Match report 14 March

Bonus point glosses over dull display

Leeds Tykes were punished for missed tackles and gaps in defence as Dings Crusaders ran in ten tries to take a 62-31 victory in a high-scoring contest in Bristol.

Dings struck first when their midfield spotted space and Toby Baker went through a hole in the Leeds defence to open the scoring. Leeds responded well. After earning a penalty, they tapped quickly and worked the opening for Seth Eley to force his way over, with Eddie Crossland converting for a 7-5 lead.

That advantage did not last. Baker scored again in similar fashion after another sharp break through the Leeds line, this time converted by George Boulton. Dings then kept the pressure on and Ethan Surrey took a quick-tap penalty close to the line to extend the home side’s lead.

Leeds stayed in the contest with some determined carrying. Will Dennis crashed over and Crossland added the extras, but Dings finished the first half the much stronget side, driving over from a line-out through Tomas Gwilliam for a 26-14 half-time lead.

Dings turned the screw after the break, repeatedly exposing space through the middle and out wide. Alpha Ly finished a kick chase, sandwiched between a brace from Matt Jones. Boulton converted two of those tries, while Harry Rowson added five more points to his side’s tally.

Leeds ramped up the urgency and were rewarded with tries from Will Yates and Matt Salisbury, who both dodged tacklers on the wing before cutting in closer to the posts. Crossland added one of the conversions before Dings crossed twice more as Brian Ncube and Solomon O’Brien-Taufa got on the scoresheet.

A late rally and a couple of scrum penalties saw Charlie Venables cross late for the away side.

At times, Leeds showed spirit with ball in hand and caused problems at times through quick taps and direct running, but defensively they were too open and too often allowed Dings to break the line with speed, which proved decisive.

Speaking after the match, Director of Rugby Pete Seabourne said: “We were poor from start to finish. Although we managed to get a bonus point, I thought Dings outplayed us in every department of the game. They looked good, they looked sharp and we looked sluggish and slow, which is frustrating because we’ve had a good week’s training. A frustrating day – we need to be better than that.

“We need a response and a reaction out of the players if we are going to get anything out of next week’s match against Tonbridge because this is going to be tough.”

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