Selby RUFC 65 - 3 Huddersfield YMCA RUFC

Report by Ian Marlow

Selby exorcised the psychological demons of their recent losses with a massive and cathartic mullering of lowly-placed Huddersfield YMCA at Sandhill Lane on Saturday – their second emphatic victory over the same opposition this season.

This re-arranged fixture necessitated a number of team changes as un-arrangeable previously arranged shopping trips with girlfriends/boyfriends/partners (or any other modern affiliation) were called-in, and as a result Selby’s back line had a decidedly makeshift and, dare I say it, lightweight look about it. They didn’t play like it however! And it may of course be that Huddersfield were suffering similarly, but they looked the genuine (not to mention very big!) article during their warm up - which was probably the most enjoyable part of their day.

Suffice it to say that Selby scored eleven tries and too many to detail here, excepting that all were scored by the backs (apart from the first by coach and hooker-for-the-day Jay Robinson - who looks like a back anyway and probably no stranger to the dressing room mirror), and each one was an absolute cracker. Most were long-range efforts too, involving superb handling between forwards and backs as Huddersfield’s demoralised defence crumbled somewhat - and one may just have been the ‘furthest’ try ever scored by the Swans, as they ran it from well behind their own try-line to score under the opposition sticks.

The whole team played fabulously but special mentions to the pack who yet again continually demolished their much larger opposition at scrum-time, the 9/10/12/14 playmakers of Bennett, Wright, Tanumi, and Stoker (yes!) who orchestrated the try-fest, and the Frankenstein lovechild of Manu Tuilagi and Philippe Sella (aka Big Bob Robinson) deputising in the centre, and surprising many with a super display of brutality and deftness. And spare a thought for poor old Jamie Dentith who for the third match running battered his way over the whitewash, and actually grounded the ball properly this time – only for Mr Referee (who was excellent throughout) to spot a forward pass in proceeding and disallow it! Next week, Jamie* (*if selected).

And some final advice to any prospective ex-first team players and fathers (i.e. Martin Bramley) wanting to watch their progeny (i.e. James Bramley) score their opening, and superb, First Team try – you actually need to be near the end they are attacking, rather than sheltering like a snowflake (i.e. Carl Leetham’s match photo 22/69) from a little bit of wind and drizzle at the other end!

So now Selbyites (or is it Selbonians?), instead of putting your feet up at home and watching the boring Internationals on the telly this coming Saturday, take the long, tortuous, and often mis-directed trip to Bradford Salem RUFC instead, to watch some proper rugby – where any win, no matter how small, will always do!