Match report 28 February

Tykes triumph in try-laden thriller

Leeds Tykes extended their impressive run to four wins on the bounce with a thrilling 45-38 victory over Rosslyn Park in a breathless, seven-try first half at the Sycamores that set the tone for one of the most entertaining contests of the season.

The visitors struck first as Charlie Walker finished well out wide, but Leeds responded immediately. Debutant Matt Salisbury marked his first appearance in style, finishing under the posts after chasing his own kick, before pouncing again moments later following a breakdown in Park’s defence. Eddie Crossland converted both and added a penalty to stretch the lead, although sustained Rosslyn Park pressure was rewarded when Tom Bell crossed, with Bill Johnston converting. Another offside penalty allowed Crossland to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Park struck back through Cameron King from a catch-and-drive, but Leeds’ forwards laid a platform for Seremaia Bai Turagabeci to jink his way over. With the game in full flow, Sebi Krippner was hauled down just short before Albert Bradshaw spotted a gap to secure the try bonus point. Joe Luca Smith crossed late in the half as seven tries before the interval left Leeds 32-24 ahead and supporters asking whether anyone had come up for breath.

Seven minutes into the second half, Bradshaw produced a decisive moment, intercepting a wide pass and running the length to score. Rosslyn Park refused to go quietly. Murray Redpath offloaded to Walker for a well-taken try while Leeds were down to 14 after Eddie Brown was shown a yellow card, before Gareth Blackmore touched down under the posts to set up a tense finale.

Leeds were forced to scramble defensively as Park pressed inside the final ten minutes. However, a yellow card for Conrad Cade proved costly, and Crossland calmly dispatched the resulting penalty in the dying moments to seal victory.

The final whistle brought relief as well as celebration for the home side, who combined attacking flair with late-game composure to claim five vital points after a truly top-drawer contest.

Speaking after the match, Director of Rugby Pete Seabourne said: “I’m really happy with that. From start to finish we showed what type of team we are and we brought that today against a very, very good Rosslyn Park who came here to test us. They played well and scored some good tries, as did we, but I thought we managed the field position and controlled the game better than we have done recently against bigger teams. The players deserve that.

“Fair play to Matt Salisbury making his debut, scoring two tries and getting Player of the Match from the sponsors. There were a lot of other performances too. It’s good to have Jack Smith back on for twenty minutes and getting Jordan Cordice back on late in the last quarter. It’s good that the injured boys are coming back in and the boys we are bringing in are making a difference too. The result goes a long way to what we want to do this year. Hopefully we’ll have a good week and see what Bishop’s Stortford brings us.”

Making his first appearance of the season, back rower Jack Smith described his return to the pitch: “It’s brilliant – putting the shirt back on before the game gave me a real buzz. It was hard work, definitely hard work, but it’s good to be back in the mix.”