Huddersfield U13s 0 Hoppers U13s 50
A short report today as our normal intrepid reporter was enjoying a day off due to son being away on a skiing holiday (any excuse!).
Even though we were down to 13 available players, we trooped across the Penines to play a return match against Huddersfield – the day was in stark contrast to the home game against Huddersfield where flippers were more useful than rugby boots, the sun shone and it was dry!
Huddersfield only had 13 players available too due to the holidays and Yorkshire trials so every lad who turned up for both sides got a full game.
Hoppers started well, pressurising Huddersfield from the outset. Hoppers domintated the scrums and line-outs, winning more than their fair share of possesion and enabled the backs to run with the ball.
Duggy, Harvey, Jamie and Lewis all made inroads into the Huddersfield line, and Hoppers built up a 31-0 half time lead. Lewis would have added to that total if he had realised he had crossed the try line but continued to battle on only grounding the ball once he was past the dead ball line. Duggy landed a couple of cracking conversions from widish positions too.
Huddersfield were roused by their half time talk and pushed Hoppers back with a couple of well placed kicks into the corners, but they still didn’t have an answer to Hoppers strength and direct running. A couple of runs down the left wing nearly allowed Hoppers to add to their tally, the move that saw Matt C set free by Duggy only to be bundled into touch 5m short of the line was the best of the half.
Hoppers continued to dominate in the forwards and added to their half time lead to run out winners 50-0. Jack cleaned up well at full back with Huddersfield kicking more in the second half, Owen and Alastair provided the muscle in the 2nd row to keep Huddersfield at bay. Huddersfield kept trying to the end, their full back driving the team on throughout, but they weren’t able to sustain any pressure on the Hoppers line.
Thanks to Huddersfield for the game (well refereed too) and their hospitality (very nice clubhouse and bacon butties!).
