Saturday 24 October, some time between Storm Austen and Storm Boelo, Yorkshire Rugby Academy played Leicester Tigers at Bishop Burton College. Despite supposedly being in a storm gap, conditions were pretty atrocious. The rain and wind began in earnest just after kick off, thoroughly wetting a sizeable crowd, and hung around throughout the match.
Despite this, the two teams provided an exciting, fast game which was hotly contested from start to finish. Long term readers know by now they’re not going to find an in-depth analysis here, but I think the home team gave notice of their strength and intent by winning a scrum early on (above). Tigers must have realised they were in for a challenging afternoon, if they’d not done so before.
The Yorkshire forwards were at it again in the second half as they scored no fewer than three tries from a lineout-maul routine which the Tigers just couldn’t handle. Contrast with that the back speed, led by captain Keiji Ashaolu (below), who scored a try mid-first half with a fantastic solo run through the centre, landing just aside the posts. Unfortunately I had a long lens on at the time so the actual touch down was too close to capture, but I did manage to get several shots of his dramatic run.
Perhaps wrong to pick out too many individuals from what was very much a team effort. However, having highlighted a back, it’s only right to mention a forward. Number 2 Sam Johnson (below) was a leading participant in those mauls and I think he scored at least two of the second half tries. Well done him.
Not told you the score yet, mainly because I can’t find it anywhere. Suffice to say, Yorkshire Academy won! The first time the Academy has beaten Leicester Tigers. Congratulations to all concerned - the victory was well deserved. When Tigers did pile on the pressure in the second half, the Yorkshire side showed themselves well able to soak it up and give back every bit as much pressure of their own.
Hope you enjoy the pictures. There are more than usual for you to plough through. Some players feature a lot. It’s the way things go so apologies to those I missed. Quick mention to number 8 George Cameron’s family who I spoke with briefly, both before and after the match. Rest assured, there are pictures of him - and he is doing something!