The mighty 3s got the 2019-20 season off to a fine start with an excellent result at local rival Roundhegians. Leos were in charge throughout the match and never really looked like losing, although the last quarter of the game left some room for improvement.

Fielding a strong side, Leos kicked off the new season in glorious sunshine on ‘Hegians wide, flat 1st XV pitch. The early stages were somewhat cagey as both teams eased their way back into contact rugby after a long summer off. Leos quickly established the dominance up front which would lay the platform for victory, with strong running from Carl Stephenson, Kenny Parsons and others creating quick ball for the 9/10 access of Fenton Davies and Tom Tweddle to distribute. The first score came around 10 minutes in when Leos secured possession from a lineout deep in ‘Hegians territory. A series of forward drives from Glorious Leader Dave Harrison and Kenny Parsons put the ‘Hegians defence on the back foot, creating space for Ben “Dr Death” Lawrence in midfield. The Terror of The Seas wasted no time barging his way over next to the sticks, a try converted by fly half Tom Tweddle.

With the forward platform established and ‘Hegians seemingly happy to kick away possession, Leos began to dominate territory and push for a second score. This was some time in coming, owing to a combination of stout ‘Hegians defence and Leos’ own tendency to overcook things and force passes at times. Most memorable was Tom Bindloss aggressively insisting on a quick tap penalty, which he immediately knocked on to the amusement of everyone nearby. Bindloss did (partially) redeem himself however, gathering Tom Tweddle’s cute grubber kick 5m out and sliding over near the posts. Tweddle was again on target with the boot, giving Leos a 14-0 lead.

For whatever reason Leos’ intensity dropped somewhat after this and ‘Hegians began to make some inroads, spending more time in Leos’ half and coming close to the line, only to be foiled by some sharp defensive work from the back row, with Dave Hughes and Teriyaki Ben getting through a lot of tackling. On the stroke of half time however ‘Hegians took a metaphorical dagger to the heart as a long clearance kick went straight down fullback Paddy Behan’s throat. Exploiting the wide open space, Paddy sliced through and broke the ‘Hegians’ right winger’s tackle to go 70 yards and right under the posts. Tweddle converted, leaving the scoreline a healthy 21-0 in Leo’s favour.

At half time the talk was about maintaining the level of intensity. Although this did not happen as hoped, this can be partly explained by the way Leos scored two quick-fire tries and effectively put the match to bed within 10mins of the start of the second half. The first came with a big side helping of luck, as the ‘Hegians left wing spilled Tweddle’s clearance kick at the feet of Ash Britton, who hacked the ball on and gathered to score under the posts. Britton had been threatening all day and his try was just reward for a strong performance in the back line. Not long after Leos were in again when Carl Stephenson broke through some lax tackling, then offloaded to Dave Hughes who comfortably outpaced the ‘Hegians cover defence. Both tries were converted by Tom Tweddle, which put Leos into an insurmountable 35-0 lead.

After this it is fair to say that Leos lost their way a bit. Passes were suddenly going down, tackles being occasionally missed and ‘Hegians found their way back into the game, scoring a converted try to bring the score to 35-7. Tom Tweddle’s suggestion that Leos were “being too nice” was accurate commentary, as Leos struggled to find the killer instinct needed to properly bury their rivals. Despite this Leos did go back on the attack, hammering on the ‘Hegians door for some time as both Glorious Leader Dave Harrison and Kenny Parsons were held up over the line. Eventually it was skill rather than brute force which opened the door, as soft hands from Bindloss and Britton created the smallest of overlaps for winger Joe McCartney who executed a brilliant plunging, rugby league-style finish right on the corner flag. ‘Hegians’ protestations that McCartney had strayed into touch were swiftly dashed by their own linesman who confirmed the score without hesitation. Tweddle was unable to convert, which is forgivable considering the kick was about 2 inches in from the sideline.

Leos’ play then went a bit squiffy for the last ten minutes and much time was spent in their own half. ‘Hegians managed to cross for another converted try with their centre bursting through two missed tackles. They would have had a third after a Joe McCartney box kick went spectacularly wrong and rather backwards in their own 22, only for the grateful ‘Hegians recipient to be foiled by an outstanding last ditch tackle from scrum half Fenton Davies. The ‘Hegians player knocked on in the process and, with this being the last play of the match, Tweddle decided that enough was enough and hoofed the ball into touch, ending the game.

Although there is plenty to improve on, that should not take away from what was an excellent start to the season with strong individual performances across the field. Not mentioned so far but worthy of such are the front row of Glorious Leader Dave Harrison, hooker Jamie Scott and perpetually annoyed prop forward Simon Haworth, all of whom matched their opposite numbers gamely and ensured that Leos were solid at scrum time. Credit should also go to Tom Bainbridge-Glover who made his first start at second row and performed strongly. Next week sees Leos host Old Crossleyans 2nd XV in what is likely to be a tough encounter at Crag Lane.