Saturday 23 March - Wharfedale v Preston Grasshoppers (H) KO 2.00pm ...... Foresters v Scunthorpe 2nd XV (A) KO 3.00pm ------

Driffield 10-49 Foresters

The Foresters Faithful travelled many miles and crossed several time-zones to Driffield RUFC in the far reaches of the East Riding where a bright breezy day and a fabulous pitch produced conditions well suited to their open, attacking style of play.

After eighty minutes The Foresters had added to their one hundred per cent start to their league season with a fine victory and another performance full of flair and exuberance.

Receiving the ball at kick off the green forwards were quickly in their stride with strong carries and a good offloading game that gained ground and provided the platform for Ralph Wellock to break a number of tackles and score the first try wide on the Driffield left. 5-0 to Wharfedale.

Unfortunately the Foresters uncharacteristically emulated Driffield’s tackling in midfield and their outside centre bounced through to score almost immediately from the restart. 5-5. This setback energised the Foresters and some excellent handling across the backs resulted in them being stopped just short of the Driffield line but in receipt of a penalty kicked by Rory McNabb. 8-5.

The Forester forwards then came to the fore with a period of sustained pressure on the Driffield goal line. Instead of spreading the ball wide they showed that they can dominate an arm-wrestle up front and 2nd Row Matthew Colgrave crashed round the side of a ruck to score. 13-5 to the Dalesmen.

The Foresters dominated the rest of the half but some resolute defence from Driffield kept them at bay until Ralph Wellock finished off a sublime backs move to score his second try converted by McNabb . 20-5 at half time to Wharfedale.

The Foresters played almost the entirety of the second period in Driffield’s half. Outstanding rucking and driving play combined with slick handling across the backs resulted in Ralph Wellock completing his hat-trick and Will lawn registering his second three try haul this season. Ralph showed his speed and strength to break tackles and outstrip defenders whilst Will used his quick thinking to score a couple of tries from quick tap penalties.

By the start of the final quarter The Foresters were 42-5 ahead and had one more ace up their sleeve with “Big Ben” Blackwell now on at centre. He showed pace and strength to crash through the weary Driffield defence to score a converted try. 49-5 to the Foresters.

Driffield had the final say with a try in the dieing minutes. Their forwards pounded away at the Foresters’ line and eventually crossed. Final score 49-10.

The Foresters’ backs were on song again and the forwards dominated the set piece and showed once again that they are happy in a dog-fight when needed. Another excellent performance all round and the return journey back to the Western hemisphere seemed a lot shorter!

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