Rugby team step closer to title after overcoming Hull hurdle
Photos: Irene Sieberger
UNIVERSITY OF YORK FIRSTS 36 vs. UNIVERSITY OF HULL FIRSTS 15
BUCS Northern Conference 2B, Saturday 28th February 2009
The oldest truth in sport is that the greatest teams win ugly. When the chips are down, the ability to grind out results when stuck in first gear distinguishes those who stick in the memory. The men’s firsts played nowhere near their brilliant best on Saturday afternoon, yet they still had too much for a Hull side that excelled in the plucky underdog role. Their 36-15 triumph, grounded in a dominant second-half performance, puts the BUCS Northern Conference 1A within the range of a Rob Grant punt.
Captain Mike Callis appreciated the tough challenge offered by Hull during the first-half, especially with tricky-looking fixtures against Leeds and Northumbria still to negotiate before the champagne can be uncorked. However, York’s superior fitness levels prevailed in a comfortable second forty, with the flowing rugby played by the backs in the latter stages particularly satisfying.
The opening minutes stood in stark contrast. York needed more time than usual to warm their engines and found themselves behind almost immediately as Hull penetrated their normally watertight rearguard. Grant’s penalty narrowed the deficit, but he too lacked his normal reliability, striking the middle of the ball instead of connecting cleanly. The unstoppable form of the team this year – a perfect ten wins in the league – might have bred complacency with the finishing line in sight; the spirit was flat, heads were down and rousing communication absent.
Hull capitalised on York’s temporary malaise, battling down the left flank through half-tackles to establish a shock 10-3 lead. The nadir arrived when York allowed the ball to slip away on the whitewash following skilful build-up from Tom Buggé, but their agony was soon ended. Remarkable strength in the scrum saw the ball ceremoniously walked over the line, Rory McGregor applying the finishing flourish amid the mêlée. A sensational burst down the right-wing, Callis thinking quick to release Jack Wakeling, who sprinted sixty yards to put York into the ascendancy for the first time. Grant found his range to stretch the lead to 15-10 and, with York snaffling every line-out and one of the visitors sidelined with a groin injury, things were looking up. However, a sucker punch on the eve of half-time, drawing the scores at 15-15, reminded York not to order their crate of Brasso just yet.
Ten minutes after the interval, Hull skewed a penalty wide of the posts and this thankfully served as York’s wake-up call. Their class started to shine through in an echo of other routs against Huddersfield and Teesside in weeks gone by. Wakeling helped himself to a second try on the hour, pouncing upon a clever kick through and Grant notched the extras from close range to engineer breathing space. Handy was unfortunate to see another disallowed following a beautiful move, before Bremner squeezed through in the right corner to seal victory. Another score, this time from Nick Brown, moments before the final whistle added a coat of gloss to York’s performance of perseverance. Job done.
York Line-up: 1. Tominey (Innes), 2. Corp, 3. Rupert Grant, 4. Callis (c), 5. Handy, 6. McGregor (Ager), 7. Wakeling, 8. Weir, 9. Buggé, 10. Rob Grant, 11. Bremner (Morris), 12. Lowe, 13. Brown, 14. Hurst (Owusu), 15. Drewett
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“…the BUCS Northern Conference 1A within the range of a Rob Grant punt”
14 yards and skewed to the left?