York men’s rugby 1st XV will head into Friday evening’s showpiece event at Huntington Stadium looking to kickstart a fifth straight Roses whitewash for UYRUFC over their Red Rose counterparts.
After coming so close to promotion during the past two years, York stormed to the Northern 1A Division title this season, winning 12 of their 14 matches to ensure a spot in the Northern Premiership next season.
They have quality all over the pitch; Adam Gaskell, Harry Pampiglione, Hugh Draycott and captain Sam Lord are all important in the forwards, whilst the tries are likely to come through the pace of outside backs Will Sharp and Conan Osborne.
Fly-half Tom Chadwick is a reliable source of points from the tee and can also control the game with his boot, whilst in Will Ward and Alex Cormack the white rose have two extremely useful scrum halves, who each bring something different to the table.
Lancaster 1st XV, meanwhile, recorded a third place finish in the Northern 2A Division, but finished somewhat adrift of the top two places.
As a club, they have not recorded a win at Roses since 2008, and this will certainly be in their heads going into the big game under the floodlights in front of what will be a sizeable crowd. With York’s promotion, Lancaster now sit three leagues below them, and turning the White Rose over in front of their home crowd would be a huge achievement and a massive upset.
York recorded a 22-6 victory away in Lancaster last year, and if they are on their game on Friday night the margin of victory could be even larger. There will be a party feel to the evening, with the opening ceremony taking place before the sides emerge from the tunnel. But when they do, the men in black and gold will hope it is business as usual – they have grown used to winning and will not want to get out of this habit.
UYRUFC President Hugh Draycott told Vision: “It has been an immensely successful season for all three teams this year. With this in mind, coupled with the history York University Rugby has in the Roses competition and a fully fit squad, there should be no reason why this year should not see the same success.
“The 1st XV have enjoyed their most successful season to date, winning 12 out of 14 fixtures faced, and securing promotion in the process. Having come top of the league by eight points, the team is confident that the great form shown in season can be carried through to Roses and win four points for the White Rose on Friday. Each player is going the extra yard in order to give the best chance of putting on a spectacle in front of what will hopefully be an expectant and lively crowd.”