“A magnificent performance; probably one of the best”
Leeds Tykes secured an important 31-38 victory away at Tonbridge Juddians, earning a full five-point haul in challenging weather conditions that limited fluid, running rugby. While the heavy and slippery surface disrupted rhythm for both sides, the Tykes will be satisfied with a result that, despite keeping them 11th in the table, importantly, opened up clearer daylight between themselves and the teams below, lifting spirits heading into next week’s break.
Leeds began with clear intent, applying early pressure and taking a deserved lead through hooker Max Thatcher, who finished from a well-executed catch-and-drive. Full-back Seremaia Bai Turagabeci added the conversion – the first of six successful kicks in an assured performance from the tee.
Tonbridge responded through Curtis Barnes, whose step created space to score, with Connor Lloyd adding the conversion. Leeds regained the advantage when Jonny Teague crossed, followed by another Turagabeci conversion and penalty to give the visitors a useful buffer.
The hosts remained competitive throughout. Front-rower Bobby Bratton powered over for the first of his hat-trick of tries, before Eddie Brown crossed on the stroke of half-time to restore Leeds’ ten-point lead at the interval.
The second half continued in a similar pattern, with Tonbridge Juddians pushing hard to overturn the deficit. Bratton added two more tries, and Oscar Waite also crossed as the home side showed resilience despite the conditions.
Leeds, however, made their key moments count. Two tries from Ewan Laughton made sure the visitors maintained control during the decisive passages, responding effectively each time Tonbridge closed the gap.
A late knock-on from the hosts brought the match to a close, confirming a valuable away win for the Tykes. With maximum points and a committed display in difficult conditions, Leeds can take confidence into their next set of games leading up to the Christmas break.
Speaking after the match, Director of Rugby Pete Seabourne said: “I’m really pleased. It’s a tough place to come after a long journey down last night. The boys produced a magnificent performance – probably one of the best since I’ve been in charge.
“We had adversity, picking up three more injuries, but we still came out the other side with five points. We’ve come down here before and been stung right at the death, so it’s pretty sweet to come and do a massive job on them. Hopefully this kick-starts us now; we had a good win against Dings and this builds on that. We can have a good week off, recover, get some bodies back, then build into Christmas with two or three wins and be where we believe we’re good enough to be in the table.”
Forwards Coach James Phillips added: “That was a great effort and we dug in when it really mattered to get the win. The lads showed real spirit to do what needed to be done and showed control throughout the game. I’m a proud coach today.”
Second row Seth Eley reflected on taking his opportunities: “I was buzzing with the call-up last week. I was on the bench and then, unfortunately, when TC (Tom Collins) went down in the warm-up, I played the full eighty. That gave me confidence coming down here today and we put in a good performance. It got a bit close at the end, but we managed to see it out.”
Fly-half Eddie Crossland shared his thoughts on the team’s performance: “I thought we played very well and came out of the blocks fighting. Our warm-up wasn’t the best, so we spoke about that before the match. We came out firing and stuck to the game plan. I’ve got a lot to work on, but I think I did OK today.”
Club shop order window
👕 Ellgren have opened a limited order window for Leeds Tykes jerseys – closing 9am on Friday 28 November
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