Fylde vs Sheffield RUFC (25th March): report by Elliot Burrow
Seven tries, four sin bins, and a glorious bit of sunshine were all present at the Woodlands on Saturday afternoon, as Fylde picked up their 18th league win of the season in what could only be described as a bizarre game of two halves.
There was barely a minute on the clock when Fylde opened the scoring when Tom Grimes pounced on the loose ball after Scott Rawlings produced a delicate kick through, and with further tries from Corey Bowker, Ben Gregory, Henry Higginson, and a double for Toby Harrison, the hosts racked up a point a minute to lead 40-0 at the interval.
It was a change of fortunes for them in the second-half however, three sin bins for Matt Garrod, Tom Carleton and David Fairbrother saw them playing at one point with 13 men on the pitch, but despite the visitors scoring twice, they finished off the match with a seventh try through Carleton to run out 45-14 winners.
A free weekend and the cold blast of weather which the country got at the start of the month meant Fylde hadn’t played since that enthralling 19-19 draw with league leaders Sedgley.
Sedgley lost their unbeaten record the week after to Tynedale to give Fylde a glimmer of hope perhaps that they could catch the run-away leaders, but the ‘Tigers’ soon resumed business as usual with a win last weekend over Hull Ionians, which saw them move 12 points clear.
That meant that Fylde were back to needing a miracle seemingly if they were to gain promotion, but their full focus this week was firmly set on Sheffield RUFC. The reverse fixture between the two all the way back in the colder climates of November saw Fylde record a 24-5 away victory, but Spring had definitely sprung now, and the warmer weather was present as kick-off approached.
Coaches Chris Briers and Alex Loney welcomed Olli Parkinson back into the starting line-up after he had recovered from his injury, with Tom Carleton also slotting back in at full-back and Patreece Bell making his first start for the club, after recently featuring off the bench.
Adam Lewis, Adam Lanigan and Tristan Woodman, who was fresh back from England U20’s Six Nations duties, all joined the replacements, as Fylde were gradually starting to return to a full strength squad.
Visitors Sheffield RUFC were 11 th in the table, and had only managed to pick up seven wins all season. They had secured their safety for another season which was the obvious positive, and scrum half Elliot Fisher was having a brilliant season, scoring 15 tries and racking up plenty of points in the process.
Three wins out of 12 on the road though when coming up against a side that hadn’t tasted defeat at home all season, meant they faced a tricky task if they wanted to head back to South Yorkshire with a victory.
Ladies day was in full flow at the club pre-match, with music set to follow after the game, but were Fylde going to hit all the right notes in the next 80 minutes to seal another five points?
They didn’t take long to get the ball rolling that’s for certain, that trademark fast start at home was present once more, as Scott Rawlings produced an inch perfect kick to the corner for Tom Grimes to dive on and score, with only one minute gone on the clock.
Greg Smith missed the conversion, but he soon had chance to make amends, when from a penalty tap Corey Bowker burst through a gap close to the line to score, Smith converting this time around.
It was soon 19-0, Fylde returning a kick with intent through David Fairbrother, who sent Grime racing up the wing, before he gave the ball to the skipper Ben Gregory to walk-in.
When Olli Parkinson was sin binned in the 19 th minute, it seemed as though that it might stop Fylde’s momentum, but that certainly wasn’t the case. Rawlings was directing traffic in attack, and he slotted Henry Higginson through a gap, who sprinted away to score, Smith converted again to make it 26-0.
Sheffield managed to get their hands on the ball but could never keep it long enough to make the possession count, and Fylde on the other hand were executing to perfection, Toby Harrison barging his way over the line for another try.
Harrison clearly wasn’t satisfied with just one try, and he scored again on the stroke of half-time under the sticks, Smith slotting the conversion over to send Fylde in at a point a minute at 40-0.
From the brilliant, to the utterly bizarre, after that first-half display it seemed as though Fylde were going to be able to cruise to their 11 th home win of the season, but that wasn’t to be the case. They found themselves back down to 14 players at the start of the second-half when Matt Garrod was shown a yellow card, and the visitors took advantage to get themselves up and running on the scoreboard. Lock David Clayden barged his way through the Fylde defensive line to score, with Elliot Fisher converting.
The sun might’ve been out and shining, but the hosts were struggling to warm to the task in this second 40 minutes, lacking the fluency they had benefited from in the opening half. Sheffield on the other hand were starting to get into the game, and Callum Posa jinked his way over from close range to dive over under the posts, with Fisher kicking the resulting goal to bring it back to 40-14.
Soon after, a third sin bin of the game followed for Fylde when Tom Carleton was penalised, and then things got even worse when David Fairbrother followed moments later to reduce them to 13 men. Despite this, their defence stood firm, and when Carleton returned to the field he rounded off the scoring when he glided through a gap to seal the win, Smith missed the conversion but Fylde had won 45-14.
Next up they head to play Sheffield’s neighbours Sheffield Tigers, before playing their final home game of the 2022/23 season at home to Otley on April 15.
Click here for Chris Farrow’s excellent photos of on-field action and the Woodlands social scene!
Line-ups
Fylde: Carleton, J.Dorrington (Lanigan 58), Wilkinson, Rawlings (Turner 63), Grimes, Smith, Potts,
Bowker (Lewis 40), Gregory (Bowker 59), Bell (Ashcroft 55), Parkinson, Garrod, Harrison (Woodman
40), Higginson, Fairbrother. Replacements: Lewis, Ashcroft, Woodman, Lanigan, Turner.
Sheffield RUFC: Kimpton, Cooke, Vitta, Smith, Hooper, Posa, Fisher, Whittney, Grady-Graham, Hicklin, Clayden, Parsons, Crapper, Adcock, Burrows. Replacements: Noble, Lonsdale, Rogers,
Womack, Perry.
Star man: Ben Gregory – Before the skipper scored his walk-in try, he produced an excellent 50-22 kick which showcased just how much of a well rounded player he is and his leadership throughout his time on the pitch set the platform for his team to execute an excellent first-half performance. Even when he was on the touchline at the end he was still willing his side on, and put in a true captain’s performance.
Game breaking moment: Henry Higginson’s try to put Fylde into a 26-0 lead and give them the bonus point, was very well taken, and contributed towards their superb first-half display. A short ball from Scott Rawlings sent Higginson through a gap in the Sheffield defence, and he shot clear to score under the sticks, befitting a player who was a winger at junior level.
Referee: James O’Brien
Attendance: 700
