U16s - Dinnington Vs Barnsley

BARNSLEY RUFC U16 MATCH REPORT

SHAW LANE, SUNDAY 3rd FEBRUARY 2008, 11AM KICK OFF.
OPPONENTS – DINNINGTON
REFEREE – SIMON PARKS
SCORE –BARNSLEY – 0 DINNINGTON – 43 (Feb 2007 0 – 17 – what a difference)

BARNSLEY DEAFENED BY THE “DIN”- HAMMERING

This may seem an odd thing to say after the lads were on the receiving end of this score-line, but it was a far better effort than the previous 3 woeful fixtures.

If they’d had played as badly against “Din”, you could have doubled this score-line.
It is clear that the enthusiasm, precision, aggression and confidence exhibited on the training field is not necessarily replicated by some of the lads, when it matters, against one of the best teams we've ever played, and certainly the best we’ve encountered this season.

Rather than dwell on our negatives, we should aspire to the way “DIN” play.

Their front 5 (they have 2 particularly big locks) absolutely murdered us in the scrums, when we didn’t get our ball taken against the head, it was a retreating scrum, and our half backs were never under anything less than massive pressure.
They got their ball away from the rucks, and the base of the scrum quickly and accurately, their runners hit the popped passes at pace, tearing big holes in our defence.

They took the ball into contact with low, aggressive body positions (protecting the ball), and they hit the rucks with real power and venom, clearing out for quick ball released to the flankers and backs.
Support play at its best. We need to aspire to this, it’s up to you lads.
In the maul, we had a better time of it, but it was usually “Din” who ripped the ball away from us, rather than the other way.

The lineout was a bit of a lottery in the biting breeze, but it was a lottery we lost.
So, most of the time we didn’t have the ball, and when we did get it we coughed it up back to them. We had to try and play our way out of our 22, and we made the incomprehensible tactical decision to play (first half) against a biting, swirling, strong breeze.

We do like to do things the hard way!
We were lucky not to be 50 points down at half time, but somehow just over half the team tackled as if their lives depended on it, and carried the passengers with them.
We started to show some character again.

We barely got out of our half, and “DIN” scored good 4 tries and a penalty kick, 0 – 25.

The second half got underway, and with the elements in our favour, and the coaches’ words ringing in their ears, we started to fight back. We made some in-roads into the “DIN” half but really never looked like scoring.

Eventually the “DIN” machine began to grind away, and the scores came again, 3 good tries and a penalty kick. The final score being 0 – 43. (It would have been more if not for heroic defence on the try line.) The pick of our forwards, for me, was Marlon “the hit man” Wragg.

Tyler Smith, clearly not 100% bravely battled away, returning to the fray, having left the field injured. Keiron Holmes also battled well.

Well done to débutante, Sam Fitzpatrick, a baptism of fire, but he showed real promise.
In our backs I thought Matthew Tilson did very well before being injured, and Jamie Linacre did well also, albeit it was almost totally in defence!

But I reserve the highest praise for our half backs, Jack Churchill and Robert Mynett, who lived on scraps of possession, but put in telling breaks, and big hits tirelessly.

Man of the match for Barnsley – Robert Mynett – as voted for by our coach, the “DIN” coach and the ref. No argument from me.

Our thanks to the ref., who had an excellent game, and who could have been sitting reading a paper with a hot cuppa at home, but chose to be here.

The “green shoots” of a revival are there, it’s up to the lads to make them grow.

TIME LINE:

11.02AM – KICK OFF (D)

11.06 – TRY+CON (DIN) – 0 - 7

11.12 – TRY (DIN) – 0 – 12

11.24 – PENALTY KICK (DIN) – 0 – 15

11.26 – TRY(DIN) – 0 – 20

11.33 – TRY(DIN) – 0 – 25

11.37 – HALF TIME

11.40 – RESTART (2ND HALF – BARNSLEY)

11.50 – TRY (DIN) – 0 – 30

11.58 – PENALTY KICK(DIN) – 0 – 33

12.03PM – TRY(DIN) – 0 –38

12.08 – TRY(DIN) – 0- 43

12.13 – WE FINALLY GOT TO THE DIN 5M LINE, BUT DIDN’T WIN THE LINE OUT – CHANCE GONE.

12.15 – FULL TIME

Get well soon to James Green and Josh Woolhouse. (There shouldn’t have been much to damage!)