A week is a long time in sport. Only seven days after a hugely encouraging display at high-flying Hull Ionians, Wharfedale crashed back to earth with a home defeat against bottom-of-the-table Sheffield Tigers. In truth, this latest defeat had its roots in Hull, where a number of Dale’s key players suffered injuries. There were eight changes in the selection against the Tigers, and whilst some of the faces were not unfamiliar, they were certainly unexpected. It was perhaps inevitable that Dale’s performance would be often disjointed and lacking in confidence.

To give Sheffield Tigers their due, they thoroughly deserved their victory and played with an assurance which belied their league position. Their first try came after only three minutes, when fullback James Norman broke through the Greens’ midfield to score. The conversion was made by Tom Obrien, who was reliable from the tee all afternoon despite a strong and gusting wind.

Playing into that wind and up the slope in the first half, Wharfedale found it difficult to gain territory. Inevitably, it was a charge by Joe Fawcett that eventually put the home side on the front foot. Once inside the visitors’ 22, Dale pressured the line until scrum half Joe Adams crossed near the posts. On the quarter hour, Fawcett gave a repeat of his earlier break, and this time it was Ollie Cicognini who was on hand to score. Another successful conversion gave Wharfedale a 14-7 lead, and the expectation was that they would weather the storm.

Not so. Soon after, a Tigers rolling maul took loosehead prop William Bennett over the Dale line. In the following ten minutes, Tigers scored two more tries to make the score 14-26. Then, with the half-time whistle pending and Dale up in the opposition half, weak tackling let the Tigers break through, kick ahead and score again.

Trailing 14-33 at the break, but looking forward to having the slope and wind in their favour, Wharfedale’s cause was not lost. And when, two minutes after the resumption, a rolling maul took Green openside flanker Freddie Welbury over, it seemed as if a comeback was possible. When ten minutes later the same move was repeated, with Welbury again the scorer, a Wharfedale win looked probable. Crucially though, neither conversion was made, which left Dale still needing to score twice.

Tigers’ defence was increasingly desperate, and they repeatedly infringed. With fifteen minutes left Benjamin Crowe was yellow-carded, and it seemed almost inevitable that Wharfedale would now capitalise. Instead, the Green attack broke down with a missed pass. It was a moment that summed up Wharfedale’s afternoon. Tigers gratefully grabbed the ball and broke free. In retreat Dale were penalised, and from the resulting five-metre lineout the visitors scored their sixth try. Although Wharfedale still had time to reduce the deficit with a try by replacement hooker Robbie Collinson, the game was up.

On the evidence of Wharfedale’s victory against Preston Grasshoppers, there is no doubt that the team has the quality and spirit to move away from the relegation zone. After next week’s visit to ambitious Darlington Mowden Park there is a two-week break. The Wharfedale coaches will be hoping for good news from the physios room by the time Tynedale visits at the end of the month. And hoping that two weeks is a very long time in sport.



Referee: Michael Harris
Attendance: 385
Half-time Score: Wharfedale 14 – 33 Sheffield Tigers

Scorers:
WHARFEDALE
Tries: Adams, Cicognini, Welbury (2), Collinson
Conversions: Trees (3)
SHEFFIELD TIGERS
Tries: Norman, Obrien (2), Bennett, Goff, Talbot
Conversions: Obrien (5)

Wharfedale:-
15 Callum Trees
14 Orson Hall
13 Ben Blackwell
12 Oli Cicognini ©
11 Omari Kaup-Samuels
10 Archie Haddon
9 Joe Adams

1 Jimmy Meehan
2 Joe Charnley
3 Reece Ward
4 Ed Harrison
5 Tom Beresford
6 Ben Markey
7 Freddie Welbury
8 Joe Fawcett

16 Robbie Collinson
17 Tom Thirkell
18 Rob Baldwin
24 Sam Dickinson
20 Idris Morgan