Brodleians 10 - 28 Rishworthians

Reds put cup defeat behind them to win local derby

Match Report Sunday 29th January - Friendly

Sunday morning at Copley was white, crisp and very hard so the home game that should have taken place was re-located to Woodhead, where amazingly, all pitches were playable. With more matches than pitches Rishies had to wait until passed 12.30 before their derby game began. After last weeks disappointing cup loss to Huddersfield it was imperative that the Reds at least put on a better display.

Both teams began the match at a fast pace which caused turnovers in the rucks on both sides, but Brods settled first and began to throw the ball around. The Reds were on the back foot as last week and Brods managed to cross the line but thankfully ruled held up. From the ensuing 5 metre scrum the ball went from the left across field to the winger on the right who managed to dive over in the corner.

This seemed to be a wake up call to the Reds because they took play to the Brods and pounded the home line but the final pass went to ground. Most play then reverted to midfield where Will Fielden tracked the Brods scorer across field and threw him in to touch. He then followed this up with a try saving tackle on the line, but Brods persistence saw them have another try cancelled out after being ruled held up again. The Reds then won the scrum against the head. Fly half Sam Bake booted the ball in to space deep in Brods territory which was chased down by Sam Nunn who managed to kick the ball on towards the posts. Brods recovered the ball but were immediately turned over, and Fielden was on hand to pick up and go, and from 10 metres out he wasn't going to be stopped. Jacob Bower stepped up, added the extra points, and the Reds had sneaked ahead.

From the restart play was taken back in to the Brods half by Lewis Ackroyd, and from a series of quick rucks Nunn took the ball at pace and sliced his way through the defence to score the Reds second try. A successful conversion by Bower gave the Reds a 14-5 half time lead. After a slow start we were happy with the half time score.

Half Time Brodleians 5 - 14 Rishworthians

The second period began the same as the first with terrific pressure from the Brods on the Reds try line, but stoic defence was awarded with a scrum. Scrum half Will McDonnell produced a lovely box kick over the home defence which was chased down by winger Ben Rooney. He beat the defender to the ball, kicked on twice towards the try line, and with the try beckoning he bent to collect the ball but lost his footing and the chance had gone. Brods brought play straight back and managed to find a gap in the Reds defence to score. The kick was missed and the score was 14-10.

The Rishies boys found themselves defending for all they were worth again, but managed to turn the ball over and clearance kicks from McDonnell and Nunn relieved the pressure. A Rishies lineout 15 metres from the home line was superbly taken by Ackroyd at the back and quick ball through the backs saw Bake cross the line but yet again the try was not given. From the scrum Bake again charged at the line and this time there was no denying him. Bower again added the conversion and the visitors now had a comfortable margin.

All credit to the home team, spurred on by their vocal support, they put the Reds under pressure in the last few minutes. The Reds defence, forwards and backs together, were immense and again managed to steal the ball. Another McDonnell clearance up field was chased down by lightning Rooney, and as his previous attempt, he kicked the ball on 4 times, dropped his mouth guard, thought about picking it up but didn't, and pounced on the bouncing ball over the line for a well taken individual try. The conversion was added by Bower and the final score was 28-10 to the Reds.

A great game of rugby watched by a very appreciative crowd of supporters who rightly applauded both teams at the finish. The score may be slightly flattering to the Rishies, but it was a win ground out against a very decent Brods team. Hats off to every Rishies player for the way that they played for each other. This was particularly evident in the immense defensive display, a lot of times on our own line. After last week this was a much needed confidence booster.

Tries: Will Fielden, Sam Nunn, Sam Bake, Ben Rooney.
Cons: Jacob Bower 4

Player points: Will Fielden (3), Tom Cockroft and Ben Rooney (2), Jacob Bower (1)

Dave Mc

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Squad
	1. G Day	2. T Hayley	3. J Robbins
6. T Cockroft				7. J Oldroyd
	4. G Radcliffe		5. L Ackroyd
		8. J Bower C4
9. W McDonnell
	10. S Bake T
		12. J Davis
			13. S Nunn T
11. W Fielden T				14. O Marshall
		15. N Cooper
Subs
J Highley J Gledhill	B Rooney T	J McHugh,	L Hilton	T Creasy