STAFFORD 1st XV vs LEEK 1st XV. 10TH DECEMBER 2016. LEAGUE MATCH.

Stafford 14 – 26 Leek

Stafford welcomed Leek, from the far North of the county, for the last home league game of 2016. The visitors came with an impressive six wins out of nine for the season and it promised to be a competitive afternoon of rugby.

The start of the game opened with a series of bruising clashes as both teams came flying into the encounter and set the scene for what was going to be a hard contested game. Stafford gained the upper hand through some excellent attacking play which rippled across the pitch, opening up space and releasing Josh Arnold to cross the line for an unconverted try, taking an early lead. Leek responded through their heavy forwards who rumbled up the pitch and laid siege to the Stafford line. The home side defended strongly but the visitors prised open the room to take a converted try and snatch the lead. A strong Stafford response from the restart earned an immediate penalty and the steady boot of Rich Martin kicked the home side back into a narrow lead. The game settled into a titanic struggle between the forwards which moved the play around the field and it was difficult for either side to claim a definite advantage. Fluid movement between Quad Boal and Rich Martin set up a Stafford scrum that smashed the opposition back earning a second penalty which Rich Martin duly pushed between the posts to extend the lead. The mammoth clash of the forwards saw some big hits and both sides enjoying some success in the set piece. Leek started to grind out some hard yards and with the Stafford line in sight players piled in from all corners of the pitch to drive over the for a converted try, retaking the lead. With less than five minutes left in the half it was Stafford’s turn to drive for the Leek line and only some ferocious defending prevented the home side from scoring their second try of the afternoon. Stafford went into half time trailing 11 – 14, but having competed strongly in a close encounter.

An early yellow card temporarily reduced Leek to fourteen on the pitch at the beginning of the second half. A great chase by Steve Rowland allowed Stafford to swarm over the opposition earning the penalty which Rich Martin duly kicked to level the scores. Stafford were playing all of the rugby and Leek had to set up a strong defence deep in their own half. In a tiring period of play the home side set continually assaulted an equally determined North Staffordshire defence. Seizing on a minor mistake Leek broke away for their first attack of the half and taking full advantage ran in a converted try. Stafford continued with a period of brutal attacking play which left bodies, from both sides, strewn across the pitch and the physio teams in constant use patching up battered bodies. Despite the territorial domination Stafford couldn’t quite penetrate a tenacious defence. In a period which saw Leek conceding three consecutive penalties a score looked inevitable but the visitors refused to allow a swarming Stafford attack through to their line. A second Leek break out of the half saw an unconverted try and the visitors securing a bonus point. A second yellow card reduced Leek back down to fourteen and Stafford increased a weary tempo but couldn’t find any reward through the final ten minutes of what turned out to be a frustrating second half of rugby.