Yarnbury RFC 26-21 Halifax Vandals RFC
By Connor McKeown at Brownberrie Lane
Despite great tenacity from the Vandals, Yarnbury’s class helps them achieve an important result after Ripon loss to Huddersfield Laund Hill.
Tries from Cam Newby and Alex Bennett combined with Will Marshall and Maxwell Lee’s share of penalty kicks grind out a well-earned Yarnbury result, regardless of a frustrating Vandals’ performance.
The game started as it intended to go on with a penalty kick. It was the Vandals who drew first blood, taking the 3 points early on with what was deemed to be a high tackle from James Falgate on the opposition’s number 6. Halifax’s number 15 did not hesitate to call for the tee and take the penalty kick, giving the away side a 0-3 lead after just 5 minutes.
Not too long after, it was time for another penalty kick, with Skipper Alex Bennett being ruled offside from a Vandals’ kick down field that fullback Max Kennedy couldn’t claim, with Bennett catching the bouncing ball to evade any further danger. Halifax’s number 15 had another opportunity to add to the visitor’s lead from centre field, doing so and making the game 0-6 after 10 minutes.
25 minutes into the first half, Halifax had a scrum to the right of the pitch and once scrummed down, Yarnbury were deemed to have turned the scrum, gifting the Vandals yet another penalty. Unsurprisingly, the Vandals kicked for goal again, with their number 15 slotting again, making it 0-9 with 15 minutes left of the first half.
After a bleak half an hour of rugby, Yarnbury had finally came up with a reply. After some brilliant defence off the back of the opposition’s lineout, the Vandals’ number 10 attempted to clear his line with a punt down field, but it found the dynamic Josh Bateson, who drove at the line, created a 2-on-1 on the left side of the pitch, passing to Max Kennedy, who kicked to centre field for Cam Newby to claim to the left of the goal posts for a very well executed Yarnbury counter-attack. Will Marshall converted with ease, despite 2 of Halifax’s player’s attempts to rush at the kicker, bringing the game back well within Yarnbury’s reach, at 7-9 – champagne stuff.
But after all of the Vandals’ penalty kicks, it was finally time for Yarnbury to take a penalty kick of their own, after Halifax’s number 2 not holding his own weight at the ruck. Will Marshall kicked Yarnbury in front from the tee after a slight delay in play with a Halifax injury, making the game 10-9 coming up to half-time.
As the second stanza commenced, the penalty kicks kept on coming, with Yarnbury starting the half fastest, winning the ball back from Halifax on their 10-metre line and getting a penalty in the process for it. Will Marshall stepped up and converted with ease, giving his side a 13-9 lead in the 45th minute.
Another penalty kick went in favour of the good, with a Halifax tackle being deemed too high, with Yarnbury inside their 10-metres. Will Marshall converted, again, from the right, giving the team a 16-9 lead after 50 minutes.
Five minutes later, Halifax had another penalty just past the half-way line after a high tackle from Will Marshall. The Vandals’ number 15 kicked 3 points from distance, bringing it back to a 4-point game after 55 minutes of rugby.
Then just a couple of minutes later, Halifax had yet another penalty in the Yarnbury half, with the scrum being turned around again, something that happened aplenty throughout the game. Halifax’s number 15 took to the tee again and slotted, taking the score to 16-15 coming up to the hour mark.
Another penalty for the opposition came again just 10 minutes later in what became a hotspot for penalty kicks, just past the half-way line. Substitute forward, Alex Wilkinson, went for the ball at the ruck, but unfortunately couldn’t hold his own weight and came off his feet, giving the opposition a soft penalty. The Vandals’ kicker, clinical again, added another 3 points to the tally, putting the opposition in front with about 10 minutes of rugby left, 16-18.
But, in common Yarnbury fashion, the firsts didn’t take long to reply.
From the kick off, the defence applied yet another piece of resolute defending, forcing Halifax’s number 10 to punt down field, finding Max Kennedy. Kennedy drove back at broken play through a leggy Halifax defence, stepping and shifting before going into contact and letting Skipper Bennett take the ball before breaking through the line and scoring with ease. Maxwell Lee took the conversion, adding the extras with ease from between the sticks, after Will Marshall left the field with cramp.
With the score being 23-18, everyone on the bench and in the crowd felt that it wasn’t quite over yet, but after more tough defence from Yarnbury, they had had earned another penalty deep into the Halifax half, with the attacker not releasing the ball. Maxwell Lee stepped up again for the penalty kick from 45 metres and converted again, to everyone’s delight, making the game 26-18 with less than 5 minutes left.
But the game was always going to have that little bit more of excitement, with Halifax not only going close in the last play but winning a penalty after a messy scrum and a knock on from Yarnbury through a tackle attempt. The opposition decided to take the 3 points, giving them a bonus point in the process.
The game finished 26-21, with this one being an important result, as it gives Yarnbury a 3-point gap between Ripon and themselves.
Next week, the side visits fourth-placed Ossett.