnovers. The set piece was also strong with JD controlling the lineout and the driving maul proving a reliable source of hard won metres.

By contrast the Burley threat largely came out wide, with their 10 and 13 both being evasive and difficult customers for a Leos’ back line containing three Australians, including Spandan Das who was apparently playing his first game of rugby union, not that one would know it from the way he acquitted himself capably. Aside from the odd break which was quickly snuffed out, the Leos’ backs generally contained their opponents well, with the aforementioned Das and centre Brendan Fosh to the fore.

The slope did not help Leos’ attacking intentions and they were only able to make one serious trip to the Burley 22, after some slick hands through the backs saw Shaun Tatlow break away down the left wing. The ball was recycled and moved back to the middle, at which point the Leos pack engaged the battering ram and hammered away at Burley’s gates. Stephenson went closest, being brought down mere inches short, whilst an attempt by hooker Tom Smethan to sneak through was also stopped by a desperate tackle. Ultimately though Leos were unable to cross and credit must go to Burley for their superb defence. Quite unusually, the half time score was 0-0, with Burley just about shading it so far.

With the slope now working in their favour however Leos began to take control in the second half. Every forward carry now had the added momentum gained from the hill, whilst the scrum began to move inexorably forwards. Fifteen or so minutes into the second half, the deadlock was finally broken, in initially bizarre circumstances.

Scrum half Fergus Johnstone, taking a penalty kick to touch, sliced it horribly into midfield. This however caught the Burley back three napping and the ball was allowed to roll almost to the tryline. When it was finally gathered by the Burley fullback he was forced to step back over his own line to evade the pursuing Johnstone, who atoned for his error by tackling him behind his own posts. From the resulting 5m scrum Leos got a good shove on, but not enough to force Burley over their own line. Once again the ram was brought to the walls and once again Burley’s defence stood firm, but as the phases and pressure mounted their forwards increasingly became clustered on the right hand side, from Leos’ perspective. Sensing an opportunity, second row Kenny Parsons called for the ball to be switched left. Scrum half Johnstone obliged on what seemed like phase 20 or something. Taking the pass cleanly, Parsons crashed through the Burley scrum half’s attempted tackle and plunged over beneath the posts with a slightly OTT roar of triumph. Not an elegant try, but effective nonetheless. Johnstone knocked over a straightforward conversion to give Leos a 7-0 lead, which normally would be a slim margin but in the context of this game represented quite the task for Burley.

The home side responded well though and arguably controlled the remainder of the game. Their forwards had hard work of it up the hill, but their backs posed a real threat and it was only through a combination of excellent Leos defence, handling errors and sheer luck that they were kept out. Jamie Crighton and Brendan Fosh both excelled in the centres, keeping the line solid. With around ten minutes left though Leos delivered the killer punch, again in unusual circumstances. Following some excellent carries up front from JD, Richard “Tricky” Carter and, in particular, Steven Lloyd who just seemed to slide through tackles like a lubricated ferret, fly half Tom Davies spotted some space in behind the Burley right wing and punted downfield. The ball seemed destined for touch and thus the Burley player stopped (to be fair, he was being sick a few minutes beforehand), but instead the ball tiptoed down the line and, assisted by a smart bit of footwork from Theo (another one of our new Aussie contingent) remained on the field. Fullback Nick Harris took full advantage, scooping the ball up and dotting down under the sticks. After a long consultation with the touch judge, RefCadge awarded the try which effectively killed the game. Fergus Johnstone knocked over another conversion for a 14-0 lead.

Burley weren’t done yet though and went back on the attack, roared on by their 1st XV whose game had now finished. Their progress however was hampered with six minutes remaining as they went down to 14 men when one of their lads inflicted a nasty high shot on Jamie Crighton (I think) and was de facto sent off, being issued with a yellow card which removed him for the rest of the game and also helped RefCadge avoid some tedious paperwork. This did not deter the men in maroon however and after a lung busting 40 metre charge from their tight head prop (is there anything greater on a rugby field than a front five player in full flight? A clue - no) the home side found themselves hammering at Leos’ line. Tom Davies, who other than this had an excellent game, then blotted his copybook with a cynical deliberate knock on which earned him a yellow card and D*ck of the Day, but the Leos’ defence was up to the task and held firm to nil the home side. Final score: 14-0.

This was a tough, bruising encounter and full credit to Burley for a really strong performance, especially considering it was their first 2nd XV match for at least two years apparently. Leos 3s continue to gel and the improvement in structure and cohesion was evident in today’s match, which will have done the team no end of good. Man of the Match (AND D*ck of the Day) was fly half Tom Davies for a composed and tidy performance where he controlled the Leos’ attack really well. There were a number of strong showings up front from Sammy Parmenter, Mark Kerruish and others, whilst both Steve Lloyd and Tricky made big impacts off the bench. Out back, Brendan Fosh and Jamie Crighton both defended stoutly and looked threatening with the ball in hand. Next week’s game sees Leos face up to what will no doubt be another big physical challenge in Pontefract 3s, as this team continues to gel together and build every week. Overall, an impressive and well earned win.

Match details

Match date

Sat 05 Oct 2019

Kickoff

15:00
Team overview
Further reading

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