u16s Pipped at the Post

In the shadows of a brooding viaduct, the Under 16’s faced off against Huddersfield in the Yorkshire cup. The ground nestled in a valley was picturesque and it was a credit to the club that a full morning’s rugby took place where many others had failed.

On first look the Huddersfield squad were impressive, with one or two very powerful players. Indeed, a strong hand off for the first Huddersfield try allowed their pack to break through for the first converted try. With barely a moments rest, Huddersfield took advantage of some missed tackles and the muddy conditions with a fortuitous bounce from a high kick and Selby were 12 points down. The crowd started to fear the worst.

What followed was the culmination of all the best things about this squad as they motivated each other into a period of complete dominance. The forwards started driving the ball deep into the Huddersfield half, causing them onto the back foot. Time and time again, Huddersfield were forced to kick, but safe hands Sibley (full back) did what he does best and the ball was quickly back where it started. After a loss of possession, Tehan showed terrific understanding of the laws and effected a turn over that moved the ball down the line then back into his hands for the first Selby try (unconverted). Game after game, Tehan has been the catalyst for Selby comebacks and today was no different. Relentless Selby pressure once again sent Huddersfield aerial and a kick and chase from our full back allowed Janus to power over. A tight kick from Kealey made the score 12-12

Huddersfield started to get the measure of the Selby squad and changed their tactics accordingly. A power run took the score to 17-12. In the dying minutes of the first half, excellent ball movement from both forwards and backs unleased Janus for his second, once again converted by the ever reliable Kealey. At the break it was 17-19 in Selby’s favour.

This felt like a real thriller, with the teams matching each other and it was likely that the winner would be by a fine margin. Huddersfield’s game plan changed again the second half. Employing cross field kicks, they unleased previously underused players and Selby found themselves 32-19 down in the final 5 minutes. Selby kept their heads up and fought valiantly. With another period of Selby dominance, Janus completed a lovely move to score. This was converted by Kealey, but it was too little, too late as the ref soon blew with score 32-26.
Despite testing conditions and many key squad members missing, the boys acquitted themselves well but were naturally disappointed to lose such a tight match. Coach Tosney highlighted the positives in the review with special mentions for Todd’s steadfast tackling, Nycek for good running and Symanski’s strength. Other mentions included Calam playing his first game after injury and playing out of his normal position and Sibley’s counter attacking moves.

Janus’ was awarded man of the match for his hattrick.

Selby Under 16’s would like to thank all their supporters and parents for their encouragement this year as well as the management team, coaches and first aiders.

Merry Christmas.