The teams of Northallerton RUFC took to the field in full force this weekend, fresh off the back of several good performances across the board in previous weeks. A double header fixture had the men’s first XV away to local side Ripon RUFC looking for their third successive win, whilst the men’s second XV hosted Ripon’s second XV at the Lodge, also looking for a third successive win. The ladies were on the road again, this time away to Acklam RUFC against who they had enjoyed success previously in the season. In a historic moment for the club, the under 16 girls team took part in their first ever fixture, playing against Richmondshire RUFC girls under 16 on the Friday evening under the lights at the Lodge. Another landmark moment for the club this season as these players look to begin their move into the senior teams over the next few years.

The ladies first XV were on the road again, this time for a league fixture away to Acklam RUFC, a team they have enjoyed success against earlier in the season. Keen to bounce back from last week’s narrow cup defeat, they started brightly and were scoring tries from the off. The first name on the score sheet was regular contributor Ali O’Brien with a try within the first thirty seconds. Four more tries followed quickly with Cara Williams and Wiktoria Johnson joining O’Brien on the score board as North’s ladies ran in freely from their own half, causing the host’s all sorts of defensive issues. This early try fest gave the visitors a healthy lead of 33-0. On the back of this, coach Robbo pulled the team to one side and gave his orders for a more structured approach. Upon regaining possession, North quickly worked their way back up the pitch with a bit more of a team feel to their play. Several hard carries by the forwards took the team inside the Acklam 22-metre area and, noticing the space out wide, O’Brien kicked the ball cross-field for winger Shauna Lawson to skilfully collect off the deck and slide over for North’s sixth try of the day. Having endured this early onslaught from the visitors, Acklam would have been forgiven for giving up hope, however the hosts did quite the opposite. Making a few personnel changes seemed to have the desired impact and they showed plenty of character and heart as they took the game to North. From the restart of the game they rushed the away side and carried direct into the defence, putting North on the back foot. They found gaps close to the fringes of the breakdown and pushed through to score their only try of the day. The North ladies soon bounced back and, sticking to what coach Robbo wanted, they played well-structured, phase rugby, dropping to the ground on their own terms
and recycling the ball quickly. This approach paid off with space appearing out wide. The ball was shipped through the hands to Laura Isherwood who had options outside her, but chose to step back inside her defender and dive over for another try. The try scoring continued as O’Brien completed her hat-trick tally with another solo effort from inside her own half. The first half came to close with North in the lead and the score board reading 54-7. A few injuries to the home side reduced their side to thirteen players which North matched for the remainder of the game.
The second half saw an early try from Sarah Rowe who ran a close supporting line to receive a well-paced offload and finish off a good line break by Johnson. Acklam showed that they still had plenty of fight in them and claimed the lion’s share of possession for the next quarter of the game. But for a bit more discipline and structure, they would have been able to convert this pressure into points. North defended well throughout this passage of play and had to in order to keep Acklam at bay. The attacking endeavour of both teams ground to a crawl as the intense pace of the game took its toll until North put some slow phases together and scrum half Trinity Earnshaw gradually built the pace of the passes back up to break the defensive line and burst into Acklam’s half. Wiktoria Johnson was on hand to run in another try, exploiting the spaces in the wider channels. The final moments of the game found debutant Amy Parker in space, the ball in her hands and the whole team willing her on. She managed to break one tackle, step another defender and slide in for her first ever try under the posts showing a keen ambition for scoring. The match finished with a final score of Acklam 7 – Northallerton 73. A very open and high scoring encounter provided plenty of entertainment for the many spectators around the pitch. Many thanks to Acklam for their hospitality, to the referee for officiating the match and to the supporters who travelled to cheer the ladies on.

The men’s first XV went into this match off the back of their first two wins of the season with renewed confidence in their ability. From the outset it was evident to any observer that this was a derby match. The physicality shown by both teams with their lines of running and tackling made for gripping viewing in the opening exchanges. North found they could consistently make ground with their carries however, keeping the ball out of the grasp of the Ripon loose forwards proved a challenge and North were repeatedly turned over at the breakdown. The first score of the match had proved an elusive entity until North conceded a penalty in front of their own posts for infringements at the breakdown and Ripon gladly took the three points. Perhaps due to the pace of the match, North found themselves giving away successive penalties. One of these gave the hosts the attacking platform they desired, a lineout five metres from the North try line. Despite defending the initial drive by the forwards, North were unable to keep the pace and agility of Ripon’s young backs out and they scored the first try of the game in the corner. North restarted and carried the ball well again, making significant in roads to the home side’s territory. Ripon’s loose forwards were proving to be a potent weapon for them and once again they diffused the situation with an opportune turn over. Following this change in possession came a significant turning point in the game. A high tackle in the middle of the field by a Northallerton back rower was deemed to be dangerous by the referee and, when combined with some unpleasant language from the offending player, merited a straight red card, leaving North to continue with only fourteen players and still three quarters of the match to play. A positive sign for North is how the lads pulled together and to may observers it wouldn’t have been obvious that they were a man down. Continuing to play their own game, the ball was carried deep into the Ripon half until the defence had been drawn into a tight space to leave a gap in the corner. The ball was flung out to winger Andy Fleming who dived in to score the try for North. Jedd Bainbridge was unlucky with the touchline conversion as it bounced off the upright. When the referee blew for half time, the game was finely balanced with only five points separating the two teams.

Ripon had clearly had a stern talking to at half time and resumed play with a heightened intensity. This caught the visitors napping and the first try of the second half went the way of the hosts, scoring in the wider channels once again. North seemed unshaken and went about playing their brand of rugby, once again carrying hard in a direct fashion to make metres up the field. For the third quarter of the match the game continued to ebb and flow, both sides making territory and creating chances only to be stifled at the last. An unfortunate collision of heads meant North’s number eight Iain Swall had to leave the field, and a dislocated shoulder for the recently returned Bainbridge made him follow suit shortly after. The reinforcements of Harry O’Connor and Paul Dixon meant that North had some fresh legs on the field however, from this point in, the energy levels required for North’s game plan had taken their toll on much of the team and the youth of Ripon’s team started to show through. The home side took full advantage of the situation and picked up the pace of the game. Moving the ball through the hands to keep the away side on their feet, Ripon succeeded in sapping the last reserves of energy out of North, creating plentiful spaces in the wider channels to exploit. This allowed them to run in a succession of tries in the latter stages of the game to take the scoreboard well out of North’s reach.
The match finished with a final score of Ripon 41 – Northallerton 5. A much-improved performance from North than their first encounter this season. Ripon on the day had too much quality out wide and it showed when it mattered most in the match, a well-deserved win albeit in a game that was tighter than the scoreboard would suggest. Many thanks to Ripon for their generous hospitality, to the referee for officiating the match and to the many spectators who travelled to cheer the team on.

Meanwhile, back at the Lodge, it was North’s men’s second XV who welcomed the Ripon second XV in the opposite fixture. The team have experienced good success in recent weeks with enthusiasm and team work at the fore of the ethos, aided in no small part by the inclusion of Will Robinson and Jake Fisher stepping up from the junior section. At the start of the game, it was immediately apparent that Ripon were a well drilled outfit, moving the ball comfortably through phase play to manoeuvre the hosts around the field. This led to a few early scores that rocked the home side and put them on the back foot. Throughout the game, the defensive efforts from North were never lacking for energy or determination. The mixture of experience and youth once again proved useful as North’s experienced players held their own in the set piece whilst the younger backs covered miles across the pitch making tackles on every part of the field to keep the Ripon tide at bay. North were able to score several tries of their own that helped lift the spirits of the side. Will Robinson, Will Adam and Ben Lovett all making their way over the try line, and with two of the conversion kicked it made for a respectable scoreline. Unfortunately, the day belonged to the visitors who were too well organised and a little bit ahead of the home side when it came to squad development. Running in eight tries in total they took the scoreboard out of North’s reach to finish the day with a final score of Ripon 50 – Northallerton 19. Many thanks to the referee for officiating the match, to Ripon and their supporters for travelling in good numbers and to the many volunteers at the club who helped make the day happen.

It is not often that the Lodge hosts a Friday night game under the lights, and this seemed fitting for what was a historic moment for the club. The under 16 girls squad fielded their first ever side in a match against Richmondshire RUFC under 16 girls. The visitors have had an established youth girls’ section for several years now and North’s girls went into the game expecting a tough encounter. In order to have sufficient numbers to field a side, North had joined forces with several local sides who all enjoyed getting the game to go ahead. Throughout the encounter, girls on both sides played with a ferocity and enthusiasm that thrilled the crowd who had gathered to watch. In the end, the experience of the Shire girls paid dividends, and they came away with the win. The final score was Northallerton/Combined 5 –
Richmondshire 42. A wonderful evening for the club and one that will hopefully propel the squad onto greater things to come. Many thanks to the volunteers at the club who have helped set up and transform this group into a rugby playing side. Thanks also to the referee for officiating the match, to the girls who took part in the combined side and to the Richmondshire girls who travelled to play the game.

For any readers who would like to join the club, the men train on Tuesday and Thursday 7pm, the ladies train on Wednesday 7pm and the juniors play on Sunday 10am. Please contact the club on social media for more information.