West Hartlepool 5 Beverley RUFC 39
Beverley RUFC ended the first half of the league season in fine style with a comprehensive victory over bottom placed West Hartlepool. This fixture in the past has often proved to be something of a banana skin for Beverley RUFC. Not this time. They played some scintillating rugby and romped home to move up to sixth in the table. Some of their rugby here was as good as anything they have produced all season. On their present form they surely have nothing to fear in the second half of the season from any of the sides they have met so far.
Beverley RUFC were quickly into their stride and took the lead on five minutes with a penalty from Phil Duboulay when West dived over at the breakdown. It was soon clear that the home side’s attacking potential lay almost entirely in the muscular efforts of their hefty pack. West had little to offer in the backs and their defence was easily torn apart by the slick play of the Beverley RUFC backline in which Duboulay and Junior Tupai in particular were outstanding. Mike Kilgannon, too, slotted smoothly in at scrum half for the absent Phil Dale. After a dodgy start with a couple of badly missed tackles Jade Gardiner put in some powerful running and he touched down for the game’s first try which Duboulay converted.
Although Beverley RUFC were heavily out-muscled up front they were far livelier than the home pack and the West forwards could make little headway against their solid tackling. Prop Danny Morris, in the loose especially, was having his best game in Beverley RUFC colours and Gavin Gibson and Matthew Adams in the second row never gave anything away. Duboulay dropped a goal to take Beverley RUFC to 13-0 and then added a conversion after Jelencic had raced up the middle and put Craig Hancock over.
Beverley RUFC looked liable to score every time they attacked in the backs. Tupai at inside centre was inspirational throughout and Richard Bussey and Goran Jelencic frequently cut the home defence to ribbons with their pace and elusiveness. But it was the general slickness and fluidity of the movement that was most impressive. Never mind that rather too much possession was being lost at the breakdown and some of the handling in the first half was pretty careless. There was more than enough flowing and lethal rugby to compensate.
Beverley RUFC were twenty nil up at halftime and looking capable of running away with it in the second half. Within five minutes of the re-start they had increased the lead with the best try of the day. Bussey from inside his own 22 set up a counter attack in which the ball was swept downfield through numerous hands before Jelencic raced over under the posts for Duboulay to add a simple conversion.
Beverley RUFC continued to play the more constructive rugby but in the third quarter West began to raise their game. With protracted mauls and rucks it all started to get a bit scrappy and full back Tom Wilson made the most of some slack defending to get over in the corner for West’s only score. The Beverley RUFC backs continued to open up the home defence almost at will but the fourth try that would earn them a bonus point somehow would not come.
Three times with penalties they opted to kick for the corner rather than go for goal. Eventually the elusive score came when a clever flip pass by Tupai put Bussey away on halfway and the full back’s pace and swerve took him over for a try which Duboulay converted. With the last action of the match skipper David Worrall crossed unopposed for a fifth try to seal a fine Beverley RUFC victory.
Pictures from this game can be viewed here
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