York tops St. Johns
York – 22
York St. John – 13
The growing rivalry between the city’s two University rugby clubs produced another tight contest on Wednesday. The home team came out on top to avenge their narrow defeat in last season’s one-off ‘friendly’, which turned out to be a brutal thriller.
This year, league points were up for grabs after York gained promotion into St John’s BUSA division. Early season results indicate that the teams are likely to finish the league adjacent in mid-table, meaning that the points from this game and the re-match in a fortnight’s time might be all that separates them come March.
In Wednesday’s ‘Round One’, the York forwards showed more heart than their opponents, seizing control of possession and the match with a relentless pick-and-drive game from the base of the ruck.
It was a day for big men and York’s giants did most of the scoring, with No. 8 Duncan March forcing over for two tries and Lock Ben Pickett conjuring up a dazzling break-away third.
James Reilly was in imperious form in the line-out and, behind the scrum, Captain Andy Harrison kept his team out of trouble with some canny tactical kicking.
Nonetheless, York only sealed their win late in the game against a St John side who have remained competitive, despite losing some forward muscle since last year, and the return fixture is guaranteed to go the distance.
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