TYNEDALE 8
SHEFFIELD 14
TENACIOUS Tynedale became the first side this season to put a spoke in the wheel of the seemingly unstoppable Sheffield juggernaut on Saturday.
Prior to Saturday, Sheffield had swept all before them, playing and winning nine in National League North Division one, securing maximum points all the way by scoring at least four tries in every game.
The Yorkshiremen still won on Saturday - but a superb defensive performance saw Tynedale permit them to cross the tryline only once, thereby becoming the first side to deny them maximum points.
Even when they were two men down to yellow cards, Tynedale refused to panic, and the Exocet tackles continued to thunder in.
Sheffield were awarded a penalty try by notoriously pernickety referee Nathan Howarth, but even that was not enough for them to maintain their perfect record, and they had to be content with four points.
It could have been an even better afternoon for Tynedale had a couple of penalties in promising positions not been kicked dead, and again, the line-outs were far from perfect.
The game began with a minute’s applause for Tynedale life member John Clark, whose beloved colts joined both first teams on the pitch for the warm tribute to the club legend
As their record suggests, Sheffield are a very good side, who kept the ball alive superbly as the Tynedale tackles thudded in. They have narrowly missed out on promotion in each of the last two seasons to fellow Yorkshire sides Rotherham and Leeds Tykes, and are determined this will be their season.
The Tynedale faithful felt the visitors got more than their fair share of the rub of the green from the officials, but could leave the field with their heads held high.
Tynedale suffered a blow in the warm-up, when scrum-half James Telford broke down, but Dan Baines proved a more than adequate replacement in the number nine shirt.
He was partnered by Josh Leslie at fly-half, and only a late blast of Mr Howarth’s whistle denied him a breakaway try.
The ever-reliable Mike Hughes was given a start in the front row alongside Ben Haigh and Oscar Caudle, and behind them the evergreen Chris Wearmouth continued to defy the years with another all-action display.
Will Nankivell put in another full shift, despite picking up a yellow card, and the back row of Archie Rattray, Charlie Turnbull and Charlie Richards never stopped grafting.
The tackle count was huge, centre Will Miller leading the way with an epic defensive display, full support provided by Joe Beaty, Ale Dryden and Seamus Hutton.
The day started ominously for Tynedale, when their first line-out throw was too long, and Sheffield gobbled up the loose ball to put Tynedale under pressure.
However, Tynedale weathered the storm, and on eight minutes, Baines produced a magnificent burst from 22 to 22 following a line-out, and timed his pass to perfection to send Dryden in for the opening try.
The normally deadly Cam Grant pushed the conversion attempt just wide.
Stung back into action, Sheffield attacked with renewed vigour, but every wave of attacks broke on the solid rock of the Tynedale defence.
The first crack didn’t appear until the 31st minute, when after awarding a string of penalties against Tynedale, the ever-industrious Mr Howarth sent Nankivell to the sin bin.
The referee’s patience was soon being tested once more, and on 25 minutes, he awarded Sheffield a penalty try, and sent Archie Rattray to join Nankivell on the naughty step.
Playing the league leaders at full strength is always tough, but doing it with only 13 men is a real challenge, and it is to Tynedale’s credit they were still only 7-5 down at the break.
The diminished defence did not crack until seven minutes into the second half, when Sheffield’s speed and guile from a line-out saw centre Will Smith go over for Callum Posa to convert for a 14-5 lead.
Sheffield continued to dominate territorially, but could not find a way through and on 63 minutes, on a rare visit to Sheffield territory, Tynedale were awarded a penalty some 35 metres out.
Up stepped Grant, and over the ball went to put Tynedale only a converted try away from regaining the lead.
It never looked likely, but equally, Sheffield never looked like breaching the impregnable Tynedale ramparts a second time, and there was no addition to the score.
The defeat saw Tynedale drop a place in the table to fourth. They have no match this weekend, the next game seeing them go to bottom placed Scunthorpe on December 6.
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