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Photos: Vivan Jayant
UYRUFC’s 2nd XV picked up their second win of the season with a 17-11 defeat of Newcastle 2nds, a team who had inflicted a 61-3 thrashing on them earlier in the season.
Newcastle looked to be in control of the game and dominated the first half, but a try from Jack Eastwood in the final minute of the half turned the momentum in York’s favour and the home side went on to secure a battling victory.
York enjoyed early territory but after the opening ten minutes it was all Newcastle. The away side looked more dynamic in the backs and were punishing York with powerful rolling mauls up front, one of which reached the try line before some excellent York defence denied them any further progress.
Had York’s defence not been so solid and determined Newcastle could well have put the game to bed in the opening half. Their big number one and the scrum-half both came close to going over around the 20 minute mark but the men in gold were able to clear.
Newcastle took the lead through a penalty from their full-back and didn’t let the pressure drop afterwards, once again penning York back inside their own half and forcing them towards their own try line.
Every time the York backs tried to run the ball away from danger they were caught by the Newcastle defence; the home side were far too static and were unable to make ground, yet went virtually unpunished, since the Newcastle backs were let down by poor passing which halted their attacks.
Eventually the away side’s pressure did pay off, though not through any particular skill of their own. A clearing kick from Matt Darrick under pressure swirled in the wind and fell into the arms of the grateful Newcastle outside centre. He passed simply to the man inside him who ran in to make it 8-0.
This try seemed to give York the inspiration they needed to fight back and as the half came to a close they found themselves down the right end of the pitch.
Rory Mercer’s drive over the line was held up, but an almighty drive from the resulting five metre scrum saw the York forwards power over the line and Jack Eastwood touch down. Will Peters’ conversion from a tight angle added a crucial 2 points, to make it 8-7 at half time and leave York trailing by just a single point.
York captain Stephen Bryan told his team at half time; ‘we’ve got to take this game from them’, and take it from them they did.
The second half was far more even from the offset. York came out with renewed determination and battled hard before a moment of brilliance from scrum-half Luke de Klerk gave the home side the lead.
From a fairly unassuming position, the number 9 burst away and jinked past several defenders before touching down under to posts to the joy of his team mates. Peters’ conversion made it 14-8 and from being in a position where defeat looked inevitable, York were now in control of the game.
It looked as if York’s control could slip, however, when second-row Chris Woods was sin binned for aggressive behaviour, but the home side stood up to the test of playing with fourteen men.
Newcastle’s full-back notched another penalty to make it 14-11 but York came straight back on the attack and got themselves straight back into the opposition 22, and Newcastle were beginning to look tired and affected by this pressure.
They failed to clear convincingly on several occasions and the men in gold made them pay when Peters hit a rare drop goal right between the posts to restore his side’s 6 point advantage.
York now led 17-11 and never looked like surrendering this advantage. They were playing with intent and determination; they looked a side who knew this was their game to win, and they closed out the victory with the utmost professionalism.
Peters and Darrick kicked intelligently for territory, keeping Newcastle at bay so that the only time they threatened was at the very close, when a poor pass foiled their attempts to snatch a late victory and left the full time whistle to resonate around 22 acres to sign off a memorable York victory.
‘The last time we played this team we lost 61-3 at the beginning of the season,’ said elated captain Stephen Bryan after the whistle. ‘Guy Skivington-Jones, Hugh Draycott and everyone else were immense. It was one of our best defensive performances, I’m so proud of the boys, we’ve taken a lot of setbacks this season but we’re progressing all the time. I’m lost for words’.