Wath 22 Leodiensians 21

Wath 22 v Leodiensians 21

Late Whitlam Drop Kick Snatches Win

In perfect conditions Wath hosted Leodiensians, a team that had won three of its away games and, therefore, a possible banana skin. After 5 minutes a break by their live wire scrum half, directly from a line out, left would be tacklers in his wake as he scored under the posts. The easy conversion made the score 0-7, and an upset was on the cards.

Wath dominated territory and possession for the next 25 minutes, but were unable to score due mainly to the well organised and committed Leo’s defence. Wath crosssed the line on a couple of occasions but were unable to ground the ball. This resolute defending was aided by Wath’s lack of precision and they made a series of unforced errors that eventually resulted in Leo’s being able to release the pressure.

Things went from bad to worse for Wath: opportunism by the away team resulted in two more converted tries in the 10 minutes before half time and, at the break, Wath were 0-21 down.

From the whistle the home team restored the dominance they had exerted for the majority of the first half. However, it was possible to sense a great deal more determination and desire in Wath’s game led by Joe Earp, the stand in captain. It was his try after 45 minutes that got his team back into the game, 7-21, with Whitlam’s conversion.

The pressure was continuous but the Leo’s defence was still standing firm and not giving an inch.
Wath’s intensity did not diminish and Matt Burrows barged over the try line, following a determined run by hooker, James Dobson. The conversion drifted wide, but Wath had closed the score to 12-21.

The game continued to be played in the Leo’s 22 but, although Wath were dominating the scrums and all the possession, they were kept out for a further 15 minutes by a highly motivated Leo’sside. Luke Stead, the prolific try scorer, eventually added to his season’s tally, as from 5 metres he proved unstoppable. The successful conversion made the score 19 -21, but time was running out.

Having worked their way back into opposition territory, Wath were desperate for one more score.
Up stepped stand off, Jack Whitlam. Having received the ball 25 metres out, he calmly drop kicked the ball which sailed over the bar to the delight of Wath players and spectators. At 22-21 Wath had gained the narrowest of leads.From the restart Wath took the ball cleanly and were able to play out the final 2 minutes.

The win was a tribute to Wath’s determination and self belief but they were made to go the distance by an enthusiastic and well coached team. Next week is the local derby at Barnsley, who after a slow start, appear to be improving rapidly.

Steve Corns