Fylde overcame Hull RUFC by five tries to one in what looks on paper like a stroll in the park for the Lancastrians. It was far from that as the visitors dominated possession and territory for long periods in the game. Fylde probably had no more than 30% of the play but had the much superior strike power when they gained possession.
Referee James O’Brien was always busy and awarded Hull 17 penalties against just 5 to Fylde during the whole match. Hull were camped inside Fylde’s 20m line for long periods in both the 1st and 2nd halves. They met incredibly committed defence by Fylde.
A forecast of what was to come in a very physical game was the injury retirement in the 3rd min of Hull’s influential no 8 Will Hall. His team mate and fly-half Reece Dean opened the scoring with a 12th minute penalty. The home side responded a minute later when a fine attack led to fly-half Greg Smith chipping beautifully to the far right corner for winger Sam Carleton to outrun defenders to touch down at the Clubhouse end.
Smith was really in the mood today and in the 21st minute finished off a backs move to score near the posts, adding the subsequent conversion for a 14-3 lead.
It was time for Hull to up their efforts and to lay siege to the Fylde try line. Time and again their powerful forwards drove forward but there were always Fylde defenders blocking their way. A number of penalties were conceded from scrummaging and tackling offences and centre Tom Forster was yellow carded in yet another pile up. It looked as though Hull would make their numerical advantage tell but the home defence held out to maintain a 14-3 lead. The apt description of the final 15 minutes of the half by the watching ‘Man on the Clapham Omnibus’ as the Hull forwards fought hard for the breakthrough was ‘turgid’.
The Fylde coaches changed the props at the interval, with Peter Altham and Alex Brooks replacing Corey Bowker and Tye Raymont who had both put in hefty shifts in the tight exchanges and in the last ditch defensive efforts. An early penalty award to Fylde was kicked to within 15m of the Hull line and the subsequent driving maul was perfect as Ben Gregory was the last man up, his 16th try of the season which elevated him to the division’s leading try scorer. Greg Smith once more kicked the conversion from wide out and the 21-3 lead looked convincing on the scoreboard. It was somewhat different back in the trenches.
With the ending of Tom Forster’s time in the sinbin, Scott Rawlings entered the fray to bring the home side back to 15 players. Hull roared back into the attack for another period pressing on the Fylde try line, spurred on by their impressive scrum-half James Naylor. A number of penalty decisions allowed lineouts and scrums in the left hand corner of the ground in front of the Clubhouse. Lock Matt Garrod was sinbinned and Fylde were once again back to 14 players. But still their defence didn’t buckle. Although Hull’s tactics of battering away in the same style might be criticised, they did try to move wide through their backline but could get no joy from the home backs who tackled like fury.
Hyperactive flanker Tanē Bentley was given a break from the action to be replaced by Sam Parker in the 53rd minute. Bentley hardly had time to catch his breath when he returned to the field a couple of minutes later to replace fellow flanker Ethan Hall-Lyon who suffered what looked like a serious injury. He’s been a major capture this season and everyone hopes that he’ll be back playing sooner rather than later.
Still down a player, Fylde broke downfield and attacked in the right corner where Bentley forced his way over for the bonus point earning 4th try for the Lancastrians. Dead eyed Smith once again converted from the touchline for a 28-3 lead.
With Matt Garrod returning to the action from the naughty step in the 60th minute, he was joined by replacement wing Ben Turner who spared Adam Lanigan, another unsung defensive hero, from more tackling and running duties. After a Comedy Capers moment from the Hull backs in the 67th minute as they were pressing 30m out from the Fylde line, Turner picked up the loose ball and hared downfield chased by a couple of desperate Hull backs. They looked to be catching him but he subtly changed direction and raced over under the posts. Smith added the extras.
The try of the day, however, was still to come in the closing stages. Burly Yorkshire Academy and Burton Bishop College tight head prop Tomas Bairstow had a sound game in the tight and loose exchanges. In the 72nd minute he was in possession on halfway and he decided to take attacking matters into his own hands. He broke a couple of tackles, raced clear, put in a grubber kick and regathered before two Fylde defenders could get to him. The large crowd in front of the Clubhouse celebrated his effort, one certainly not out of the Props’ Playbook!
It’s invidious to highlight individual players who but their bodies on the line in such a defensive effort as it was a true all round display by the whole team. However, the excellent contribution of fullback Jordan Dorrington was recognised by the Coaches who named him Man of the Match. This reporter’s vote would go to Sam Stott who also made a major impact in attack and defence in only his fourth game back following many months on the sidelines through injury. A case could also be made for a shared award to the backrow featuring the energy and aggression of Toby Harrison. Greg Smith’s immaculate goal kicking plus try gave him a personal haul of 15 points.
Fylde move up one place in National Two (North) to 4th and they’ll face a demanding period ahead which continues at Billingham next Saturday before they return to the Woodlands for yet another Roses battle with old friends and rivals Wharfedale on 20th January.
Click here for Chris Farrow’s action photographs.
Here for video coverage of Fylde’s five tries.
FYLDE: Dorrington; S Carleton, Forster (Rawlings 47), Stott (Forster 69), Lanigan (Turner 59); Smith, Gould; Bowker (Brooks 40), Gregory, Raymont (Altham 40), Parkinson, Garrod, Hall-Lyon (Bentley 56), Bentley (Parker 53, Raymont 63), Harrison.
HULL RUFC: Trueman; Astley, Hudson-Kowalewicz, Heard (c), Davidson; Dean, Naylor; Major (Russell 40), Jobling, Bairstow, Regardsoe (Major 61), Addy, Halaifonua, Renouf, Hall (Beech 3, Penn 22).
Non-playing replacements: Uriburu, Barratt.