This reverse means Stocksbridge were unable to gain any ground on Mosborough in 2nd place in the league table, meaning that their next fixture at home to improving Stanley Rodillians now falls into the ‘must win’ category. ‘we were poor in all areas’ said Rugby Supremo Rhys Keenan, adding ‘we have to learn to get up for each & every game & not just when it suits us. I’ve asked the lads to have a good look at themselves this week, & come back with an improved attitude all round next time out’
Keenan, without the influential Aspin, Beal & Westby, had to cope with Ryan Smith dropping out with food poisoning on the morning of the match. Bowskill was switched to partner that man Frith at half back, with Pat O’Leary recalled at full back & young flyer Connor Price earning a start on the wing.
It was a poor start from the visitors, who conceded possession early on, & from almost their first visit to the Stocksbridge 20 metre line, some poor defence allowed Rowntrees an easy score to take the lead.
There followed a succession of errors, mainly from Stocksbridge who coughed up possession almost every time they gained it, dropped balls & loose passes gifting the home side possession & position. Weak tackling made an average attack look much better, & Rowntrees gained in confidence as the visitors grew more & more frustrated with their own efforts. Neither team could really drive home any dominance, & a simple penalty for another Stocksbridge infringement was converted, before luckless props Joe Smith & Ricky James succumbed to a nose bleed & a recurrence of a knee injury respectively, & had to be replaced.
As half time approached, Bowskill sponsored by Mr Byron & Mrs Teresa Turner managed to land a decent 40 metre penalty to at least give Stockbridge some points. Half time arrived with the scoreline Nestle Rowntree 15pts – Stocksbridge Rugby 3pts.
In truth the 2nd stanza was marginally better, it couldn’t have been much worse ! although poor discipline was beginning to take it’s toll on the travelling Piggy’s. Some dubious decisions from the clearly influenced official incensed the Stocksbridge players, eventually resulting in a yellow card & a sin binning for skipper Rowett for speaking out of turn to the referee. Stocksbridge eventually managed to build an attack, going thru a few phases of possession & retaining the ball, which lead to a good line break from veteran flyer Joe Jones, who linked well with the hard working back rower Pete Newton, and barged his way over for a try to possibly get Stocksbridge back in the game. Bowskill narrowly failing with the conversion. Rowetts indiscipline directly lead to a further try for the home side, & all thoughts of a come back were extinguished. Stocksbridge had the last word with slammin Sam Whitaker plunging over from close range after another small period of sustained pressure, Bowskill added the extras. Although Stocksbridge won the 2nd half, it was too little too late, & the 1st half errors were just too many to recover from, & even a losing bonus point could not be achieved.
The SMP Pipeworks Player of the Day award went to Sam Whitaker, who was just about the best of a bad bunch, with Newton, Price & Joe Jones amongst few others to gain any credit from the game.
‘just not acceptable in a Stocksbridge shirt’ was how Director of Rugby Andy Tyers described the performance afterwards. ‘We’re 2 steps forward & 1 back again, & we must find some consistency if we’re going to achieve our goal of promotion this season. We remain 10pts clear of 4th place, so it is all in our own hands, so maybe we can learn from our mistakes’ he added.
Stocksbridge Rugby have a week off this week to lick their wounds, before welcoming improving Stanley Rodillians to Coal Pit Lane on 14th December, kick off 2.15pm, which is a ‘must win’ clash for Stocksbridge.
Stocksbridge Rugby would like to wish all their sponsors, supporters, members & players the compliments of the season, & look forward to welcoming you all the Clubhouse over the festive period.

Match report by Andy Tyers, Director of Rugby