Rockcliff Vikings 12 Gateshead 2nd XV 33
With Ponteland crying off for the scheduled CANDY 3 North league game, Gateshead 2nd XV crossed the Tyne for a friendly fixture. The Vikings took the opportunity to give senior rugby debuts for three Colts: Elijah Fahey, Adam Watson, and Jaden Jackson, and they each contributed to a gritty performance against a strong team from CANDY 2 North.
Gateshead, who hadn’t had a game for six weeks, came out all guns blazing, scoring two unconverted tries and a penalty for a 13 0 lead after twenty minutes. Whilst their pacey back line looked dangerous, the Vikings pack increased in dominance as the game progressed.
The game ebbed and flowed, with Rockcliff gradually gaining more possession, and forcing the visitors back. A promising scrum on the Gateshead five metre line saw Rockcliff take the ball blind, attacking the left hand corner at the Clubhouse end. The defenders stifled the attack, and, from the resultant line out, cleared the ball downfield. Their backs followed up, recovered the ball, and broke away to score their third try of the game, unconverted, at the Memorial end.
The sides changed ends with the score 18 0 in Gateshead’s favour.
From the restart Rockcliff launched a promising attack, but lost the ball in contact and the ball fell into the grateful hands of Gateshead’s inside centre who cut through to score for 23 0.
The next twenty minutes were dominated by the Vikings, with pack increasing in dominance in the scrum and line out, and the backs pressing their opposition back. A series of scrums on the Gateshead five metre line pinned the opposition back, and the final scrum gave scrum half Billy Bloomfield the chance to snipe through and score. Jack Bland converted for 7 23.
Gateshead rallied and two unconverted tries in quick succession took the score to 7 33, but the Vikings stuck to their task and built up the pressure again, forcing their way back up to the visitors twenty two. A series of forward drives was finished off from close range by Bloomfield with his second try of the game, and the game ended with score 12 33.
Jack Bland took the honours as Rockcliff’s player of the match.
With Ponteland crying off for the scheduled CANDY 3 North league game, Gateshead 2nd XV crossed the Tyne for a friendly fixture. The Vikings took the opportunity to give senior rugby debuts for three Colts: Elijah Fahey, Adam Watson, and Jaden Jackson, and they each contributed to a gritty performance against a strong team from CANDY 2 North.
Gateshead, who hadn’t had a game for six weeks, came out all guns blazing, scoring two unconverted tries and a penalty for a 13 0 lead after twenty minutes. Whilst their pacey back line looked dangerous, the Vikings pack increased in dominance as the game progressed.
The game ebbed and flowed, with Rockcliff gradually gaining more possession, and forcing the visitors back. A promising scrum on the Gateshead five metre line saw Rockcliff take the ball blind, attacking the left hand corner at the Clubhouse end. The defenders stifled the attack, and, from the resultant line out, cleared the ball downfield. Their backs followed up, recovered the ball, and broke away to score their third try of the game, unconverted, at the Memorial end.
The sides changed ends with the score 18 0 in Gateshead’s favour.
From the restart Rockcliff launched a promising attack, but lost the ball in contact and the ball fell into the grateful hands of Gateshead’s inside centre who cut through to score for 23 0.
The next twenty minutes were dominated by the Vikings, with pack increasing in dominance in the scrum and line out, and the backs pressing their opposition back. A series of scrums on the Gateshead five metre line pinned the opposition back, and the final scrum gave scrum half Billy Bloomfield the chance to snipe through and score. Jack Bland converted for 7 23.
Gateshead rallied and two unconverted tries in quick succession took the score to 7 33, but the Vikings stuck to their task and built up the pressure again, forcing their way back up to the visitors twenty two. A series of forward drives was finished off from close range by Bloomfield with his second try of the game, and the game ended with score 12 33.
Jack Bland took the honours as Rockcliff’s player of the match.
