Doncaster Rugby Club

Yarnbury 17 Doncaster Phoenix 17

Phoenix travelled on the Leeds ring road for the second time this season to last years demoted Yorkshire 2 outfit and expecting a hard game came away with a share of the spoils in a 17-17 draw and a highly entertaining afternoon’s rugby.

Changes saw Taylor back at blind side flanker, with Conway unavailable gave Foster his chance on the wing and a late change with Harrison pulling his hamstring in the warm up saw Maguire stepping up for his first outing of the season.

Phoenix showed their intention from the kick off chasing and turning over the kick to apply the first foray’s of the game with Elliot and Millar trying to find the gaps in mid field and making some good burst’s. However the home defence held strong and the only reward for their endeavours was a Millar penalty ten minutes in.

Yarnbury with home advantage then upped their game and made good ground with some impressive interplay from the forwards and gained field advantage and a penalty with the kick going to the corner. From the resulting line Yarnbury collected and drove over to touch down and take a 5-3 lead.

With the exchanges even for the remainder of the half the score remained 5-3 with Yarnbury happy to be turning round with the advantage of the wind.

From the re-start Yarnbury looked to use the wind and kick to the corners for the backs to hunt down with the pressure further increased on the visitors with Greenslade picking up a yellow card for killing the ball after the referee had warned both sides.

Now gaining dominance the home side applied the pressure and were rewarded when fly half Riley received ten out and being a large fly half barged his way over under the post to score and convert his own touchdown, 12-3.

With Greens lade now resuming to the field coach Senior also threw the dice and bought the impact of Roodt and Farley with Phoenix now picking up the pace and looking to run and attack the home territory. Indeed they came close when Farley broke the line with Jazanowski in support only to miss the opportunity to score when the line beckoned. Farley soon made amends when five minutes he collected on the right, ten yards out to run past the home defence and go under the sticks with Millar converting.

With ten to go there was still plenty of rugby left in the game and it was Yarnbury who re-established the initiative courtesy of a dropped pass mid field that Yarnbury quickly latched on to re-cycle to their winger to go over in the corner.

With two minutes remaining Yarnbury may have felt they had secured the game having pushed Phoenix back into their twenty two. Not giving up Phoenix popped the ball wide on the blind to Foster who went around the defence to scamper sixty yards and pass inside to the supporting Elliot who gladly accepted and raced under the posts with Millar converting ensuring a share of the points on the day.

On the day this must have been an entertaining afternoon for the spectators and Phoenix will feel they have gained a point and by the body language of the home side they must feel they lost a point. Nevertheless a pleasing result for Phoenix who never gave up and face another difficult trip to Leeds visiting Moortown next week.