Tykes go toe-to-toe in narrow defeat
A bumper Friday night crowd were treated to a battle to remember at The Sycamores, but coaches and fans alike were bitterly disappointed to be coming away with one league point in a game where Leeds arguably deserved more.
Sale started the stronger, having all the possession for the first 15 minutes, but were met with some resolute Tykes defence that kept them scoreless for the entirety of the first half.
The hosts opened the scoring when Eddie Crossland kicked the opening penalty just after the quarter-hour. Those three points gave Leeds the impetus to dominate proceedings until half-time.
That dominance was rewarded by the official after 27 minutes when he awarded a penalty try for repeated offside offences in the red zone, leading to Sale’s Pete Vickers seeing yellow.
The game was held up while the officials discussed a bite mark sustained by a Leeds player during a ruck, but no action was taken against the offending party. Leeds continued to push forward but were unable to add to the score before the interval.
The second half started well, with both sides swapping possession in the middle third of the field. Crossland kicked the ball away several times, especially when the forwards were put under intense try-line pressure.
The Dogs (as Sale call themselves) got a foothold in the match when debutant Arthur Scrace broke the defensive line to score; James Mitchell converted to narrow the gap to 10-7.
Not to be outdone, Leeds hit back with a try of their own from centre Matt Salisbury, whose silky footwork outfoxed several defenders, allowing him to race under the posts untouched. Crossland added the simplest of extras to extend the Tykes’ lead to 17-7.
However, a remarkable 50-22 kick from Mitchell gave Sale a platform from which their forwards began to dominate. Charlie Bray touched down at the back of the resulting rolling maul; Mitchell kicked a difficult wide conversion.
Leeds lost their discipline in the final stages as Lucas Walsh was the unlucky recipient of a yellow card for repeated infringements in the Dogs’ 22. From the resulting penalty, hooker Alfie Longstaff crashed over from a dominant 5m attacking lineout. Mitchell converted, making it 17-21.
Leeds defended manfully to deny Sale a try bonus point, while securing a losing bonus point despite Jordan Cordice being sin-binned three minutes from time.
Speaking after the match, Director of Rugby Pete Seabourne said: ““It was a frustrating game overall. I thought we played some really good stuff. Sale came to play, as did we and both teams went toe-to-toe until the end. Our two yellows turned the game.
“We know where we are as a club, we know where we are as a team. Our squad depth was been tested with injuries and a few pull-outs.
“Overall, I’m pleased with the point but feel frustated.”
Head Coach Pete Lucock echoed Seabourne’s sentiments, saying: “My overriding emotion at the end of that game is pride. We scrapped and worked really hard as a team. Stuff went against us, but that happens in any game. We didn’t go away and stayed in the fight to the end. We can take lots of positives from this game, which will stand us in good stead for the difficult challenges ahead. Grit and determination were the two main assets we need to carry forward. If we can use that to build on this performance, we won’t go far wrong.”
He ended the post-match interview by suggesting that this performance should give the team real confidence when making the long journey to Bristol next week.
⌛ Final score 17-21
⏳ (HT 10-0)
👈 Scoring for Leeds Tykes
ℹ️ Match centre
🙏 Thanks to Ben Cropper for our match report
Player of the Match was presented to Connor Walker by Naeem Aslam of Aagrah who were match sponsors
Many congratulations to Tom Collins on his 100th Leeds Tykes apperance. Here’s Tom being presented with his club cap by Head Coach, Pete Lucock.
There were celebrations for the Williams family as Tom celebrated his 100th apperance. Tom was presented with his Leeds Tykes club capby his father John.
Many thanks to match sponsor, The Aagrah Group. Our new partnership will includes Aagrah sponsoring the Tykes’ loan players on a match-by-match basis, with each loanee carrying the Aagrah name whenever they feature for the club.
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