A narrow second place this time for North

On a bright, albeit chilly afternoon at the Lodge, Northallerton men’s first XV hosted Wigan RUFC in the quarter final round of the Papa John’s Cup. Nobody at the club needed reminding of the prize that awaited any team good enough to make the final, a chance to play at Twickenham. The spectators gathered in great numbers around the pitch to witness, what promised in the build up to be, an evenly match game.

Nerves clearly showed as an early knock on from the kick off presented the first scrum of the match. The strength of the North pack was shown immediately as they turned the ball over and won a penalty for their efforts. Fly half Jedd Bainbridge put a huge punt in to take a position inside the Wigan twenty-two metre area. With a strong attacking platform established, North were then unable to claim the lineout as fierce competition from the visitors foiled the attack. Showing a taste of the speed and ambition of the Wigan backs, they broke through the North defence and charged down the hill, offloading the ball through several sets of hands. It took some last-ditch defence from the hosts to stop them short of the line, eventually needing to concede a penalty in order to prevent a try. Wigan were quick to point to the posts and took an early three point lead. The speed of their attack seemed to stun North slightly and they had no answer in defence to the strong runners and crisp handling of the visitors. It wasn’t long before a try followed, scored out wide and with a style that got their supporters cheering loudly. The game was being played at a frenetic pace as both teams looked to move the ball through their hands and bring their big runners to meet each other. The inside centre for Wigan posed a threat all game with his powerful running and made another break that, coupled with several offloads, lead to another try for the away side. With the conversion added this time they extended their lead to take a daunting position on the scoreboard. These setbacks seemed not to faze North. The players clearly knew of their own qualities and trusted the ability that had seen them win their league this season. Chasing the resulting restart, winger Ross Easdon sprang into the air and knocked the ball back into the arms of his teammates. A quick ruck speed ensured the ball was given to attackers on the front foot. This momentum allowed number 8 Iain Swall to get his arms free in the tackle and find the hands of Easdon to put him into space and over the try line in the corner. Having established themselves on the score board, North’s confidence was raised, and they proceeded to take the fight to the visitors. Repeated infringements around the breakdown gifted the hosts several opportunities to kick the ball into the corner and attack from lineouts. The defence of the Lancastrians proved tough to break through though and they repelled the driving mauls and direct runners repeatedly. The momentum of the game seemed to be swinging back in North’s favour until a loose kick and chase put the ball into the arms of the Wigan full back who stepped his way past several attackers and found his winger to put him in for a try late into the first half. The conversion was kicked to extend their lead. On the stroke of half time, the Wigan centre was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock on which handed an advantage and hope to North for a second half playing down the hill.
On the resumption of play, North got straight back to hauling their way back into the game. Using their now over-powering scrum to get on the front foot, they exploited gaps in the defence as they began to appear. After spending five minutes hammering on the door, North were unlucky to be judged held up over the try line and from the resulting play another yellow card was issued to the visitors for not retreating in a penalty. The crowd were becoming increasingly voluble in their support of the home side as yet another scrum was called and the forwards packed down. North pushed as soon as the ball was in and drove the Wigan scrum into fragments and over the try line, Iain Swall dotting the ball down to score a well-deserved try. This passage of play sparked a fire into the game as tempers began to fray. This put a drive into everything North did as they took control of events and attacked relentlessly inside the Wigan ascendancy. As had been shown in the first half though, the visitors were happy to stand up to their defensive duties and North were unable to find the gap that would yield the try. The longer it went on, the more it became apparent that it was going to take a moment of inspiration to break the Wigan wall. Scrum half Jack Tart was able to provide this with a deft chip through into the try area. Winger Ben Pilling out paced his opposite man and dived full stretch to ground the ball. Bainbridge added the conversion from out wide to make it a five-point game. All to play for with the clock ticking down. Time just wasn’t on the Northallerton side as, with the last play of the game and attacking deep from within their own half, Wigan were able to turn the ball over and kick it out to secure the victory that takes them one step closer to the Twickenham turf. The game ended with a final score of Northallerton 17 – Wigan 22. A tremendous game to watch and one in which both sets of players can be proud to have given their all in a thrilling contest. Many thanks to Wigan for making the long journey over to the Lodge with so many supporters and we wish them well in the next round. Thanks to all the volunteers of the club who helped make the day happen. Thanks also to the referee for officiating a highly competitive fixture.
The under 15’s team played away from home against the Lower Dales XV and came out on the right side of another very close encounter. Playing in weather conditions that many would describe as “challenging”, all the boys played with an expansive approach that entertained the crowds. Hayden Norton opened the scoring for North with a try created from powerful running. Will Robinson followed suit shortly after and had the conversion kicked by Norton. Lower Dales were quick to respond with a try and conversion of their own, setting the tone for a very back and forth game. Norton extended North’s lead with another try and a conversion of his own making. This was replied to by the Lower Dales XV with another try and conversion as the game went deep into the second half and they looked to overhaul the Northallerton lead. Only through strong defence and teamwork were North able to hold out the attacks and carry their lead through to the final whistle.
The game finished with a score line of Northallerton 19 – Lower Dales XV 14. A great game to watch all round and many thanks to the referee for officiating.
At the end of the season, the club would like to say a huge thank you to all the many supporters, volunteers and spectators who have helped make it such a successful and enjoyable one to be a part of. We look forward to seeing you all again in September for the next season.