Consett 2nd XV vs Northern 2nd XV

It was the first home game of 2016 for “The Mighty 2’s” who were searching for their first victory since promotion to the Candy League’s First Division. This followed on from a big loss against a very strong Morpeth side. The opponent today was Northern.

With some regular 2nd team forwards unavailable, the manager opted for a very strong and very experienced pack to start the game. The estimated weight of the pack was over 900kg and nicknamed “The Meat Feast”. Some questioned the selection but the proof was in the pudding as 6 minutes in, pressure lead to the away side fumbling the ball 5m out from their own try line and a Consett scrum. The added strength and weight of the pack paid off as the home side walked the ball over the try line giving number 8 Chrissy Uwrin the easiest finish he will ever get. Conversion was unsuccessful. Score 5-0.

The next 10 minutes were much more competitive as Northern used their strong centre pairing to charge through the middle of the field. Some missed tackles early on allowed the away side to score and convert the kick 17minutes in. Score 5-7.

Another really entreating 10 minutes with both teams doing their best to break each others defensive line. Unfortunately for the home side, it was Northern who broke the deadlock to score in the 30th minute. Kick was unsuccessful. Score 5-12.

A reaction was required by Consett and that is exactly what happened. John Kirton spotting a gap around the fringe, running over the halfway line 2m away from the right touch line. Ducking tackles and making yards cutting back in field. Staying on his feet when tackled allowed Mathew Tetley to rip the ball away and carry on running in field drawing the defenders towards him, before spinning the ball wide towards James Herdman who had a one on one with the Northern full back. Herdman's quick change of direction and speed meant he breezed past the last man to score under the posts. Herdman kicked the points from his own try. Going into the half time break with the score tied at 12-12.

Half time saw some changes made to the team including the introduction of electric Fijian scrum half Patimio Daumeke and versatile Scotsman forward Ryan Gibb

This half the roles changed as Northern aggressed early on. Some great last ditch defence by Adam Wilkinson and Ryan Blenkhorn kept the ball held up over the line and stopped the Try being scored. Scrum 5m out, Consett win. Daumeke passed the ball towards Herdman who was ready to clear the line. An enormous gust of wind changed the flight of the ball and it was dropped to the floor. Nothing could be done about that, but players from the 2 teams reacted differently. Consett players watched the ball hit the ground while the Northern back rower dived immediately towards the ball and scored 4minutes into the 2nd half. Kick was missed. Score 12-17.

With the home side going behind for the second time in the game. Something needed to be done, the next 10 minutes were spent trying to bust through the Northern defence. The issue last week was that composure was lost and we didn't play to our structure. This week, that didn't happen; the pack were working hard to secure the ball at the breakdown before the ball being spun wide to Adam Wilkinson who cut back infield before being tackled. Ball secured again by “The Meat Feast”. Viper was called and executed perfectly. James Elliot who was playing on the flanks sent Dean Shaw through the gap who then through an audacious Sonny Bill Williams style off load to the flying Scotsman, Gibb. With Ryan Gibb charging up the field towards the 22 before being brought down by Northern defenders. Herdman was again running a superb support line and was rewarded when the ball was offloaded out of the tackle giving him a 15m run in to score his 2nd try of the day and make up for a previous error. Again he converted his own try. Score 19-17.

The last 15 minutes were very stressful as both teams tried to further their score. Northern’s 2nd row found himself out wide running down the wing towards Craig Bannantyne. A solid defender who rarely misses one on one tackles, unfortunately went to high in the tackle and was given a nice seat to sit on. Craig did however do enough to slow the lock down giving Steven Hodgson a good chance to stop the player in his tracks. The player got the ball away just before the tackle giving the Northern winger a short sprint to the line in the 70th minute. Kick was successful. Score 19-24.

With only minutes left in the game Consett won a penalty inside their own 22. With the wind blowing heavily against the home side. Adam Wilkinson opted for the quick tap after noticing that some Northern defenders hadn't got back to the required 10m distance away. However the ref disagreed, and awarded the away side a penalty against Wilkinson for holding on. The away side opted to kick the points as the ref announced it would be the last play of the game. A kick that would mean Consett wouldn't not get a losing bonus point. With the wind behind the kicker, he notched the ball through the posts. The final score was 19-27.

Although the defeat was obviously not the outcome Consett wanted; the way in which they played was a huge positive. For long phases in the game, newly promoted Consett looked the stronger team and conceded their most points through small mistakes. Cut out the mistakes means cutting out the point conceding. Overall a tremendously entertaining match which the Consett players can definitely be proud of their performance and look forward to next weeks game away at Novos.

Men of the Match:
John Kirton and James Herdman.
James Elliot.
Ryan Blenkhorn.

Dick of the Day:
1. James Herdman

Also big thanks to Ryan Gibb and Good luck to Patamio Daumeke on your next posting. Both more than welcome to play for Consett in the future.