Winning run comes to an end

"This week saw the Bees take on Old Rishworthians away in a wet Halifax. Following an excellent run of 6 wins and only one loss in which tries were numerous, confidence was rightly high. In the first couple of months of the new season the Bees were not only beating teams but playing an enjoyable, fast, aggressive and expansive style of rugby that was a joy to watch.

However, this week delivered a valuable lesson, the team that wins does so by mastering the conditions on the day. Past performance is not necessarily a indication of future performance.

The wet weather and narrow pitch indicated that the team who won the battle of the forwards would prevail. And so it turned out to be. Throughout the match the wet slippery ball made for a messy game with passes dropping short and numerous knock-ons from both teams. In the end, it boiled down to which forwards could provide the most consistent performance.

Bingley won the battle of the scrum, lost the lineouts and ultimately were beaten at the breakdown. Rishworthians forwards were the most aggressive at the ruck and counter rucked admirably. They applied pressure and ensured field position throughout. To their great credit, Bees resisted manfully and held out on their try line on a number of occasions. Both Bees tries were scored on the rare occasion that a player could break out of the relentless set-to centre field. Jake Brett's speed and cunning delivered the first Bees try, Travis Smith sheer resolute determination to go through a gang of Rishworthians delivered the other. Both tries scored on the wing.

In the end, Rishworthians triumphed by 2 points. A hard fought victory against a side that refused to give in even to the last whistle. Not a pretty game to watch, one for the purists. Wet, muddy and exhausting. Well done to both sets of lads for their endevour throughout."

Matthew Seavers