Vikings too strong for Storm

Saturday 5th May marked the opening round of the 2012 North East Rugby League Premier season, in which Jarrow Vikings traveled the short distance to Gateshead Stadium to take on a formidable Gateshead Storm outfit that have been tipped for the top this season.

As last season’s league winners, Jarrow were looking to set the standard and throw down the gauntlet to the other 6 teams in the Premier division.

During the early exchanges Jarrow showed they were not going to be an easy side to beat and dominated with ball in hand and controlled the defence well, it took just 6 minutes for centre Craig Jones to mark his full debut for the Vikings with a well taken try, which John Coutts comfortably converted.

Some more controlled play from the Vikings saw them dictate the pace of the game and dominate field position, Storm often frustrated with their lack of penetration in attack.

Gateshead were still dangerous with ball in hand but were matched with some resolute defence from the Vikings and were thwarted on every occasion. But it wasn’t until the 26th minute before the next breakthrough for the Vikings.

Some smart approach play took the Vikings close to the opposition try line and a clever angled run from second row Phill Wall, saw him take a short ball and cut through the home defence to score, again leaving a simple conversion for Coutts.

This sparked the home side into action and centre Tom Capper struck in the 32nd minute, Adam Houston adding the extras and reducing the deficit to 6 – 12.

Jones was on the score sheet again in the 38th minute when he powered over for his second of the game, Coutts adding the conversion and stretching the lead again to 12 points.

Some in discipline from the home side gifted Coutts 2 points from a penalty on the stroke of half time, Gateshead 6 – 18 Jarrow.

It took just 6 minutes from the start of the second half for Jarrow to show their class and spread the ball out wide to the right, with a final sublime wide pass from Andy Morris out to Dave Green on the wing, Green managed to leap to retrieve the ball and land back in the field of play to score in the corner.

One minute later it was Morris who received an outrageous out the back ball from Coutts to score in the same position out wide.

Gateshead were not done yet and on 52 minutes prop Jimmy Smith capitalized on some slack defending to score, Houston adding the extras, pulling the score back to 12 – 30.

The Jarrow half backs were bossing the game in mid-field and SourceIT Consulting Man of the Match Graham Lupton marshaled the game from hooker, dictating play and controlling the forwards.

It was Lupton’s fellow half back Coutts who created the next try when he cleverly chipped the oncoming defence for Morris to re-gather and score out to the right; once again the conversion was too difficult for Coutts to kick.

Despite being in firm control of the game Jarrow were becoming increasingly frustrated at some of the decisions given against them, resulting in standoff Reece Young being sin binned for 10 minutes for dissent in the 62nd minute.

A quick re-shuffle of the half backs and the Vikings were back to business and controlled the play well, dominating in defence and bursting through the tiring home side, props Mark Walker and David Stephenson tirelessly punching holes in the defence for the half backs to create the plays.

Coutts was rewarded for his efforts with a try in the 66th minute; some smart play from Lupton on the 5th tackle saw him jump out from dummy half to the blind side and committed the defender. Coutts backed up the play and gladly accepted the inside ball from Lupton to score out wide on the left, a little too tight an angle for him to convert his own try but taking the score to an impressive 38 – 12.

The home side had the last word in scoring when hard working Niel Emmerson got himself on the end of a well worked Gateshead move to score, Houston was unable to convert, leaving the final score Gateshead Storm 16 – 38 Jarrow Vikings.