MIDDLESBROUGH 33 PONTEFRACT 25

MIDDLESBROUGH 33 PONTEFRACT 25

A bumper crowd turned up to watch a fantastic game of rugby as the second and third teams in Yorkshire One went head-to-head. Pontefract will feel it was an opportunity missed as ill discipline at a crucial time cost the team dear.

The match started in end to end fashion with Ponte missing an early penalty before the classy Boro centre opened the scoring with an unconverted try. Ponte replied with a Callum Watts penalty after good play by Liam Kay, Jack Beddis and Josh Hough.

Ponte’s expected forward dominance never materialised as it was a game of few scrums and the line out didn’t function very well for the second week running. Boro added to their lead with a try from a line out after been gifted field position with a series of penalties.
Soon after it was 19-6 down, as the aforementioned centre scored his second try, this time converted. Ponte pulled three points back before the interval after Kay received his weekly late tackle.

It was important that Ponte scored first in the second half and this came to fruition as Kay bagged a converted interception try.
By now Ponte were back in the game and were displaying this seasons massive improvement in patient ball retention. With field position gained, the team went through many phases and the ball was moved to young winger Ciaron Tucker who scored an unconverted try in the corner.

This made the score 19-18 to the hosts but Ponte were in the ascendency. It was a time for cool heads, go through the phases and the game would surely be theirs. As it was, Ponte hit the self destruct button.

Firstly centre Harry Mcallister was yellow carded, probably harshly, but then was followed to the side line by Beddis and Kay for dissent as the backchat from Ponte finally made the referees patience snap.

Down to twelve men, the inevitable happened as Boro scored two tries to make the game safe at 33-18. This Ponte team has some backbone though and remarkably with only twelve players on the pitch prop Hough bulldozed his way over for a converted try to complete the scoring.
Last weeks report ended, mentioning the need to keep the penalty count down and in this match, the failure to do so cost them a potential victory. It has to be said the general penalty count in this match was quite even but once again the team struggled to come to terms with the new high tackle laws and have now added dissent to their list of favourite ways to earn yellow cards.

Ponte seem to rub the referees up the wrong way every week. There is no need for the captain to ask the referee about every decision and some players find it impossible to respond to a perceived injustice with a shrug of the shoulders and get on with the game. I am sure the coaching team will be working hard on these solvable problems before it really affects our season.

I am not going to dwell on a negative as this was undoubtedly a thrilling game which Ponte played their part. If Boro are going to be challenging at the top then so are we. Man of the match for Ponte was outstanding young forward Brodie Matthews.