Men's rugby 2nds overpowered by Leeds

University of York Men’s 2nds 0-34 University of Leeds 2nds.

2nds feel the brute force of the Leeds lineup

Still searching for a win this season, the BUCS cup draw did York 2nds no favours by pitting them against the top team of the division above them.

For York, progressing against their in-form local rivals was always going to be a big challenge, and this became all too obvious as the home side were pinned to their five metre line in the opening minutes of the game. The defence tackled hard, but were only saved from conceding by a penalty for double movement, and the kick offered little respite from the early onslaught. After failing to spread the ball left, Leeds came back to the right and powered over in the corner, though the try remained unconverted.

Five points down in as many minutes hardly boded well for the home team, and sure enough Leeds lost no time in descending on the tryline once more. A drop in concentration allowed the Leeds thirteen to run untouched right through the centre of the York defence, and a let-off for a forward pass was quickly rescinded by the visitors, who pressured well on the right and this time successfully worked the spread to score in the far corner. The lack of conversion did nothing to soften the blow of concession so close to the half time whistle.

Despite appearing tired during the break, York emerged from it decidedly livelier, as winger Nick Brown beat two men to reach the 5m line. More good running followed, and soon York won a lineout deep in Leeds territory after a tremendous, if fortuitous, kick from fly-half Rob Grant earned the approval of the crowd and the scorn of Mike Calliss. From the set piece, York moved the ball leftwards, but not quite quickly enough to give fullback Ed Drewett the space he needed to beat his man. With this golden opportunity lost, York heads went down, and Leeds slotting three points with a bog-standard penalty kick cemented the low mood.

A third away try followed soon after, and whatever the accuracy of touchline claims of a forward pass, a trio of tackles were missed. Despite incisive backs running, turnover came too easily for Leeds, who duly capitalised by sucking defenders in on the left before crossing the line on the right.

To their great credit, York were still giving their all in attack despite being 27-0 down. Increasingly irritated with the visitors’ persistent minor infringements – particularly not rolling away in the tackle – York lost cohesion, needlessly squandering several simple opportunities. As the game drew to a close, an exhausted and demoralised home side could do little to prevent a Leeds victory try, which with its conversion took the final score to 34-0.

York never truly expected to win this fixture, and Leeds proved to be the polished, professional team of their reputation. They were also a physically daunting side, with strong, tall runners in the backs, and a pack capable of visibly knocking York back in the scrum. Despite having been outclassed, Dudley remained justifiably optimistic post-match: “We gave it a really good go, and if we’d just held onto the ball for a little bit longer and didn’t get turned over, we’d’ve had a real sniff.”

The 1sts may well get more than a sniff next week though, as they play the same Leeds side in the league. Having sussed out their opposition first hand, and given York’s superior results against the same teams this season, revenge could well be as swift as it is sweet. As for the 2nds, facing varsity rivals St John away, there could scarcely be a much better time to grasp that elusive first win. As Dudley said, “It’s all about next week.”

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