Still having to cope with a crippling injury list, & unavailabilities, Stocksbridge travelled more in hope than expectation of pulling off an unlikely victory. Despite a promising opening quarter, the visitors fell behind to a sweeping three quarter move which saw the speedy home winger cross for the opening score. The luckless prop forward Ricky James had to be replaced due to a recurring back issue, & Club Supremo Rhys Keenan entered the fray in a re-jigged front row. Despite little possession, & conceding territory, Stocksbridge managed to hold firm until a tap penalty move from the Burley forwards resulted in a further score. Some impressive, pressure relieving kicking by fly half Jack Spencer, kept the rampant home side at bay as Stocksbridge struggled to get a foothold in the game, & to mount any serious attacks of their own. They conceded again just before half time, leaving the score Burley Rugby 17pts – Stocksbridge Rugby nil.

Any hope of a dramatic Stocksbridge Rugby resurgence were quickly put to bed, as some pretty weak defence allowed a ‘walk in’ try for the Burley outside centre almost from the restart. Skipper Rowett had to be replaced by youngster Jack ‘milky’ Martin, as a precaution for a suspected broken nose, after a collision with team mate Gary Woodcock ! Perhaps the home side relaxed a little, or Stocksbridge upped the pace, as they enjoyed a period of superiority, & were unlucky not to score a consolation try of their own. Newton went close, as did O’Leary, & Whitaker looked sure to score, but was held up just short. Keenan allowed his frustrations to boil over, & received a yellow card with 10 minutes in the sin bin for some choice remarks to the official. Burley crossed again towards the end of the game, as the visitors visibly tired from their efforts, leaving the final score Burley Rugby 31 pts – Stocksbridge Rugby nil.

Despite good contributions from Brown at scrum half, the consistent Whitaker in the boiler room, & Newton in the loose, the Man of the Match award went to Jack Spencer for a courageous & committed performance at fly half, Jack is kindly sponsored by Mr Nigel George.
Head Coach Keenan said afterwards ‘fair play to them, they are a better side than we are, but again we showed character & passion despite the result’ adding ‘this will help us prepare for the Spring Cup matches coming up, when we can focus on a real opportunity to win some silverware this season’. Keenan himself offered his apologies to the squad for his sin binning ‘it’s not the perfect example, I lost my cool for a moment’ he admitted.

Weather permitting, Stocksbridge will host basement club Halifax Rugby at Coal Pit Lane this weekend, & will be hoping for a confidence boosting win, kick off is at 3pm, & entry is free.

Match report by Andy Tyers | Director of Rugby