LYMM continued their winning start to the sesonw ith a thrilling 27-28 victory at Sheffield Tigers, a place they had never won before.
The weather was good and the pitch looked in perfect condition for open rugby. Lymm knew that Tigers, even though near the foot of the table, would provide a stern test, and so it proved!
Lymm made one change to the starting line up with Dan Hunter making his first start at loose head prop in place of Ralph McEachran and Ethan Kermode, a John Moores University student, making his appearance on the bench.
Lymm kicked off against a fresh breeze and immediately regained possession. This led to a period of recycling in and around the Tigers 22 but the strong defence could not be breached as Lymm pounded away. Lymm were awarded two penalties which they decided to kick to the corner but again their efforts were repelled.
Then after 9 minutes Tigers were driving the ball out from the 22 when Oli Higginson stripped the ball and quickly fed the ever alert Harry Martin who sprinted to the line to score an unconverted try. Tigers responded immediately, retaining possession and pounding away at the Lymm defence using their big forwards. They were met by ferocious Lymm defence led by the scavenging back row.
The pressure eventually told as the Tigers centre broke through a couple of Lymm tacklers to score a try near the posts which was converted. 7-5 18 mins.
Lymm were now under pressure and started to be penalised as Tigers, buoyed by the try, stepped up the pace. They converted a penalty to make it 10-5 and things were looking worse for Lymm as they lost promising second row Josh Maskery with a suspected dislocated shoulder. He was replaced by Ethan Kermode.
Lymm started to steady the ship and began to gain some territory, again moving the ball around without threatening the line too much, but a penalty ensued and Tom Shard took the three points. 10-8 26 mins. Just before half time Lymm had their best period with Rob Makin making a half break, and after numerous phases the ball was moved wide and it seemed certain that Paddy Jennings would score in the corner but good cover defence knocked him into touch. The referee came back for a penalty under the posts which Tom Shard converted 10-11.
That was the last score of the half in which Lymm defended well, but their attack was slightly off with either the ball not going to hand or the pass being misplaced, allowing the Tigers defence the time it needed to reorganise. Lymm would have the advantage of the breeze in the second half, and hoped that their fitness would prevail.
Half time – 10-11
Tigers kicked off the second half and Lymm continued to move the ball around but were making little headway except for the odd half break. Tigers started to look a little sharper and after good pressure the Lymm defence eventually broke and their centre scored wide out to regain the lead at 15-11.
Lymm responded by trying to up the pace with Paddy Jennings making a good midfield break but the attack faded out as they made another error. At this stage it looked as if it was going to be one of those days when for all the endeavour nothing was going to hand and Tigers appeared comfortable in defence. However, up stepped Sam Wadsworth to change the course of the game with two moments of class .Firstly Lymm won good line out ball 50 metres out and quick ball was moved to the centre who showed good footwork and strength to burst through the Tigers’ defence, drawing the full back and, like all good wing forwards, Harry Martin was on his shoulder to sprint into the corner from 20 metres for a try that Tom Shard converted. 15-18.
Tigers kicked off, Lymm secured the ball and Cal Morris put a towering kick into the Tigers half .Their full back was under the ball but Sam Wadsworth chased hard, leapt and caught the ball to sprint to the line from 40 metres – 15-23 with 2 tries scored in two minutes. The momentum was now with Lymm who increased the pace of the game.
The rucks were getting quicker and the passes were going to hand. Tigers were holding on but were eventually penalised. Lymm decided to go for the touch rather than goal in pursuit of the bonus point.
A textbook catch and drive resulted and as the bodies peeled off James Pitcher came up with the ball. 15-28 with 5 minutes to go, Tigers looked as if they were out of gas and as the momentum was with Lymm it looked all over. However, as we found to our cost in this league last season, nothing is over until the final whistle!!
Tigers kicked off but Lymm were penalised at the breakdown. This resulted in a kick to the corner and after numerous phases and stout defence, Tigers crashed over near the posts for a converted try. Lymm restarted and Tigers found new energy as we all presumed this was the last play. They played at pace and running strongly they forced a penalty which was kicked to the corner. Lymm defended the line out heroically and the subsequent pick and go but were penalised again.
This time Tigers opted for the scrum but the young Lymm front row held firm. The pick and goes were again dispatched backwards as Tigers threw the proverbial kitchen sink at Lymm. Eventually they moved the ball to the centre who went on an arcing run to put his winger in for a try 10 metres from the touch. 27-28 with the last kick of the game to come.
The Lymm supporters (who could watch!) held their breath as the Tigers full back struck the ball. It initially appeared to be going over but struck the post and bounced out into the field of play much to the delight and relief of Lymm.
This game showed there are no easy games in this league. Tigers were very competitive and I’m sure if they continue to play like this they will climb the league. Lymm were slightly off in attack but showed great commitment in defence, and this, along with the two moments of magic from Sam Wadsworth, ultimately proved enough to take the points from a well-drilled, committed Tigers team.
It would be remiss not to mention the outstanding contribution of Lymm’s No 8 Oli Higginson who not only dominated the line out but carried and defended all day.
Next week the newly promoted Harrogate visit Beechwood. As we know this will provide another test in this very competitive league, as all their games so far have been close with them scoring points for fun. So get along to watch the game and support the team as they aim to remain near the top of the league.
Who would have believed at the end of September we would have played 4 games, 3 away from home, and have 20 points? I suspect the players and coaches did after the hard work of the summer!!
A relieved Director of Rugby, Adam Fletcher commented, ‘So pleased we came through our toughest test thus far. Dore Moor is a tough place to go and Tigers are a very experienced outfit at this level with some outstanding players.
‘I have only ever been on the end of defeats there so bringing home the 5pts was excellent. We rode our luck at times but credit to the boys for holding out.’
Head coach Andy Davies commented: ‘Credit to Sheffield Tigers. I thought they made us work harder with the ball than we have had to in previous games and they had some strong ball carriers who challenged us defensively. ‘It was a real test and one that we were lucky to get through with the win. But it’s another 5 points on the road and we’ll keep working hard to improve on Tuesday and Thursday for the visit by Harrogate next week.
‘Finally, a big well done to the Eagles who have also started 4 wins from 4 and sit top of the table. There is a great feeling around the club at the moment,’ he concluded.
Starting XV: 1. Dan Hunter (2); 2. Rob Makin* (68); 3. Matty Hand* (111); 4. Josh Maskery (4); 5. Ben Thompson (33); 6. Harry Martin (59); 7. Josh Hadland* (42); 8. Oli Higginson* (267); 9. Cal Morris (42); 10. Tom Shard* (138); 11. Paddy Jennings* (56); 12. Ste Pilkington* (69); 13. Sam Wadsworth* (20); 14. Jack Stride (13); 15. Nathan Beesley (c)* (71).
Bench: 16. Ben Lilley (2); 17. James Pitcher* (71); 18. Ethan Kermode (1); 19. Tom Manaton (3); 20. Alfie Simpson* (33).
*Denotes graduate of the Colts Academy
Number denotes First XV appearances.
