RUGBY ROUND UP 24.01.2022
SCUNTHORPE 7 NEWPORT SALOP 48
If ever a match could be called ‘a game of two halves’ then this was surely it. Scunthorpe held league leaders Newport to 0-5 at half time but in the 2nd half the Greens let in 43 points. It was a much more positive performance than the previous week and there was a home debut for loanee Marcus Payne who deservedly won ‘man-of-the-match’.
The game got off to a bizarre start when after only 3 minutes Newport’s open side flanker Jack Price received a red card for a head-on-head collision on Liam Brunt. Coupled with a late arrival due to bad traffic Newport were shell shocked and could not get their game together. It was the home side that looked the more positive, with Marcus Payne making an impact along with ex-youth player Ethan Heath-Drury on loan from Ealing Academy. For ten minutes both teams exchanged penalties looking to try exploit their opponents. Unfortunately, with a number of injuries and change of personnel the line out could not function as well as it normally does, and some key opportunities went by the wayside. Scunthorpe’s resolute defence was still effective as Newport began to feel their feet. The Shropshire outfit spurned a couple of easy chances to score until the 30 minute when veteran Hendry Vaka strolled over to score a try after two man overlap.
As the teams turned round at half time the feeling was that Scunthorpe ought to get something out of this game with the score at 0-5 it was all to play for.
However, Newport had other ideas and to coin another cliché they had certainly ‘got off the bus’ by the second half. Scunthorpe did not know what hit them and in a twenty-minute spell Newport scored 4 tries and sealed their bonus point win. Full back Jacob Leonard was their star player racking up 18 points with two tries and four conversions. The Scunthorpe players were dead on their feet and the sheer power and pace of Newport blew them away. ‘Port’ scored three more tries but the biggest cheer came from the home crowd when our very own ‘Peter Pan’ Tom Foster spun through the defence to score under the posts after a quick tap penalty from Nick Dyson. Josh Lugsden converted the extra two to ensure that the Greens did not register a blank sheet two weeks on the trot.
Although the players were very dejected as the final whistle blew, they had no reason to be so. Coach Tim Robinson praised their valiant efforts in true adversity as there were at least nine regular players absent. There were some promising performances from the youngsters with at least 6 of the team under 21 years old. The likes of Keir Gosling, Joey Mowbrey, Josh Lugsden, Josh Sarsfield and Ethan Heath-Drury are the future talent, and we will have to be patient as we await their maturity and see their potential realised.
Match Photos – https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=ScunnyRUFC&set=a.4791860160850897
SCUNTHORPE STAGS 15 SHEFFIELD 2NDS 57
Match Photos – https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4791516807551899&type=3
SCUNTHORPE 3RDS 16 BARTON & DISTRICT 14
Where do we start …….
Mid week Barton looked to be struggling for a team but by Friday they boasted a 25 man squad.
We arrived to the wind swept, desolation that is Barton (barrow).
The Barton pack looked like they had been on a feeding frenzy and looked to have gone up at least 2 dress sizes .
We knew they was gonna throw everything at us including the kitchen sink, we started off well and the defence from both sides was amazing.
After 20 mins we got a penalty on their 20 yard make and good old golden one slotted over for 1st blood.
Back at them again and battling harder then the dwarfs in the hobbit, everything played in the middle of the park, on the half hour mark we got another penalty and RG curved it over like good old Johnny Wilkinson, wannabe he is.
Barton then got a penalty they lined up and missed the H, big sigh of relief.
Barton upped the tempo and just before half time latched on to a rare mistake (reffing error) and went between the posts. They converted
Barton now had their tails in the air and came at us like a fat kids on a bag of sweets.
And again we conceded a penalty, Barton lined up and again missed, even bigger sigh of relief.
Half time.
7-6
Couple of changes seeing Craig Mason on for “the beast” nay Turner.
Brawling like madman we got into Barton 20 yard area and a thing of beauty happened.
RG did some weird black magic move and Ash Dibdin appeared from nowhere with the ball, confused all 24 of Barton players and crossed the line, RG followed up with another 2 points.
7- 13
Game seemed deadlocked with neither team giving an inch, Barton then managed to go over in the corner (some may say it was held up )
Ref gave the try, Barton’s 1 legged kicker lined up, green army charged down. And again he missed, everyone went crazy.
Ref deemed charge down was too early, and allowed the kicker another go.
On his previous history we let him have another go, he kicked the wind blew it hit the post and went over.
Shock, horror, amazement.
14-13
14 mins to go and down by 1 point, we rebooted “the beast” brought nay and Brewster on to break his V wings.
RG kicked off and Tom fell hit the Barton line like Billy wizz and caught the kick off, Scunny throwing everything into attack mode, and brawled, crawled, like wildlings.
The ref called a penalty on the far touchline, RG called for posts, a silent prayer was taken by all the green men, he then didn’t think it was a big enough challenge and decided to walk back 15 yards for a better angle, I cried, I wept.
With the wind swirling no way his hitting that from 40+ yards and on the touch line,
RG lined up and by jove, not only did he get it but it went straight centre between the sticks.
14-16
Barton cried Scunny went crazy,
Barton kicked off not ten (again)
Scrum down.
Owen McNeill brought on, ball out from scrum, kicked to touch.
Whistle blown. Game over.
14 -16 win for the green ones.
MOM unanimously by everyone was tom Harry T Fell.
No DOD
Great to see big nay turner back.
And Gav Burr and Brewster both getting their green wings.
WELL PLAYED EVERYONE.