Kicks win matches? Wharfedale won this by adding 2 successful penalties to their 4 tries but could not stop a superb effort by Scunthorpe who went home with 2 bonus points. Both sides were trying to play fast open rugby but mistakes crept in to the game.
Dale opened the scoring after Jack Greig fielded Scunthorpe’s clearing kick, he stepped out of the first tackle and fed Omari Kaup-Samuels who ran through the defence to score. Greig added the conversion. Dale nearly broke through again after another clearance kick was run back at the visitors but the touchline just saved Scunthorpe. Dale were awarded a free kick and ran the ball for eight phases close to the try line but lost the ball and then further sloppy play gave Scunthorpe a penalty on their own 10 metre line and a chance to get further down the park. More chances were created but Scunthorpe held their line until Greig slotted a penalty to extend the lead.
The Green machine carried on the good work winning a scrum penalty soon after the restart but then they lost their shape and their discipline. After losing a lineout in Scunthorpe territory they gave away a succession of penalties, receiving a warning from the ref, and the visitors took full advantage. Marcus Payne scored in the right corner and William Dark made the conversion look easy.
Greig added another three points as the Dale pack started to dominate the set piece. Wharfedale set up camp in Scunthorpe’s 22, a number of scrum penalties led to a yellow card for Scunthorpe’s prop, William Dale, and eventually Tom Beresford touched down for a converted try. Wharfedale should have added another score before halftime when Beresford caught a loose kick by Scunthorpe and went on a barn storming run from inside his own half. His offload went astray and Scunthorpe survived. Dale had to settle for a 20 – 7 lead at halftime.
James Dyson opened the scoring in the second half for the visitors after they were handed possession from the kick off. He was on hand minutes later to touch down again and both were converted by Dark, the second conversion took Scunthorpe into a one-point lead.
Dale then woke up and again put together some more consistent phases which ended when Oli Cicognini broke a tackle to touch down. Wharfedale made the game safe after a Jack Cherry break ripped open the defence and Brad Viner was on hand to score. Both tries were converted to re-establish a 13-point lead. James Dyson grabbed his third for Scunthorpe which gave the visitors a bonus point and Dark’s conversion brought them within 7 points for a second bonus point.
Another makeshift Wharfedale team brought home 5 points and moved Dale up to 7th in the table. Congratulations to Scunthorpe who never let their heads drop and stayed in the fight; their 2 points were a just reward for their efforts. Dale did deserve the win but the discipline was, at times, poor. The referee was as patient as he could be with being shouted at; another day there could have been harsher punishments than a penalty. There is room for improvement in the lineout with too many not being won by a Wharfedale jumper.
Dale need to regroup; take heart from a hard won 5 pointer and be totally positive in their last game before Christmas. Billingham are next up at the Avenue on Saturday, 20th December.
Wharfedale: – Bullough; Kaup-Samuels (Haddon 71), Viner (Kaup-Samuels 79), Cicognini, Cherry; Greig, Riddiough (Macnab 65); Dickinson, Stockdale (Collinson 65), Ward (Meehan 35), Heys, Kitching, Armstrong (Brewster 40), Tweedale (Ward 58), Beresford (Tweedale 71)