WEST LEEDS 27 PONTEFRACT 14

WEST LEEDS 27 PONTEFRACT 14

Against well drilled opposition, Pontefract lost the first league game of the season to a score line which in reality could have been much worse. Pontefract found a team who recycled the ball very well, and made very few mistakes, which gave them an overwhelming territorial advantage. With injury and unavailability Pontefract had almost every back playing out of position and the usual flow in attack was missing.

Pontefract conceded two early penalties as a mixture of good defence from Ponte and poor finishing from Leeds kept the score down to an unlikely six nil deficit just before the break. With half time looming, and in their only visit to the opposition twenty-two in the half, Ponte managed to get a line out ten metres out. Disappointingly, Ponte tried a high-risk call and lost possession. From this Leeds worked their way down the field and a one on one missed tackle allowed them to score a converted try and take a thirteen-nil lead into half time.

The second half continued as the first with Ponte defending well and Leeds unable to finish gilt edged opportunities. Leeds had a very speedy young winger who had looked dangerous all the game. He ended up their matchwinner as he made two fantastic long breaks which resulted in tries and also caught Ponte speedster Stuart Sanderson after an interception.

With the score at twenty-seven nil, Ponte finally got some field position. From a ten-metre line out Ponte engineered a catch and drive but after passing the ball out prematurely, poor handling lead to the chance been wasted. Ponte did eventually get on the score sheet with Sanderson scoring a typical opportunist effort from a Leeds mistake, which he converted himself.

In a game of relatively few scrums, Ponte showed their potential dominance in that area with a penalty try as the young front five demolished the opposition scrum from five yards out.

That turned out to be the final score of the game, giving respectability to the score line and a reward for a wholehearted performance. Not too many stand out performances for Ponte but young players Matthews and Nyanjowa stood up well to the task up front with Dedicoat and Coleman always hard working and dangerous in the backs.