Stocksbridge arrived in Leeds with the firm intention of pushing on from their previous good away form to grab a first win of the season, and on an excellent surface we were bound to see some fast-paced rugby.

It was not the start Stocksbridge had been hoping for with Medics getting a score within a minute of the game kicking off. They lofted a high kick to the right hand side, which was knocked back into the path of the inside centre who ghosted through the defensive line. A tremendous recovery tackle from winger Ryan Smith prevented a certain try, only for the attacking forward to barrel over from the resulting ruck.

Stocksbridge were forced into an early change as centre Ben Westby suffered an ankle injury; Callum Green was brought into the fray as his replacement.

Leeds increased their advantage mid-way through the first half as they demonstrated their power through the centres. The outside centre broke through a tackle in the wide channel and the scramble defence was unable to prevent the try in the corner. This time the conversion went wide of the upright as the score was taken to 12-0.

A further score was added to the tally for the home side shortly afterward, again the backs finding points out wide. Another missed conversion kept the deficit well within three scores, motivation for Stocksbridge to push on.

The momentum during the latter half of the first period swung firmly in Stocksbridge’s favour, as the remainder of the half was played in Medics’ territory. The away side were unable to convert pressure into tries, however, as poor execution and decision making saw many chances go begging. Dominance at the breakdown led to numerous penalties given against Leeds, and Scott Bowskill was able to add scoreboard pressure reducing the scoreline to 17-9 before half time.

Reinvigorated by their performance Stocksbridge came out of the blocks firing in the second half. Powerful running from Andrew Beal meant his side was able to make good yards through the middle of the field, threatening the try line once more. The ball was agonisingly turned over close to the Medics’ line after lengthy pressure had been levelled against it, the ball was cleared away downfield and the scores were left unchanged.

Leeds, sensing the disappointed in the away side, added insult to injury as they went immediately up the other end and added a further 7 points to the scores, taking them to 24-9.

A second injury to Stocksbridge’s back line required a significant reshuffle as scrum half Adam Frith had to be helped from the field with a nasty looking knee injury. This redistribution of personnel was one ask too many for the away side, as Leeds were able to run in an additional three tries within ten minutes to stretch their advantage to 34 points - the highlight of which was a break through the midfield by the Medics 12 who sprinted away to score under the posts.

With the result away from them Stocksbridge were not prepared to give up. With their sleeves rolled up, they began again to maintain a period of consistent possession in the opposition 22. Bridge came closest to a try having spectacularly driven Leeds off of their own ball at scrum time five metres out, but another handling error on the line meant that again the try was not forthcoming.

The game was brought to a close with a final score by the home side, as a forced pass was picked out of the air by the fly half who held off the chasers to dot down in the corner. The extras were added to leave the score at 50-9.

Liam OLeary was awarded the Man of the Match award for his excellent performance out of position in the second row. His energy around the park was well received, making his presence felt both in and around the breakdown and in wider areas.

Match report by Michael Quinn