Sunday was the day for rugby at the Lodge this weekend as the ladies’ first XV hosted Houghton Hornets RUFC whilst the U16 boys warmed the crowd up in a spectacular undercard against Bishop Auckland RUFC. No games for the men’s senior teams who had a rest weekend.

The U16s boys were first into the action, facing off against Bishop Auckland for the first time this season. The team have had a mixed bag of results so far this season but with very encouraging performances each time. This day saw the best of both worlds as the team had to utilise their defensive and attacking prowess to take advantage of the try scoring opportunities presented. A strong defensive effort from Bishop meant that a high level of coordination was required from the boys to break down the defensive wall in front of them. Tries from Josh T, BA, Archie, Stan, Oli P, Evan and Hayden helped the side to secure the victory with the final score reading Northallerton 36 – Bishop Auckland 10. A very entertaining performance in front of a large crowd that set the day up perfectly for the ladies’ game afterwards. Many thanks to the referee for officiating the match, to Bishop Auckland for travelling in good numbers and to the many supporters who came to spectate and cheer on the boys.

The ladies first XV took to the field shortly after to play their league match against Houghton Hornets RUFC. Straight from the kick off North were under pressure as a knock on gave the visitors an early foothold in their territory. Houghton maintained possession well for a significant period of time, testing the North defence all across the pitch. Despite an initially disjointed defensive effort from the hosts, they were eventually able to find their shape and repel the attacks without conceding any points. Building from this early defensive success, the hosts were able to put their attacking game into action. The initial forays against the away side saw North attempting to muscle their way through the middle of the team before realising that the visitors had enough strength of their own to handle the onslaught. With good awareness of the space, North whipped the ball out to winger Wiktoria Johnson who outpaced her opposite number to score the opening try in the corner.
With a lead established, North began to push on with their game plan. The forwards pack hammered into visitor’s line to draw in defenders and create spaces out wide. Johnson quickly found herself in space again and ran in North’s second try in a similar fashion to her first. The momentum of the game was starting to turn in the home side’s favour. In spite of this, when they were in possession Houghton managed to string some enterprising and impressive attacking phases together, earning significant territorial gains. However, the speed of the jackaling at the breakdown from North meant that these attacks were foiled before they could convert them into points. From one of these turnovers, scrum half Trinity Earnshaw found a half gap and raced through the score North’s third try with O’Brien adding the extras to end the first half.

The first ten minutes of a second half are usually crucial to a match and this contest was no different. With the game at 17 points in North’s favour, Houghton desperately needed to score to retain a chance. They fronted up to North’s attacks well for several phases but were unable to stop O’Brien from dummying a pass and sending her opposite number looking the wrong way before sprinting through to dot down under the posts and converting her own try. This try took the sting out of the Hornets and from here on in, North began to take control of the match. Tries flowed in with a steady repetition from Captain Abby Robinson who scored two whilst Earnshaw completed her hat-trick. O’Brien converting twice more. The cushion of the score board allowed North to open up and play some champagne, free-flowing rugby which resulted in Sarah Rowe notching a try as well. These scores took the game beyond the reach of the visitors who were understandably succumbing to their frustrations and a yellow card inevitably followed some ill discipline at the breakdown. North took full advantage of this imbalance and pressed the attack, stringing multiple phases together to work their way up the pitch showing their relentless fitness and organisation. Finally, Cara Williams smashed her way over the line for another try. Not content with the ten tries, North continued to build and they turned the screw even more on a beaten, but still fighting opponent. Playing on the visitor’s five metre line, discipline once again slipped for the away side and the sharp mind of O’Brien took a quick tap from the penalty and dived over for the final try of the game to bring play to a close. At the end of the match the score board read Northallerton 63 – Houghton Hornets 0. A tremendous spectacle of rugby that entertained all fans present. Forward of the match was awarded to Shauna Lawson, back of the match to Laura Isherwood and Trinity Earnshaw collected a pint for herself for getting clattered by a defender whilst celebrating her own sidestep mid game. A big thank you to the referee for officiating the match, to Houghton for travelling in such good numbers and to the many volunteers and supporters who cheer on the ladies and make the day happen.

For any readers wanting to get involved in rugby at Northallerton, the men train on Tuesday and Thursday 7pm, the ladies train on Wednesday 7pm and the juniors play on Sunday 10. Please contact the club on social media, all ages and abilities welcome.