NOVOCASTRIANS III 24 CITY SARACENS 40

Saturday 25 January 2020
Novocastrians 3rds v Durham City Saracens (2nds)
(Away - Sutherland Park) 2:15 pm KO
Result : Novos 24 - 40 Durham City Saracens (HT 7 - 33)

Team sheet :

15 Alastair Taylor
14 Dave Berriman
13 Euan Gardiner
12 James Cook
11 Cole Sims
10 Iain Taylor
9 Dan Spence
1 Jim Earley
2 Michael Hay
3 Colin Hogg
4 Josh Cotton
5 Jonathan Deighton
6 Joe Spencer
7 Dan Young
8 Tom Wilkinson (Captain)

Replacements

16 Jack Bengochea
17 Tom Davies
18 Ed Partridge
19 Jonny Ranson

Physiotherapist None

Referee Lee Histed (Northumberland Referees Society)

The 40-24 ‘River Aln’ League win was a game with a second half performance that was as poor as the first half was good having been 33-7 up at half-time and being wasteful with a string of knock-ons and wayward passes in the second half. However it has to be said that, Berwick Bears aside, Novos’ 3rds were as good a team as we’ve played in recent months.

After traffic delays on the way, some horrendous as experienced by hooker Jack Bengochea and Chairman Richard Wilkinson, City won the toss on a fair day and elected to play up the slope with a slight cross-field breeze in their favour on ‘Pitch Three’ at Sutherland Park (as Novos’ 2nds were playing Billingham Lions on Pitch One and Pitch Two was being rested). Despite having 19 players in the squad, as the backs were short, flanker Euan Gardiner was ‘volunteered’ at outside centre.

Second row Josh Cotton caught Novos’ kick-off and after a number of phases out-half Iain Taylor put in a beaut of a kick to take play into the home 22 for a Novos’ line-out that gave them possession from which their relieving kick gave City a line-out on half-way. Scrum-half Dan Spence tapped and ran a City penalty after the line-out making ground and as no advantage came City’s way they got a second penalty that was put into touch in the home 22. City put terrific pressure on the Novos’ line with willing forwards repeatedly taking the ball at pace and driving for the line. After No.8 and captain Tom Wilkinson was deemed to be held up over the line in the in-goal City’s loose-head Jim Earley supported more drives for the line and got over for the first score without the help, with what for him for his previous tries this season, of the customary accompanying cluster of forwards. Iain Taylor’s conversion made it 7-0 to City with less than ten minutes gone.

City won another penalty from Novos re-start and it gave them a line-out on their ten metre line. However a City fumble in the back-line meant a home scrum on half-way. From there Novos took play to a City line-out in the visitors 22. A City knock-on at the line-out resulted in a Novos attacking scrum and despite great City pressure and a re-set scrum a Novos centre drilled the ball to the extreme left hand corner of the in-goal where their backs line-speed was in evidence to get a touch-down and an automatic seven point try - automatic as this was the end of the ground where no kicks at goal are taken to prevent balls being lost over the security fence of the government buildings. So after 13 minutes the scores were level at 7-7.

City’s re-start went out on the full so Novos were gifted a scrum on half-way but once again pressure from the visiting ‘eight’ allowed City to regain possession. With open-side Dan Young, Tom Wilkinson and Dan Spence making inroads with carries the ball was moved quickly from left to right but a great chance was missed when the ball was dropped with the line in sight. From Novos’ scrum in their own 22 a penalty got them up to a line-out near their ten metre line. A text-book Tom Wilkinson tackle then forced a Novos knock-on and from the City scrum on the home ten metre line Tom Wilkinson’s feed to Dan Spence at the base moved City up to the Novos 22 where a City penalty gave the visitors a line-out. This led to more direct driving attacks for the line and eventually Novos had no answer to right to left passing that inside centre James Cook finished off with a try converted by right winger Dave Berriman that put City into a 14-7 lead as the game went into the second quarter.

This time it was Novos’ turn to put the re-start straight out giving City a scrum on half-way. Josh Cotton’s and his second row partner Jonathan Deighton’s bullocking running was followed by Iain Taylor’s astute kick for position for a Novos line-out on their own five metre line. More City possession in and around the home 22 was briefly interrupted by a knock to left wing Cole Sims who was replaced by Tom Davies. Tom then got on the end of another sweeping City attack and, after he managed to avoid touch and retain the ball, Dan Spence went in for an unconverted try. City’s lead was now 19-7 as the half-hour mark approached.

Novos’ deep re-start was picked up by Dave Berriman and he returned it for a home line-out beyond the Novos ten metre line from within the City 22. Despite the dubiously fashioned line-speed of the Novos backs and fringe players, back came City with more penetrating plays and Iain Taylor scored City’s fourth try when he stepped inside a defender to score. Dave Berriman’s conversion just crept over at a post with a last second wobble of his kick’s trajectory to make it 26-7 with a little over five minutes to go to half-time.

Another deep Novos’ re-start was taken by Dan Young on the 22 and his brilliant run made it to beyond the Novos’ ten metre line. This gave the visitors the platform to put more pressure on the home defence and Josh Cotton got the try the forwards had threatened. Iain Taylor’s conversion stretched City’s lead to 33-7 and the half came to an end when a City forward pass halted the start of another promising position that followed hooker Michael Hay’s take of the re-start.

Thus a satisfying first 40 minutes in which all 16 played their part with what for me the powerful forward runs, particularly second rows Jonathan Deighton and Josh Cotton from shortened line-outs, were the highlight. The half-time changes were the just-arrived Jack Bengochea on for Michael Hay who was injured in the last play of the half and Ed Partridge on for tight-head Colin Hogg with Tom Davies staying on for the recovering Cole Sims.

City’s re-start wasn’t taken by Novos and went out for a Novos line-out on their 22. City won the line-out and Jonathan Deighton drove into the home 22 but City were penalised, I think perhaps for not releasing because the referee mistook City’s blind-side Joe Spencer for a defender as he supported him by dragging him along the ground. Thus Novos had a line-out close to half-way. It proved to give them little respite as a City penalty took play to a City line-out in the Novos 22. However a City fumble gave Novos a scrum but once again that put the home eight under immense pressure as it was re-set to be followed by repeated put-ins only for Novos to get a penalty as their scrum was shunted backwards. A City knock on gave Novos the dubious advantage of a scrum in their 22 after a number of City phases that were less than convincing. Though under more pressure Novos were awarded another penalty that gave them the relief of a line-out inside their ten metre line. Joe Spencer snaffled their ball but a knock-on handed Novos a put-in. Novos’ No.8 and scrum half had adapted well to the scrum pressure and time and again got the ball away though their back-line was unable to mount any major threat. However from another dominant City scrum in the home 22 where City pushed Novos off the ball Dan Spence broke left only for a pass to go astray and into Novos hands and they took advantage of their opportunity and went the length of the field for an unconverted try to reduce City’s lead to 33-12 with 53 mins gone. This prompted Cole Sims' return replacing Tom Davies, and Joe Spencer moved to No.8 with Tom Wilkinson coming off to let Jonny Ranson on on the flank to test his shoulder after a long time out.

Novos knocked on the re-start and when Dave Berriman’s kick for the corner went dead Novos elected for a scrum on their 22. City’s scrummaging again caused Novos all sorts of problems with one scrum on the home 22 requiring a number of re-sets and put-ins that was only relieved when they got a penalty that heralded their revivival. City were penalised again at the Novos line-out on half-way. Their kick for another line-out missed touch but in fielding the ball a City defender made a howler of a knock-on to gift Novos a scrum on the City five metre line. Novos retained the ball at the scrum and re-cycling and drives got them over the line under the posts - remarkably the conversion was missed so leaving the score at 33-17 as the game entered the final quarter.

These scores galvanised Novos who visibly grew in confidence while City’s game went missing. Novos then moved the ball from a scrum on their 22 where their pack were in retreat
and another breakaway, length of the field, try this time converted reduced City’s lead to 33-24 after 65 mins. City then made more changes bringing Colin Hogg back on for Jim Earley and Tom Wilkinson back on for Joe Spencer. Though City replied almost immediately with a Dave Berriman seven point try to restore City’s 16 point advantage at 40-24, even with plenty of possession there were lots of errors in the closing minutes that gave the visitors position but precious little continuity. Mercifully, as far as this writer was concerned, full-time came when the last play from a City line-out on the Novos 22 came to nought.

So ended a match in which Novos aggressive line speed disrupted City’s game and at the start of the second half how wrong could you be with the thought that was it was going to be literally an uphill struggle for the home side? City put themselves in a little bit of trouble and they just couldn’t match the pace shown by Novos in their two breakaway tries. Though many players acquitted themselves well, the second half performance coloured any considered judgement and meant that there was no particularly outstanding performance, so Colin Hogg was given rather than won the Man of the Match award for no other reason than that he was the team’s Scotsman on the anniversary of Robert Burns’ birthday. On a more pertinent note, what City may have to compete against next season was in evidence on the adjacent pitch where by all accounts Novos 2nds played out a thrilling 31-31 draw with Billingham Lions - a standard that will undoubtedly be a step-up but on recent form a standard that City Saracens will also be capable of matching.

City scorers :
Dave Berriman 1(seven point) try & 2 cons
Iain Taylor 1 try & 2 cons
James Cook 1 try
Josh Cotton 1 try
Jim Earley 1 try
Dan Spence 1 try

This Saturday, the 1st of February, the Saracens are home to West End in another River Aln League match.

Saturday’s win should mean that the Saracens maintain their position as League leaders as this season’s overall record is now :
P 13 W 11 D 00 L 02 F 690 A 231 with a try count of 108 for and 36 against.

and the River Aln League record is now :
P 11 W 10 D 00 L 01 F 645 A 188 with a try count of 101 for and 30 against.

whilst last season’s overall record was :
P 21 W 14 D 00 L 07 F 832 A 538 and a total of 133 tries for and 86 against

Stewart Eddie
30 January 2020