Quality Rugby from Both Sides

Andy Bennett reports

Selby’s Papa John’s Cup campaign saw them hit the road for a trip up to the Northeast, with Percy Park RUFC their hosts. This was the believed to be the first meeting between the two clubs and the large Selby supporters’ group were warmly welcomed by their hosts. With the pitch looking immaculate, this had all the makings of a classic.

As the two sides warmed up the phrase “Men against Boys” was being muttered amongst some of the travelling crowd. A clear gap in height, weight and age was evident to all.

Straight from the kick off both sides tried to play expansive rugby and began to go through the phases combining forwards and backs. With much of the play around the halfway mark after 5 minutes it was honours even with the Selby pack matching the larger Percy Park eight in contact.

The hosts got onto the scoreboard first after a break down the right hand side saw them awarded a lineout 10m from the Selby line. A clean catch and drive saw them edge towards the Selby line but rather than go for the line they quickly moved the ball to the left and slick handling saw their 13 squeeze through a gap out wide to score just to the left of the posts, the conversion giving the home side first advantage at 7- nil

Selby kicked off and after a handling error by the hosts they had a good attacking platform with a scrum on the opposition’s 22. After more than 10 phases the ball was shipped right and a great interchange between forwards and backs saw Charlie Bramley glide over after a superb off load by Lodge. Although the Conversion was missed, Selby showed they were not fazed by the early setback, reducing the deficit to 7-5.

Selby went straight back on the attack after the Percy Park kick-off and a cross-field kick was somehow gathered by Selby. The flying backs set off down the right-hand side and almost scored in the corner, however quick ball from the ruck and a few forward drives created space for Matty Lodge to go over in the left-hand corner. An excellent Conversion Charlie Bramley gave Selby the lead for the first time at 12-7

Selby’s game plan was simple- keep the ball and run the larger Park players around (easier said than done). Although Percy Park had a number of big forwards they could all handle well and the back division was more than capable of creating tries. The next 5 minutes saw possession change hands several times with both sides going all out to attack at every opportunity. Selby’s defence was holding out well until a scrum saw the hosts scream down the right hand side touchline, great handling creating enough space for the winger to squeeze in at the corner and tie the scores at 12-all

More pressure was applied by the home forwards from the kick-off and their big pack was starting to gain momentum. This enabled them to supply their backs with good quality ball and attack after attack saw the hosts camp on Selby’s try line. With Selby starting to tire and Percy Park reverting to pick and go something had to give, and it did 2 minutes later as the hosts drove over the line for a score in the right-hand corner. The Conversion from close to touch put the home side ahead at 19-12 with 30 minutes played

With Skipper Alex Webster hobbling off and Park on the attack straight from the kick off things were looking ominous for Selby who continued defending heroically until a fantastic “jackal” by Tom Scholefield gave the visitors some breathing space. Some to-ing and fro-ing between the 2 sides saw Selby gain possession and move the ball from right to left. A wayward pass was picked up by winger Olly Weston who ducked and weaved his way through 4 or 5 defenders to within 5 metres of the line. A

great off load to the supporting Ben Poskitt saw the Fly Half cross close to the sticks and another conversion by Charlie Bramley allowed Selby to go into Half Time with the scores locked at 19 apiece.

From the re-start it was clear that both sides still wanted to play expansive rugby and good interplay between Selby’s forwards and backs saw Kiwi import Joey Reid steam roller over the try line under the posts for another converted try to give Selby a 7 point advantage at 19-26

There is no doubting that Percy Park are a quality outfit and they were not going to lie down. They immediately upped their game and managed to go through the phases and keep hold of possession. With their size and physicality, it was only a matter of time before they would penetrate Selby’s line. With the home backs making yards Selby were scrambling in defence. Something had to give and eventually a fantastic pass by Park’s big second row forward saw him put the winger into space, allowing the supporting forwards to trundle over to even the scores once again.

It took Selby less than 30 seconds to regain the lead. After a deep kick off Park decided to kick long rather than kick to touch and Selby made the most of their opportunity, carrying the ball up the middle a quick snipe by Scrum half Archie Bennett launched James Bramley into space. A quick draw and pass saw young replacement Joe Scholefield slide in at the left hand corner for another excellent try, again converted by Bramley. Selby once again had the advantage at 26-33 – could they capitalise and go 2 scores clear?.

With Paul Townsend on as a replacement, Selby had a jumper who could start to attack the Park lineout and after applying pressure to the Selby line a good steal provided the visitors some relief. It didn’t last long however and phase after phase from the home side resulted in a tired tackle mid field leaving the home side’s 12 space to dummy and skip under the posts to level the scores once more at 33-all

Pressure was mounting and with Selby down to 14 due to a yellow for Liam Hogan the next 10 minutes would prove to be a real test for the young Selby side. After clearing their lines a few times the pressure was relentless from the home side and their large physical pack were still playing havoc with Selby’s defence. They managed to capitalise on this as they eventually broke down the left hand side with the winger stretching over the line to put the home side in the lead with under 5 minutes to go. The conversion was missed from wide out, meaning that a converted try was needed to snatch victory for the visitors.

Selby needed to regain possession quickly and attack. A mis-kick from the kick-off gave the home side a scrum on the halfway. Clever use of the ball saw them edge closer to Selby’s 5metre line. With just 2 minutes to go things were not looking good for the visitors. As they continued to attack Park managed to spill the ball presenting Selby with valuable possession and a final roll of the dice. They patiently went through the phases and with Skipper Webster back on having been patched up and Hogan back after his 10 minutes in the sin bin they began to make strides into the hosts’ half. Following a couple of infringements by the home side and kicks to touch, Selby found themselves with a line=out 10m from the Percy Park try line. A training ground move saw Webster feed James Bramley who made a half break then fed the charging Townsend to go under the posts. The conversion by Bramley with the last kick of the match saw Selby snatch an incredible win after a titanic struggle by 40 points to 38.

What an incredible game! It really could have gone either way! Both sides wanted to play open rugby and showed tremendous skill throughout. A very physical encounter, the young Swans showed up superbly and deserve a massive amount of credit for this display. The quality on offer from both sides

was a level above anything that has been seen this season. Well done to Selby and a massive thank you to Percy Park who were fantastic hosts throughout the day. Selby will certainly look forward to welcoming Percy Park down to Sandhill Lane next season as they resume affairs in the Regional League 1 North.