Fylde 18-15 Leeds Tykes: match report by Stuart McCracken
Fylde put a huge dent in Leeds Tykes promotion charge with a massive win in their last game of the season at the Woodlands to give Rotherham Titans the advantage in the National Two North title race.
First-half tries from Adam Lanigan and Fylde’s top try scorer Ben Gregory gave the Lancastrians a 15-7 advantage at the interval against an opponent they hadn’t faced at the Woodlands since 1998.
It was a tale of sheer defensive effort in the second-half from Fylde, who stayed resolute to the very end to restrict Leeds to just one try in the last 40 minutes meaning they ran out 18-15 winners over the current league leaders in National Two North.
Chris Briers and Alex Loney’s side started strongly at the Woodlands as they attempted to end the season on a high note. The hosts went over first with Lanigan, who was filling in at scrum-half following an early injury to Ben Gould. he pounced on a loose ball to dive over the line. The winger buried his way over, going under a last-ditch tackle by a Leeds defender.
Greg Smith opened his account for the afternoon from the tee to extend Fylde’s lead to seven points after 10 minutes.
Fylde’s advantage grew just five minutes later when Smith slotted a penalty between the posts, after the travelling Yorkshire side were adjudged to have been offside at the ruck.
The early pace of the game continued with league leaders Leeds getting their first try of the encounter in the 18th minute through Lucas Walsh. The forward drove over the line from short range, with Seremaia Turagabeci knocking the conversion over to cut Fylde’s lead to three points.
Leeds Tykes upped the pressure on Fylde after their first try, especially at scrum time. Their front row of Tobias Williams, Adam Brown and William Dennis started to turn the screw on the hosts, winning multiple scrum penalties, but their side’s own lack of discipline around the park meant they couldn’t build up steam.
The next score of the match actually looked more likely to come from the hosts than the travelling favourites. In the 36th minute winger Ben Turner looked certain to score in the corner after brilliant play by the back line to release him down the left, but the wide man was adjudged to have knocked the ball on when he tried to ground it one handed.
Fylde didn’t have to wait long for the second try though as captain Gregory went over a minute later for his 21st try of the season, after he tailed off a lineout maul to burrow over.
At this point in the match the hosts were in the ascendancy, due to a brilliant 50-22 by Smith, which pinned Leeds into their own 22.
After a series of lineout mauls, Leeds’ try scorer Walsh was sin binned for dragging down a maul. Fylde made nothing of the next lineout drive meaning they went in just eight points ahead at the interval.
Leeds, who knew they needed to win to keep their promotion charge on track, came out fired up for the second-half meaning Fylde had to put in a huge defensive shift in the second period, with the likes of Sam Parker, Toby Harrison and Valu-Tane Bentley really coming to the fore.
The aforementioned Bentley was sin binned in the 57th minute for dragging down a driving maul like Walsh in the first-half. For the next seven minutes Fylde were under extreme pressure on their own five metre line, but they eventually held the ball up in the 64th minute to clear their lines.
After not getting over Fylde’s try line, Leeds opted to kick at the posts when they won a penalty in the 66th minute, which was duly slotted over by their star man Turagabeci to reduce the arrears to five points. This penalty was instantly cancelled out though as Fylde won a penalty straight from the resulting kick-off, which Smith converted to put Fylde eight points clear once again.
Bodies were being thrown on the line at this point in the game as Leeds emptied their bench in search of an answer to Fylde’s resolute defence. This effort was incapsulated in the 72nd
minute when full-back Jordan Dorrington chased down a kick in behind, which look destined to land in a Leeds players’ hands, before diving and collecting the ball despite being getting knocked in the head. The back was forced off after this exchange due to concern for the head injury he had just suffered.
Leeds’ pressure finally told in the 74th minute when centre Ben Dixon went over in the left corner to set up a grand stand finish in the last game of the season at the Woodlands, as well as Scott Rawlings last ever game at Fylde before his retirement.
It was meant to be for Rawlings and Fylde though as they would hold out in the closing stages to pick up their biggest win of the season in National Two North.
Click here for Chris Farrow’s 234 photos from the encounter.
Fylde Man of the match: Sam Parker
Fylde team:
Dorrington, Lanigan, Reader, Rawlings, Turner, Smith, Gould, Bowker, Gregory, Altham, Parkinson, Garrod, Parker, Bentley, Harrison.
Replacements: Brooks, Raymont, Williamson, Clayton, Carleton
Leeds Tykes:
Venables, Macnab, Dixon, Williams, Evans, Turagabeci, Hardwick, Williams, Brown, Dennis, Brady, Guthrie, Walsh, Teague, Brown
Replacements: Yorke, Hancock, Harrison, Nuu