"It was a perfect weekend for Rugby"

Sunday 12th Feb vs. Tarleton RFC U16s

Last time I put pen to paper it was “a perfect day for rugby” – of course you all remember that fantastic poem by Didsbury’s talented but seemingly shy Young Laureate. February update: it was a perfect weekend for rugby, I have had the pleasure to watch four (4) amazing rugby matches in the last couple of days, and I can truly say that the rugby equilibrium is in balance. Let me qualify that view…
1. Ireland beat France. Hoorah! Pardonnez-moi tous les francophiles, Ireland are just too good for you.
2. Scotland beat Wales memorably, and well they should have done after so many chances thrown away in recent years. If John Robb is happy that makes us all happy. John looked dandy in his new Doddie Weir bobble hat and gave an inspirational team talk to Didsbury Barbarians U16s, elevating them to a new level of performance.
3. And thus the Barbarians beat Tarleton RFC. On paper, this was as well matched a contest as the full international fixtures, and the battle was fought just as passionately from both teams - literally.

Having met twice already earlier in the season, each team was going into this game with a win apiece and a strong belief that the game was there to be won. Tarleton had a great pack, they carried well, made yards, rucked securely and recycled the ball repeatedly. Both teams were tackling well, and Didsbury had to do plenty of this in the first half.

With action moving first one way then the other, after the first ten minutes Tarleton looked to be edging it across the gain line more often. With the wind on their backs and driving down the hill (John’s words, I call it an imperceptibly shallow gradient where they cut the grass a bit shorter at the clubhouse end) Tarleton strung together several rucks before shipping the ball to their winger. Advancing rapidly towards the line, the ultimate cover tackle by Edward O’Loughlin prevented a try that James Lowe would have been proud to have ‘not scored but been awarded’. Far too much integrity and a low-tech linesman review correctly ruled it in touch and Didsbury got the line out and an opportunity to recover field position.

It wasn’t long before the home team had worked their way back upfield to the slightly longer grass. A penalty kick into the corner gave them the platform for the forwards to work their specialty driving maul. Credit to the Tarleton forwards who conceded yards yet held strong before the line, but the ball came out to the Didsbury backs. Harry Maitland and George Robb linked well to get the ball to impressive inside centre Cameron Hesk. It went pass, pass, carry, ruck, pass, ruck, pass, ruck, pass, pass, carry, score. Fast ball, good skills, a team effort that resulted in the first of Cameron’s two tries of the afternoon, converted by Logan McMahon. The remainder of the first half was robustly contested, both teams reaching the opponents 22. But with both their defences prevailing when under pressure at crucial moments, the score after 30 minutes remained 7-0.

Coach Robb brought on all his subs for the second half, and the bold move paid off. Didsbury had the wind advantage now and most of all we were playing downhill. I had my heart in my mouth as Tarleton kicked off and all three nearby Didsbury players watched the ball bounce. However, future Italy-star Giacomo French gathered, slipped a couple of tackles and drove forwards to set up the first ruck in a sequence. Didsbury’s forwards collectively had a stonking performance, carrying the ball, pick & go, and smashing defenders off the rucks. The front row in particular made a huge number of yards. Oskar took it up the blind side and through the middle, whenever it got loose he was there to mop up. Playing in the first half, RJ powered through several times, preceded by shouts of "give the ball to RJ". Cameron Allison replaced RJ and made similar gains in the second half, preceded by shouts of "give the ball to me!" All the while these guys had supporting runners to secure the ball behind them. Jack Tabor showed what great pace and vison he has when he collected a pass from a breakdown in the Tarleton 22, slipped past the first tackler and found a gap between two more to cross for Didsbury’s second try.

While the first two tries glorified teamwork at its best, Didsbury’s third try was a solo effort. Almost from the restart, Jamie McCreery danced his way from the halfway line to score under the posts, it wasn’t exactly ballet but it did deserve an ovation.

There were three more tries scored in this game… Cameron’s second, one by a Tarleton player and one for William Rahim. The latter was remarkable in the context that it epitomised the fluidity and teamwork that made the display by Didsbury Barbarians so pleasing to watch; it was equally remarkable for the excellent touchline conversion slotted by full-back Miles Brown.

I will mention fisticuffs only insofar as some Didsbury players turned up with their handbags. Stop that you silly boys, you should have been playing rugby. So there we have it, final score 33-5 home win.

4. Final point of qualification. It is always nice to watch a fair contest, judged fairly. My hat goes off to the men in the middle who managed their games with world-class aplomb: Andrew Brace, Wayne Barnes, Gary French & James Doleman. Salut!

Check out the video.