Tykes stunned by second-half fightback
Leeds Tykes came out on the wrong end of the scoreline in an opening game full of tries at The Sycamores.
Newly promoted Camborne RFC produced a gutsy second-half fightback to eventually prevail 36–38, taking a valuable five points back down to Cornwall with them.
Camborne opened the scoring when Ben Priddey touched down at the back of a rolling maul, but Leeds quickly responded through George Worthington, whose pace out wide earned his new club their opening score. Eddie Crossland missed the conversion.
Adam Brown then made a powerful break to put Leeds in a strong position before offloading to Ewan Laughton, who scored unopposed. Crossland converted before Charlie Venables added another try to extend the lead to 17–7. Laughton crossed again two minutes later, securing the bonus point, with Crossland adding the extras.
Camborne reduced the deficit shortly before half-time when Priddey scored his second try, converted by Fraser Honey. Worthington responded for the hosts with his second try of the game, giving Leeds a commanding lead at the interval.
Joshua Matavesi brought Camborne back into the contest early in the second half, with Honey converting. Jamie Prisk then crossed just before the hour mark, and Rory O’Kane’s conversion reduced Leeds’ advantage to just one point at 29–28.
Alex Ducker’s converted try put Camborne ahead for the second time and secured their try bonus point. Leeds responded when Connor Walker powered over, with Crossland converting to restore the Tykes’ lead.
However, Camborne refused to surrender. Four minutes later, referee Sam Yates dubiously awarded the visitors a penalty after playing advantage for what seemed like an age. Rory O’Kane calmly dispatched it to seal victory for the visitors.
Speaking after the game, Tykes Director of Rugby Pete Seabourne said: “It was a classic tale of two halves really. We were good throughout the first half and then fell away in the second half as they came into things. In the second half, we seemed to go away from everything we’d planned for and spoken about, which allowed them back into the game.
“We have a lot to work on ahead of next week and we need to improve as quickly as possible.”
Head Coach Pete Lucock echoed these thoughts, saying: “We started the game really well and had an element of control, particularly in the first half. Credit to them for the way they responded in the second half. That’s what we need to work on. It was our ill-discipline that gave them field position to cause us problems, so if we can work to reduce the number of penalties given against us, that should help.
“The effort areas for training this week are more about focusing on our own performance rather than worrying too much about what the opposition are doing. If we get our own house in order, we should be able to compete with most teams at this level. We need to pay special attention to our discipline so we don’t repeat the errors of today.”
Looking ahead to next week, Lucock added: “We make no secret of our history with Sheffield from when we were both in National 2 North, so that should be a game to get the local juices flowing. Anyone who can get down there and support us is most welcome. We appreciate the noise our fans can make.”
⌛ Final score 36-38
⏳ (HT 29-14)
👈 Scoring for Leeds Tykes
ℹ️ Match centre
🙏 Thanks to Ben Cropper for our match report
Player of the Match
Thank you to Titan Wealth, our Premier Partner who sponsored the match. They chose George Worthington as Leeds Tykes’ Player of the Match.
George reflected on a game of two very different halves after making an impressive start to his Tykes career: “Our first half was really good, really promising. I got my first try for the Tykes on debut, which was really good for me individually. We went into the changing rooms at half-time, came back out in good spirits and we were against the wind, but it just didn’t really click for us.
“We tried to throw our stuff at them, but we didn’t really control the game. Credit to the Camborne lads, they’re a big side and they came back really well. A few mistakes cost us the game in the end, with just two points in it.”
Note: Apologies for the lack of X updates during the match – we had a few technical problems.
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