Explosive display powers Tykes past Moseley
A delighted Pete Seabourne was full of praise for his side after Leeds Tykes produced what he described as “one of the best performances of our season so far” to secure a 33-19 victory over Birmingham Moseley at The Sycamores.
Leeds made a positive start and were first on the scoreboard when Ben Bailey powered over from 5m. Seremaia Bai Turagabeci narrowly missed the conversion.
The Tykes continued to put Moseley under pressure and, after Ethan Priest was sent to the sin bin for repeated infringements in the visitors’ defensive 22, made their numerical advantage count. Seven minutes later, a well-executed move from a scrum saw the half-back pairing combine to put Ben Turpin through to score in the far corner. This time, Turagabeci added the extras.
Moseley had an opportunity to get on the scoreboard through Harry Read, but his penalty attempt drifted wide. Leeds remained in control and produced an excellent attacking move to extend their lead. George Worthington was the beneficiary, racing more than 40 metres to score unopposed, with Turagabeci adding the conversion.
The visitors got their first points when Jonny Teague was shown a yellow card for repeated high tackles by his team in the red zone. From the resulting penalty, Morgan Dawes touched down from a powerful driving maul, with Read converting.
Leeds responded in style. Turagabeci spotted space out wide and launched a clever down-field kick into the in-goal area. The ball spun backwards at an awkward angle then bounced forward, but Max Farrell showed excellent judgement to track its flight, gather it cleanly and touch down to score. Turagabeci added the extras.
Moseley came out strongly after the break and quickly reduced the deficit with two tries from Austin Nevitt and Ben Pogson, the first of which was converted. The visitors finished the third quarter pushing hard for further points, but Leeds gradually regained control.
The Tykes restored their advantage in the 58th minute following a clever chip over the defence from Turagabeci. Matt Salisbury reacted quickest, kicking ahead and winning the race to the ball to touch down. The try was awarded following a lengthy discussion between the referee and his assistant to determine whether there had been a shove in the build-up to the try.
The final 20 minutes saw Leeds having to work hard defensively as Moseley pushed to secure their try bonus point. However, the Tykes stood firm, with both their defence and discipline holding up under pressure to keep the visitors at bay. Leeds secured a 33-19 victory, denying Moseley any points.
Speaking after the match, Director of Rugby, Pete Seabourne, said: “I thought we put in a really good 60-65 minute performance. In the first half, we were clinical and took our opportunities well. We looked sharp and played with real purpose. In the second half, Moseley had a spell of pressure, which we knew they would, given the quality in their squad, and they got close. But once we regained control and got back into the right field position, we looked comfortable. The players have worked hard and there were some excellent passages of play. Overall, I think it’s probably one of our best performances of the season.”
We caught up with Assistant Forwards’ Coach to find out how he is settling into his new position. Chris explained: “I’m really enjoying it. For me, it was something I was sort of thrown into, but I’ve got some good people around me. I’m not trying to do anything differently, just trying to help where I can and be that link between the players and the coaches. I’m really enjoying the role.”
⌛ Final score 33-19
⏳ (HT 26-7 )
👈 Scoring for Leeds Tykes
ℹ️ Match centre
🙏 Thanks to Ben Cropper for our match report
Connor Walker was Leeds Tykes’ Player of the Match. Here’s Connor being presented with his celebratory bottle of fizz by Pete Seabourne with Commercial Manager Rob Crawley.
Connor said: “It means a lot. It’s always good to put in a performance that’s recognised. The coaches said beforehand to keep moving the ball around and be more mobile, because that gives you a bit more freedom on the pitch. It’s all about winning turnovers this year, as opposed to last year, so it’s good to see that coming together.”
Seremaia Bai Turagabeci made his 100th appearance at Rams last week. Here he is being presented with his cap by two of his three sponsors, #TheGirlsOnTour.
Jordan Cordice celebrated his 50th appearance at Dings. Here he is with forwards coach James Phillips, being recognised for the achievement.
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