ROTHERHAM AWAY

Northallerton 1st team travelled away to Rotherham Phoenix and suffered their second consecutive defeat, losing 23-12.

Northallerton started the game slowly, finding it hard to get any rhythm or fluidity into their game. The home team fly half was controlling the game impeccably with some precise place kicking and commanding his back line well. North tried to keep the ball with their bigger forwards but were having little luck and also coming up against some solid defending from the home team. It was Rotherham’s number ten who showed some slick handling that then led to the first try, when he released his inside centre, who cut through North’s defence to race away and score under the posts. Ten minutes later a similar move, this time with the outside centre running a diagonal line between centre and wing, to run clear and score out wide. The home team fly half converted both tries and combined with 2 penalties, sent the home team in at the break 20-0 up.

North finally woke up at the start of the second half and started to cut out mistakes and get their backs more involved. A long mazy run from Tim Tomling led to a try for winger Rob Green. Tucker converted to bring the score to 20-7. There then followed a stagnant period where neither team could get more than 3 or 4 phases of possession before giving the ball away. Fifteen minutes from the end, James Read started a move from his own half that went through six different players hands before ending up with Tom Rennison touching down in the corner. The conversion fell just short leaving North 8 points behind 20-12. Rotherham closed the game out in the last 10 minutes keeping the ball successfully and forcing North, through frustration into a couple of penalties(prob by Dongsdale). One of which, the home team fly half converted to end the game 23-12.

Northallerton hope to get back to winning ways next week at home to Old Modernians.