Plucky Tykes shock Jersey giants
By Willie
March 29 2015
Yorkshire Carnegie failed to read the script today as they set about a huge Jersey team and beat them in the Headingley sunshine. Despite the visitors having beaten Worcester the previous week the lads were in no mood to roll over and matched the visitors up front despite being about 5kg a man lighter than Jersey.
The game started well for the visitors as their huge no 9 set his backs running at every opportunity. Harry Leonard managed to kick 3 points without us having had the ball before Drew Locke stormed over for Jersey on the end of a massive overlap. Lenny popped another 3 over. We had a good break down the middle from Fitzy who offloaded to Pete Lucock. Pete took a massive hit which led to some handbagging. Just as I was thinking we would never get the ball in the red zone Lenny hoiked the ball towards the corner flag. As Hax was about to complain about kicking away possesion up popped the ever alert Ollie Goss to catch the ball and cross in the corner. The squeals of delight in the paddock were mainly, but not exclusively, from Mrs Goss!
Jersey then scored another good try and Lenny went to the bin. 11-12 at halftime and I thought that we must get better in the second period. I was wrong.
The first half hour of the second half is 30 minutes of my life that have been frittered away - after 20 I was thinking about beer, then wine and finally whisky, anything to take my mind off the numbingly boring fayre that both teams were dishing up. Then, in the sunshine, we broke out of our half. Taylor Prell started it up the wing in front of the south stand. He ran straight and fast with Chris Georgiou on his inside shoulder. The final pass was perfect and Christian killed off Jersey with a try in the corner.
Did I mention that the visitors were big? The downside of this, for them, was there lack of fitness. With 9 minutes of injury time to play the lads battered their way to the Jersey line failing to add to the 16-12 scoreline but playing down the clock in the Jersey 22.
Christian got the MoM but young Smithy in our second row put in a huge shift and was my pick of the pops. Our subs were influential, helping to tip the scales away from the big lads. After the game I heard Heggers interviewing Brush. He has obviously grasped the size of the task in front of him but accepted the win for what it was and sent the squad off for a beer tonight.
I cannot imagine that too many of them will be overjoyed with today's performance. There is a long way to go and I think we will be losing a few underperformers along the way. Sixth in the league? It feels about right at the moment.
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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2015:04:12:10:37:18 by Gelbel.
Strange game, difficult conditions and Jersey didn't seem that bothered about playing any rugby. They came to bully us and for a lot of the game it worked.
That said we scored 2 great tries (Prell has real pace) and I agree our subs made the difference.
Sometimes you just have to accept an ugly win.
There were mistakes of course, but the wind was a factor and above all, for me the players showed great heart. It would have been easy to have capitulated in the second half, starting a man down and a point down and facing a gale. But they ground out a deserved win.
Did anyone think that the Jersey second try should have been disallowed due to their scrum half fumbling and knocking-on just before the try-scoring move?
Gritty performance against a dour side, I thought Egerton made a big difference when he came on again
COME ON LEEDS.
We've been through it all together.
I sensed a bit of surprise and veiled frustration in what the coach said after the match in terms of how he now realises the gulf in the standard between the Prem and our current level and how he seemed to be finding it difficult to get our players to do certain things or play in a particular way. I wonder how many of those playing yesterday will be in our squad next season? I suppose a good showing in our next game against Worcester wouldn't do a few of them any harm.
Beech was immense and pieces of skill from goss and prell made the difference.
First half slightly ruined for me will some old bloke berating nilsen at the top of his voice from his very first touch. Some fans laughing at the uncalled for rubbish he was spouting didnt help. Does he post on here i wonder?
Prell has some real gas, he looks a very promising prospect.
Don't kick it pick it up and GO FORWARD
Its getting more common, with what we have been served up this year, fans critising individuals from there first mistake. No need for it and it ruins an afternoon.