Yorkshire Carnegie
A Memorial result
By Gelbel
December 2 2013
The Greene King IPA Championship round 10 preview reminded us Leeds have not won at The Memorial Ground since both teams enjoyed the lofty heights of the Premiership in the 02/03 season. Throw in that Bristol rarely lose at home, add the TV cameras that makes Leeds act like rabbits caught in the headlights and you've a recipe for disaster. But with any recipe, a little tweaking and quality ingredients can reap rewards and give the desired result.
And the desired result (just about) it was. Bristol started off attacking and were getting penalties for their efforts. However the game plan (season plan apparently) was to kick for touch or take the scrum rather than take three points and this proved to be part of their downfall. Despite a good 10 minutes of pressure and repeated penalties against them, Leeds finally got hold of the ball following breaks from Doc and McColl, got into Bristol's half and some lovely handling saw Burdon go over, which Hughes converted. Bristol had the chance to even things up but their try went unconverted.
Leeds’ try of the season is going to be difficult to decide - another sublime effort was added to those scored against Gala and Jersey. Leeds' second try was a corker - Doc knocked a Bristol player halfway in to next week, advantage was played for the knock-on, the ball was being passed down the wing, Griffin got hold of it, sold a great dummy, side stepped in field and kicked to Holmes who dodged a few poor tackles from Bristol to score. Hughes converted. 5-14
A few minutes later it was 5-21 after 25 minutes as Leeds were quick out of the scrum with McColl and Doc charging up the pitch with Holmes scoring his second of the match. Bristol attacked again and Leeds' defence was tested and was finally breached with Bristol's second unconverted try. 10-21.
With half-time approaching, it looked as if Leeds might get their fourth try before the turnaround as a good couple of moves saw Rowan and Doyle making a mighty breaks up field. But the they came to nothing. Hughes missed a penalty attempt – admitted the most difficult of the afternoon as the tries had been scored near the posts.
Bristol came out firing on all guns at the restart. Again, Leeds held out and Doyle charged through again to create a forwards' try with Harris making the score. With the conversion it was 10-28 and the Bristol fans were in stunned silence - something I've never experienced by any fans, at any ground.
Bristol carried on attacking and Leeds were being penalised by the referee who had been good until this point but started to become slightly inconsistent. Bristol scored their third try after Rowan was sent to the bin. Another conversion was missed 15-28.
The match ended as it begun, with Leeds defending their line as if their lives depended on it. Bristol got a couple of penalties and continued to attempt to set up the try to secure them a four-try bonus point and get a losing bonus point. The last-but-one play of the game was their fourth try. The difficult, successful conversion brought the final whistle.
A famous win that was so close to being a big win against a side with more experience; a side that would've won if they took the penalties on offer. How many times have we seen Leeds make the wrong decision and fail to take the three points in offer? Leeds were pinned back in their own half much of the time but when they got the ball, they attacked and, in the main, scored due to missed tackles and poor defence setting.
I liked that wholesale replacements were not made. Nilsen and Hughes stayed on all match and that meant momentum was not lost; which is something we see from time to time. Talking of Nilsen, the lineout worked well, with Green and Beck disrupting Bristol's. Beck was all over the place, both in the loose and the thick of it and so gets my man of the match.
Post-match I had many complimentary comments about many of our players, the size of them, their young age, the defence, their pace and their desire to play for each other. I also had the pleasure of leaving the ground just as the team coach did and saw a raucous rendition of marching on together.
So that's where my review of the match ends. Forgive me a little indulgence in what was possible my last visit to 'The Mem' which was opened in 1921 and dedicated to the memory of the rugby union players of the city of Bristol killed during World War I. I have some fond memories of the place as we lived within spitting distance of it when I was growing up. Like the time in the late 70s, a load of us bunked off school to see South West Counties play the All Blacks. We got soaked in a downpour and I thought it'd be OK to take about 20 fellow six-formers home to warm up and get dry as we daren't go back to school after the match - it wasn't! Seeing David Campese on his final tour as Bristol played New South Wales on the coldest night ever - my hands were so cold I dropped my beer...twice.
But fondest and most distant, the evening we were dragged from the house and dumped in the stands with some chaps my dad worked with as he got a very late call to referee a match as other refs were dropping like flies. He was not going to pass up the chance just because he was minding us kids as mum was at work. It was his proudest moment as a ref - he was called in to police Bristol v Pontypool and THAT front row. It even made headlines in the local paper! Seeing that sing-song in the coach will be added to my pot of memories.
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02/12/2013 18:14
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013:12:24:08:53:13 by Wildwillie .
COME ON LEEDS.
We've been through it all together.
We certainly did silence the Mem - which was an incredible feeling
Happy days!!
At times, particularly after the initial onslaught by Bristol, we looked every inch a Premiership side. Bristol looked stationary. For me, Jacob Rowan was MoM. A true captain's performance. To single anyone else out would be unfair, a team at last!
Quote:Carnegiette1
Surprised you managed this level of detail, given how excited we were at the time.
I fast-forwarded my recording before I sat to watch it in full. Still got 2nd half and post match to watch in 'real time'.
I agree Dicky Beck was probably my man of the match also.
