It All Clicked At Last!

By Mark Bailey
November 8 2006

I can't write a match report, sorry. I was there and I saw what happened, but I can't report it as I seemed to get caught up in the occasion too much to state categorically who did what, where and when. But I will give you a flavour if that will suffice.

Waterloo Rugby Club.  They have a nice set up, proper clubhouse, good beer,
friendly fans and staff and a seemingly very wide pitch.  The pre-match
atmosphere was excellent.  There was a strong Tykes turnout this week, and
a feeling of camaraderie I've not felt since last year's trip to Perpignan
(ah, those heady days..)  Indeed, many of the Tyke fans were reminiscing
about that trip at the bar. As three o'clock approached, we trooped out to
the little terrace and took up a central location en masse, just beside the
Leeds outdoor mobile video vehicle (alright, it was Giles stood on top of
the players' coach with the video camera.)  The chant of "Yorkshire,
Yorkshire" began immediately, much to the amusement of the home supporters!

The match kicked off.  We didn't give away the obligatory penalty until
almost a whole minute in.  3-0 to Waterloo, pretty much our usual start.
Then back came the Tykes, throwing the ball around with precision and
mixing things up with good forwards drives.  Try scored!  Conversion
missed.  The retake secured and minutes later a second try!  Hey, two tries
in the first six minutes.  Again, a missed conversion, but half way to a
bonus point already?  The fans were pretty impressed.  So when the third
try was scored with barely a dozen minutes gone, we started getting giddy.
After three missed conversions, Hinton finally got his own points
collection going with a penalty, and the game looked won.

Things are rarely that clear cut with the Tykes though, and an interception
ten metres from their own line allowed Waterloo to run full length of the
field to score under the posts - it was close again.  But that was pretty
much as good as it got for 'Loo's fans though, the bonus point try came
around the half hour mark, and then Leeds really began to cut loose.  The
tries rained in from all angles and quarters.  The backs never spilled, the
forwards steamrollered, the lineout worked, and there was no faltering
despite the increasing scoreline.  There was a killer instinct at play.
There would be no mercy and no sitting back.  The team did us proud and the
final score, 15-77 did not flatter them - it was fully deserved.

It's pretty much impossible to pick out the best players in a performance
like this.  They all played magnificently.  Waterloo were quite weak, but
they have picked up big scalps this season already, and as they say "you
can only beat what's in front of you".  It was impressive how little we
turned over the ball (I can only recall one knock-on), and how relentlessly
the attacks came.  And if I may "blow my own trumpet" a moment, I think the
Tykes supporters were excellent too.  It's not often you hear the chant 'We
want twelve..' is it?  And then get twelve!  We should ask more often.

Now let's see us play some champagne rugby at Headingley!

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