Back on track for North

After a fortnight break following their first defeat of the campaign against Halifax Vandals, the men of North’s first XV were glad of the opportunity to take on Wheatley Hills RUFC away to get their momentum back. The men’s second XV made the much shorter journey to local rivals Darlington RFC to play their fixture meaning the Lodge was all quiet this last weekend as even the U15’s were on the road down at Otley RUFC.

The game at Wheatley Hills didn’t start favourably for North. Starting the game with aggression and cohesion, Hills put several well worked phases together and scored an early unconverted try. It was into the second quarter of the match before North, who to their credit had absorbed a lot of the pressure, managed to string some play of their own together. A penalty from Jedd Bainbridge got them on the scoreboard before a trademark snipe around the fringes of a ruck from scrum half Jack Tart broke the defensive line and found support in the form of number 8 Iain Swall who crashed over for the visitor’s opening try converted by Bainbridge. From this point on the belief was back in the squad and North stamped their authority on the game. It seemed to be a Swall family show for tries as second row Phil got in on the action, both brothers trading tries as North built a commanding lead and secured the bonus point before half time. Bainbridge dutifully kept converting the tries wherever they were scored. The fitness of the back row ensured that the away side were always first to the breakdown and delivered quick ball to the backs who put into practice many of their training ground moves. Winger Ben Pilling finished off one of these moves to add another to his ever-growing tally for the season. On the stroke of half time Iain Swall decided to one up his brother and
scored his hat-trick try, driving over after numerous forward phases assaulting the Hills try line. On the resumption of play Pilling added yet another try, converted by Bainbridge, taking advantage of a tiring Hills defence. Hills refused to give up the fight though and forced North to work hard for their scores, the hits in defence kept coming and it wasn’t too long into the second half before their defensive efforts earned them possession which they converted into a seven-point score to take the heat out of the visitor’s performance. This proved to be only a consolation try however as captain Ed Meek a grand return to form for the league leaders with a try of his own, spotting a gap near the
try line and powering his way over to score, Bainbridge again converted. It was North who had the last say in the game as well. Centre Joe Greiff capped off a personal dominant defensive display with a show of his attacking capabilities, breaking the line and beating several defenders to score in the last moments of the match. The final score was Wheatley Hills 12 – Northallerton 62. Many thanks to Wheatley Hills for their generous hospitality and to the referee for officiating the match.

Northallerton men’s second XV played out a high tempo game away at Darlington RFC. Soft ground and windy weather conditions made for a sloppy start to the game as both sides struggled to keep the ball in hand. It was the hosts who struck first with a quick phase of play out wide which North’s defence had no answer to. Converting their own try they established a seven-point lead. The visitor’s pack fought hard from this point on, winning multiple lineouts, scrums and turnovers at the breakdown. Man of the match and number 8 Trevor made several massive runs, gaining lots of ground which Darlington struggled to put a stop to. North were unable to capitalise on this momentum though and it was the hosts again who scored twice more before the half time break making full use of their possession. With a big deficit to overcome, the second half commenced, and the away side looked to come back from nineteen points down. Skipper David Baker seemed to find the right words to say at half time though and the lads came out with fire in their bellies, looking to right the wrongs of the first half. North began to use their strength in the forwards to set up some pick and go phases to bludgeon the Darlington defence. After many phases of this the ball was shipped out to centre Gaz Norton who drove over the line to get North back into the match. The try was converted by Ben Gray. Having found a route back into the game, North continued to use their pack to build some quick pods and phase play which made the host’s defence wince. Prop Paul Dixon picked and drove low from ten metres out. Carrying a defender around his neck he played with the penalty advantage and earned his team a penalty try to reduce the deficit. North kept the pressure on for the remainder of the game but couldn’t find the last score needed as Darlington’s defence held firm. The game finished with a final score of Darlington 19 – Northallerton 14. A big thank you to Darlington for their generous hospitality, to the referee for officiating the match, to the two lads from Barnard Castle RUFC who helped when North were short of players and to the many supporters who came to cheer on the team.

Northallerton’s U15 side went on an away trip down to Otley RUFC for what proved to be their sternest test of the season so far. The game was played in great spirits with both sides looking to move the ball around the pitch and put into practice many of their skills from training. The defensive heart and effort of both sides was clear to all spectators; however for the first time this season North were held scoreless as Otley ran out 46 – 0 winners. A great learning experience for a team that has seen plenty of success so far this season and one that it is sure they will bounce back from. Many thanks to Otley for their hospitality and to the referee for officiating.

If any readers would like to play rugby in Northallerton, the men train on Tuesday and Thursday 7pm, the ladies train on Wednesday 7pm and the juniors play on Sunday 10am. All ages and abilities welcome. Please contact the club on social media for more information.