The priority for Northallerton RUFC’s ladies first XV was to have a strong start in their new NC2 league and, having passed the first tests thrown their way with flying colours, they next faced local side Darlington RFC in what would prove to be a fierce contest. The men’s first XV were the only men’s side fielded this weekend whilst the second XV enjoyed a rest. They made the short journey down the A61 to Ripon RUFC for a difficult match which has, in recent times, seen North struggle to get a result.

The prelude to the ladies’ fixture started a good few hours before kick-off as the clubhouse filled to the sounds, smells and tastes of a popular sponsor’s luncheon. Welcoming club members, supporters, sponsors and guests alike, the room was packed to enjoy the famous culinary delights of Sue Mulholland’s cooking. The luncheon provides a good opportunity for people from across the club and outside to come together and enjoy a meal before a match. Several more occasions are in the diary for this season. For any interested parties, please contact the club for more information.
The opposition for North’s ladies presented an unknown challenge as, during the warmup it looked to be a different Darlington side to one they had faced in previous encounters. Indeed, as the game kicked off, the visitors were quickest to regather the ball and set an attacking phase of possession in motion. Within a handful of carries their second row had punctured the host’s defence and charged away down field to score a try under the posts. As the conversion was kicked over, North’s team gathered to try and regroup from this opening salvo. Both sides looked to play an expansive game at times and this style of play can often lend itself to rapid changes of possession as the ball is stolen at the breakdown. This did give both teams plenty of opportunity early on to show their attacking talents and none more so than North’s winger Ellie Readman who took a short pass from a ruck and kicked ahead, spotting a space in behind her opposite player. Chasing the kick herself she grubbered it along the floor several times before scooping the ball up and grounding it over the try line in the corner. A fantastic individual score that raised appreciative cheers from the banks of spectators who saw it up close.
This sudden swing of momentum favoured North and from here they started to go through more of the typical phases, using the forwards to power over the gain line, drag defenders in and then whip the ball wide. This tactic proved successful against a Darlington side that had no answer to the pace of Readman. Loitering on her wing as the ball worked its way through several sets of hands, she set off once again on the outside to leave defenders in her wake and canter towards the posts for her second try in only a few minutes. The added conversion from fly half Grace White meant that North held a significant lead having trailed so early in the match. North continued to use a whole team approach to their attacking play. The interlinking between forwards and backs and the handling skills on show often made it difficult to distinguish which were which. Having secured a five-metre attacking scrum by kicking forwards and applying a competitive chase, the home side looked to this set piece as the chance to turn the screw. The pack managed to regather possession and drive their opposition towards their own goal line as the ball was popped out into the hands of Readman who scooted into the corner to score her hat-trick try in the match.
At this stage in the match, all the momentum seemed to be with the hosts and it was difficult to see how Darlington could bring themselves back into the proceedings. The visitors looked to their powerful carriers to get them over the gain line and this they achieved with great success. By keeping the ball in close quarters and looking to attack outstretched arms they managed to gain good territory on the field with it a penalty from the breakdown as North struggled to find a way to dispel the attack. Kicking this to the corner they won the lineout and hammered on the North door once again. As the attack looked to be fizzling out against a resolute home barricade, a penalty infringement at the ruck was pounced upon by the visitors who took a quick tap, caught the hosts on the hop and crashed over the try line to reduce the deficit. The back-and-forth nature of this game showed no signs of slowing as the first half began to draw to a close. North took the opportunity for one last assault on the Darlington try line. A trademark powerful run from centre Emily McCormack broke through several tackles to bring North within striking distance of the try line. Scrum half Trinity Earnshaw made sure to whip the ball quickly away from the breakdown to her oncoming forward pack who continued to march it onwards, the front row of Amy Pointon, Emma Linthwaite and Katie Frame added their strength to the cause and, as the ball was teetering on the edge of the try line, fly half White picked it up and drove under the mass of bodies to ground it on the white wash in the corner to end the half.

The second half got underway with a slightly reduce pace of play. The frenetic and physical nature of the first half had clearly taken a toll on both sides, and when added to the multiple stoppages for physio calls meant the third quarter of the match was a set piece feast. This gave the game a fascinating alternative aspect. Having witnessed the running capabilities of both sides in the first half, the chance for the packs to have repeated contests against each other gave spectators some very different discussions as both Darlington and North held sway at different times in the lineout and the scrums with North starting to edge the scrum as the half wore on. The breakthrough came from Readman who, once again spotted a gap in the outside channels and, fielding a loose kick, set off for them only to be tackled by a heroic effort from the visiting full back. Finding her supporting winger Josie Arthur on her shoulder she managed to off load to keep the move flowing. As it seemed like Arthur was about the cross the line she was stopped in her tracks by a thumping tackle. Having the nous to hold the ball and recycle, the quick support of North’s back row meant that possession was maintained, and captain Abby Rollings picked the ball to drive it over the line from close range. This try took the hosts out to a commanding lead and from here they were able to dictate the flow of the game, again often around stoppages in play to squeeze the life out of any Darlington attack. The scrum advantage North were enjoying became more of an asset the longer the game went on and as the number of restarts in play grew. During the last few minutes of the game, as they had in the first half, the hosts looked to finish with a flourish and put a spell of possession together than involved a contribution from all players in the team. After working their way towards the clubhouse, it was scrum half Trininty Earnshaw who had the pleasure of scoring the game’s last try underneath the posts, sniping from around the ruck as she often does.
The final whistle was blown with the scoreboard reading, Northallerton 32 – Darlington 12. A tremendous result for North’s ladies and one that sees them stay near the top of the league. Thank you to the referee for officiating the match, to Darlington and their supporters for travelling in good numbers, and a big thank you to the many volunteers and helpers at the club who made the day happen.

The day previous had seen North’s men’s first XV travel to Ripon RUFC in their Yorkshire 2 league fixture. Having tasted success in their previous outing, North were eager to back up the win with another strong performance, aware as they were that Ripon is never an easy ground to visit. It was the home side who made a flying start to the game, using their lightening quick backs to pick holes around the fringes of the defence. A succession of early tries established a strong lead from Ripon and set North on the back foot. Not to be deterred though, the visitors used their strengths in the scrum and lineout to good effect and dragged themselves back into the game. The carries from the forwards often gained good ground and it was only ever a last-ditch tackle, stubborn defending or an unfortunate knock on that deprived North of their opening score. At half time the home side held a twenty eight point lead that looked a daunting challenge for any team to assail. The second half began much the same way as the first did. Ripon moved the ball skilfully into the wider channels to score a handful of tries across several attacking phases of possession. This momentum continued for the hosts in spite of a serious injury to one of their players that forced the game to be moved to a different pitch whilst he received treatment. This break in play gave North time to regroup and they looked to salvage something out of the game, however their best efforts on this day weren’t quite enough to get any points on the board as the match finished with a full-time score of Ripon 47 – Northallerton 0. A learning experience for this side and one that will give good motivation going forward. Some positives to take from the set piece and as always, plenty to learn. Many thanks to Ripon for the generosity in hosting, Northallerton RUFC wishes their player all the best as he recovers from his injury. Many thanks also to the referee for officiating the match, and to all the
supporters of the team who had travelled to cheer the lads on.