Leeds Corinthians Match Report

A combined Wath 2nd/3rd team was subjected to a physical test against Leeds Corinthians in their first game of the new season. Wath took 19 players to Leeds, a mix of experience and youth, with a few we might euphemistically describe as ‘very experienced’ rounding out the squad. With Corinthians requiring uncontested scrums due to a shortage of props, some of those ‘rounding out’ the squad would have to adapt to a faster game.
Wath started at pace, keeping possession for long periods at a time, with forwards carrying well, working round the corner, creating the space on the open side for Jim West to release Jack Jones and a youthful backline. After several forays into the Corinthians 22, an inside pass from Jones gave second row Alex Metcalfe just enough space to force his way over the line. Jones’ conversion made the score was 0-7. Wath immediately resumed their solid possession game, and looked odds on to score when the outnumbered Corninthians winger knocked a West pass on just yards from the line. Sensibly for the first game in over 500 days, the referee deemed a penalty sufficient, and Wath were confident.
However, Wath had not yet faced the hard running Leeds Corinthians attack. While Wath tackled admirably, the bigger Corninthians players’ straightforward, highly physical driving game ground its way down field, eventually barreling over in the corner to make the score 5-7. Spurred on, Wath resumed their successful pattern of play, and driving back into the 22, Jones fed Alex Butterworth, who drove to within inches of the line - or so the referee said - leaving West to score from the shortest of short ranges. 5-12.
As the first half neared its conclusion, Jones exploited the blindside, setting Chris Thoday free, but the referee immediately halted play. With a stroke of terrible ill-fortune, Jones had gone to ground awkwardly in the tackle and badly dislocated his shoulder. Play was halted for several minutes, and shortly after play resumed with a reorganised backline, Wath were to suffer another blow when the outside centre, Adam Day, was injured making a tackle. With Tim Hicks unfortunately injuring his knee within minutes of coming on, the second half would see the Wath players - several of whom could be counted as the walking wounded - filling in where needed.
Good, committed tackling by Wath and hard running from the likes of Butterworth, Thoday and James Sherratt meant that the second half ebbed and flowed; Wath absorbing the pressure from the Corinthians attack, and driving back in turn, but never quite getting another try. Brandon Coult forced his way over the line but was held up, and so we got the chance to see the one of the new laws in action; a quickly taken goal-line dropout turning a lung bursting, leg sapping attack into a scramble back to the half-way line.  
Late in the second half Corinthians struck back. A succession of penalties at the break down pushed Wath back into their 22.  Corinthians took the tap penalty as had become customary, but this time they opted for something other than a powerful charge into the centre of waiting Wath defence. Moving the ball wide on the shorter side they were able to find space, and cross the line barely opposed, quite out of character for a game in which collisions were not only not shirked, but actively sought. Luckily for Wath, the conversion from in front of the goal struck the post, leaving the game at 10-12. With a slender lead, and 10 minutes to go, Wath were eager to play deep in Corinthians half, and a few clever kicks from West and Ben Cairns kept Wath playing in the right areas until the final whistle.
With several players having stepped up and performed well during the August friendlies against Pontefract and Dinnington, Saturday’s game should be a boost the confidence of all the players that they can cope with the physicality of the rugby to come this season.
Wath send all our best wishes for Jack Jones.