3rd XV
Matches
Sat 29 Sep 2018
Leos RUFC
3rd XV
Tries: S Watkiss (2), J Radcliffe (2)Conversions: J Capell, J Radcliffe, S Watkiss
26
31
Aireborough 2nd XV
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

Billy Marsh30 Sep 2018 - 13:33
Share via
FacebookTwitter
https://www.leodiensian.co.uk/

Annual student harvest unearths more future Leos

In what turned out to be an unseasonably warm September afternoon, Leos 3s welcomed Aireborough crusaders to The Craggledome (tm).

Thanks to the hard work of fixture sec and student snatcher supreme Birdy, Leos were able to field 3 sides for the first time this season, ensuring that Leos new and old got some much welcomed time under their belts.

If the first play was anything to go by, this was going to be quite the encounter with Aire captain Matt perfectly weighting a kick to an on rushing forward who charged at the under-weight Leos pack with glee. Showing a lot of bottle and a bit of grit, the marauding invader was taken down and a penalty won.

The script played out much like this all game with Ben Jones, Freddie Davies and Luke Wyman punching well above their weight around the ruck. Luke also proving a useful weapon in the lineout. ‘The easiest man I’ve ever lifted in the lineout’ chirped Adam Ketteringham with the swagger of a wine merchant who’s just unearthed a keeper on the bin end.

Leos drew first blood, the pack set a nice platform from a scrum, the resulting 8 pickup caused a bit of a melee which scrum half Sam Watkins took full advantage of to slice beneath the posts. With Tom Bindloss’ kicking boots at home, last weeks two-try hero Jim Capell stepped up and added the extras...

Yes it seems being a dad has made Farmer Jim somewhat of a superhero and you can imagine the collective sigh of relief when he was tackled 5m short of the line later in the game after a 20 yard break. One less fisherman story for the rest of us!

Aire hit back hard employing a pick and go game that gradually wore Leos down, again no shortage of effort in defence more a lack of bodies as the visitors built confidence close to the line. A kick on the full gave Aire the chance to deploy their rolling maul from the lineout which ultimately ended in 5 points to the visitors.

Not to be pinned down Leos launched an attack from the kickoff, and the backs started to get more ball, Tom Bindloss at fulcrum was aided by some very sharp lines coming from Matt O’Flaherty and Jake Radcliffe, Matt Dallingwater even added a bit of bosh in midfield but the phases just weren’t sticking and Leos never really had the chance to unleash the potential of its exciting back line. The visitors defence became quite suffocating.

An absolute belter of a line from Jake eventually saw him run in untouched from 70m, snapping ankles and leaving defenders in the dust, it was a real sight to see from the halfway line with the rest of the side who decided that Jake had it all in hand. 12-5 to Leos and not too long left in the first.

Aire punched more holes in Leos defence who by now had realised the tight guards would be working overtime today, a few dump tackles and chops kept the boys in blue standing but an eventual burst through the tired legs saw Aire score and convert. 12 all at the break.

The second half picked up where the first had ended, Aire chipping away at Leos defence with run after run, the hot weather and lack of bench started to kick in as the clock ticked by and Aire exploited weary legs and half tackles to dive under the sticks.

Some real desire was on show from the boys in blue, turning scrums over on their own 5m, securing vital midfield turnovers and snatching the odd lineout against a much bigger and more gelled side. The breaks came but sometimes support was lacking, or the last pass wasn’t sticking, sometimes it was just good defence but Leos struggled as the visitors used their bench and kept well hydrated.

Note to anyone playing on the wing, when your cramp prone captain is calling for water, bring it on!

Hands down the line saw Leos score a second with Jake keeping within a studs width of the narrow in goal area, certain he converted his own effort.

Aire kept the pressure up adding two very similar tries as Leos eventually went down to 14 men following an injury to Frazer McKie, you could see him fighting through but the injury put him on the sidelines for a while after a decent showing at 15, shepherded no doubt by Billy Adam who had earlier expressed his distaste at playing with people who are younger, better and faster than him.

A burst from Leos own 5 from turnover ball saw Sam and Matt combine only for the latter to be taken down at full pace by the Alwoodley sniper. The resulting play ended with Leos giving away a soft penalty.

As the game reached its climax Sam spotted a hairline gap between two Aire guards and snaked his way to the line claiming a second try and a neat drop goal as the final whistle went.

Overall a good performance from Leos, an unfortunate loss but a good game played in very good spirit. A bit more time and cohesion would have helped but ultimately a lack of bench and inability to read the ref was Leos ultimate downfall.

Didn’t catch the final score... 5 tries and a few conversions for Aire vs 4 tries and a few conversions for Leos.

A big thank you to borrowed Aire brothers Paul and Tony (apologies if I’ve remembered names wrong!) who donned the famous blue and yellow and looked to have a good time running at their mates, providing some much needed ballast in the scrum.

Good performance around the park from a number of players on debut and seasoned Leos alike, Tricky was a defensive nuisance, Bindloss led from the front as ever but Man of the Match goes to scrum half Sam who wasn’t afraid to stick his head in some dark places to fish out quick ball for the backs to play with, bossed the rucks and picked up a brace.

Something special is happening at Leos and I’d urge anyone who’s bored of shopping with the Mrs on a Saturday or has a few hours they’d rather spend away from the tele to come down and play. If you can’t play then why not spectate and check out the bar, now under new management.

Leos is the place to be!

Match details

Match date

Sat 29 Sep 2018

Kickoff

15:00
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Club Sponsor - Onebright
Club Sponsor - Looseheadz
Sponsor - Talos Recycling
Club Sponsor - MTech IT (Leeds) Ltd
Shirt Sponsor - Samuel Grant Group Ltd
Club Sponsor - Matt Chapman Property Development Ltd
Shirt Sponsor - Deliveroo
Player / Coach Sponsor - Leos Catering & Function Room
Player Sponsor - Leeds Food Tours
Player Sponsor - Alfies Bar & Kitchen
Shirt Sponsor - Rentokil Initial PLC