Match Report
Saturday 21st April 2012.
York 16 – 27 Pocklington
April showers, now there’s a thought, but no. The truth is the league table does not lie and the reason why Pocklington have run out as comfortable league leaders this season was plain to see. Despite the downpour that greeted the sides at Clifton Park and that remained for the first sixty minutes of the game it was a good game of rugby between two good sides but Pocklington were good for their win.
Pocklington controlled the ball under difficult conditions with Webber having a huge influence on the game from loose head prop position. He was lucky after 26 minutes that the referee saw the three punches he landed on the York hooker as a yellow card offence and not red particularly when York lost a player to a red for much less last week.
Pocklington started the game the quicker of the two sides and applied pressure to the York line early on. Following a penalty by the York scrambling defence after six minutes Pocklington elected to kick to the corner. The inevitable catch at the front of the line and the driving maul followed Webber marshalling the maul well from the rear before forcing his way over the York line. Conversion missed York 0 -5 Pocklington.
The game was strewn with handling errors as both sides tried to master the very difficult conditions. On 8 minutes York were awarded a penalty 30 yards out following a well-orchestrated catch and drive by the York forwards from the lineout, Pocklington illegally collapsed the maul and Dawes obliged with the penalty kick 3 – 5.
On twenty minutes Pocklington had a lineout on the York 22. Another catch and drive, Webber again broke off the back engaging the York defence before offloading to Wilson to score Pocklingtons 2nd try which was converted 3 – 12.
On 24 minutes Pete Martin was yellow carded for an of the ball incident when retaliating following some unseen foul play on the floor by a Pocklington forward. There was obviously a bit of niggle going on which further erupted on 26 minutes when Webber was lucky to only receive a yellow card following his three punch combination on Buxton.
York was awarded a further penalty on 28 minutes following Pocklington being caught with their hands in the ruck on their own 22 metre line. Dawes kicked the penalty 6 – 12
From the restart York set up the ruck, the box kick followed and the chase was good. The Pocklington fullback Allen attempted to volley the ball back towards York’s line, the ball came off the side of his boot Hugh Nicholson York’s 18 years old debutant flier on the wing collected the ball well before sprinting clear of the chasing Pocklington wing Hardy to score in the corner Conversion missed 11 -12. Half time
14 minutes into the second half whist defending an attacking Pocklington line out deep in their own 22 Rutherford played an opponent whist still in the air. The penalty was the right decision the yellow card that accompanied it for Rutherford was harsh and unwarranted. This decision was the turning point in the game. Unsurprisingly Pocklington elected to scrum, Bowers was sacrificed for the front replacement, inevitably the Pocklington 8 Wilson attacked the blindside where Singleton the York wing had been asked to pack down and the outcome was his second try that was duly converted. 11 - 19.
After 27 minutes Pocklington again executed another catch and drive following a York indiscretion. This time the hooker Birch was the beneficiary of his forward colleague’s good control. 11 – 24
Pocklington further extended their lead by a penalty kick before York was rewarded with a try for their efforts. Again it was following a kick to the corner and well executed catch and drive with Buxton scoring. Final score 16 – 27.
York finished the season in 5th place in the league, the best of the rest. Given they are a very young side; a couple of targeted recruitments during the summer should turn them into promotion contenders for next season. Well done boys enjoy your break but get into the gym.