With
the last two league matches lost, Fylde (once more on the road) visit Stourbridge
on Saturday with an urgent need to get back to the winning habit. This
will be difficult, to say the least. Stourbridge, like the other two promoted
sides, have made a very successful step up to National Two. So successful
that all three (Plymouth, Sedgley Park & 'Stour') occupy the top places
in the League in that order, quite extraordinary when you think about it.
Stourbridge narrowly beat Orrell at home (21-18) to open their season but then on the following Saturday, also at home, were thoroughly beaten 10-34 by Plymouth. Things have improved since with successive league wins against Preston (away, 16-13), Newbury (home, 37-14) and Waterloo (away, 31-12). In between, they went down in the 2nd Round of the RFU Cup by 13-33 at Sedgley Park. Their website gives reports on these matches and a map of how to get to the ground is available by clicking here.
Notable players include the well travelled scrum-half Bruce Fenley, kicking fullback Ben Harvey (60 points to date through 1 try, 8 conversions and 13 penalties; success rate of 68%) and the massive Kiwi No. 8 (and sometimes winger!) Daniel Farani. Of Stour's 12 league tries to date, 9 have been scored by three-quarters and 3 by their backrow. This compares with Fylde's 4 front row tries and 1 by a wing out of a total of 6.
A correspondent who has seen Stourbridge play this season says "If you think the Fylde pack is big then wait until you see the Stour lads ... and they're mobile, too!" Is he suggesting that our heroic eight aren't?!
In the Fylde lineup, Stuart Connell retains his place at centre whilst Richard Kenyon plays at fullback for the first time in the 1st XV. Craig McIntyre stays at hooker with Martin Scott amongst the replacements.
The full fixture list for Saturday (with predicted winners in italics) is:
Esher
v Sedgley
Park
Harrogate
v Rosslyn
Park
Newbury
v Plymouth
Albion
Nottingham
v Kendal
Orrell
v Wharfedale
Preston
G. v
Waterloo
Stourbridge
v Fylde
Stephen
McCormack's analysis at the end of Week 5 of National Two is available
(as a 145k Word document) by clicking here.
(15/10/2001)
Other
National Two news
Orrell's latest (and startling) squad strengthening announcement from 'Whelan Enterprises Inc' is that Wigan Warriors and England RL star centre Gary Connolly will be joining their squad in December and January. Maurice Lindsay, Wigan's Chief Executive, said "Normally its not possible for players to play back-to-back rugby, but Gary had a truncated season because of a shoulder injury. Connolly's first brief spell in union was at Harlequins in 1996/7.
On the same theme, highly promising Rosslyn Park No 8, Nick Easter has also joined Orrell. The Park Website adds the following:
" Nick
has gone on fulltime professional terms, which – without going into details
– are at Premiership levels of remuneration. It is, of course, extremely
frustrating to lose a player of Nick’s ability especially in our current
injury situation, but
that
is a fact of life as an amateur club where players are not under contract.
Nick made it clear that he has enjoyed his brief spell with Park but, as
he was unemployed anyway, who can blame him for picking up a decent salary
to do what he enjoys?
We can only wish him good luck for the rest of his career. As Terry O’Connor pointed out, "It shows that players who are good enough need have no fears that they won’t be noticed playing here as amateurs. If Nick trains hard, he has the ability to go right to the very top." Although Nick’s name didn’t arise in the conversation, Orrell officials made it quite clear in the President’s room after Saturday’s match that their new owner had effectively handed them a blank cheque in order to gain Premiership status, at which time 1st XV matches will switch to Wigan RL." [Courtesy of RP's website]
A truer (and much more heartwarming) reflection of rugby outside the Premiership is the outstanding record of Wharfedale's lock, David Lister. He's scheduled to make his 89th consecutive appearance for 'Dale on Saturday, coincidentally against Orrell at Edge Hall Road. This will establish a record in the national leagues, including the Premiership. His run started in March 1998 and overtakes that of another player seen at Fylde on numerous occasions, former Exeter scrum-half Andy Maunder. Good luck David!
For news of all Fylde's opponents, click on our National Two page which includes a pre-season review, plus updates during the campaign.
On the theme of records, almost two weeks ago we missed highlighting the end of one of the most extraordinary records of modern league rugby. On 6th October 2001, in National Three (North), West Hartlepool beat Bedford Athletic by 18-16 on their home ground. This doesn't seem too exciting until you realise that West had previously lost 54 consecutive league matches, spanning National One, National Two and now National Three (North) in the last three seasons. The Club was in the Premiership as recently as 1999. Well done to the players and officials of a once great club. Let's hope that this win marks the beginning of a sustainable comeback. Rugby in the North East needs it.
(18/10/2001)
English National Divisions tackle tourists
The English National Divisions XV have been awarded prestigious fixtures against the touring Australian and South African sides in the next five weeks. Players for the scratch side will be chosen from clubs in National One, Two or other leagues outside the Zurich Premiership.
English
National Divisions XV v Australia at Leicester on Sunday 28 October
ko.
2.30 pm. – TICKET HOTLINE NUMBER 0870 1283430
English National Divisions XV v South Africa at Worcester on Wednesday 21 November, ko. 8.00 pm. – TICKET HOTLINE NUMBER 0870 8709593
The Coaching appointments for the two matches have been confirmed. They are as follows:
Tony
Macarthur (Henley) Manager/Head Coach
Adrian
Davies (London Welsh) Backs Coach
Ian
Bremner (Exeter) Forwards coach
Richard
Cockerill (Leicester Tigers) Assistant Coach
Given this personnel, its reasonable to assume that most if not all selected players will come from National One clubs.
Tony Macarthur said today “We’ve put together a strong coaching team, which underlines the huge importance we are placing on this game. I hope that we can attract a big crowd to Welford Road on the day to see watch will be a very competitive and testing match for the English National Divisions XV.”
The squad will meet on Friday October 26th and train at Leicester Tigers training ground at ‘The Oval’ before playing Australia at Welford Road on Sunday October 28th. Kick off 2.30pm.
The team to play Australia will be announced on Monday 22nd October.
(18/10/2001)
2nd half wobble but Fylde overcome Norwich
Fylde made their first ever visit to Norwich and eventually overcame their aspiring hosts by 32-20 in the 3rd Round of the RFU Senior Cup. The visitors scored five tries through Carl Lavin, Ben Trend, Chris Jones (the latter two's first tries for the Club), Lawrence Condon and Craig McIntyre. Steve Gough converted two of these plus a penalty. Norwich were down by 6-22 at the interval but pulled back in the 2nd half through tries by Simon Hill and Simon Sinclair . Sinclair's try, converted by Matt Holmes, was scored with another seven minutes remaining to take the score to 20-27.
With Dave Baldwin sinbinned at that time, the home side launched a last desperate attack and won a lineout on the Fylde line. The throw went astray, Fylde battled the length of the field and Norwich conceded a lineout within their twenty two metre line. A trademark rolling maul saw McIntyre score the decisive try. Gough's missed conversion ended the match. According to the Evening Gazette's report, Carl Lavin was the star of the show for Fylde. Unsurprisingly, Lavin's opening try was also from a lineout catch and driving maul.
Ben
Trend's try was a fine individual effort reminiscent of Mark Evans'
Cup score against Wasps at Loftus Road a few years ago. There has been
enough concern about Fylde's back line and their try scoring ability in
recent seasons in the local press and on this website to celebrate a young
player's achievement such as this. Well done Ben (pictured left)!
The Fylde line-up was: (15)
B.Godfrey; (14) B.Trend; (13) Kenyon; (12) Connell; (11) Kerr (Carson);
(10) Gough; (9) Condon; (1) Filipo (Yates); (2) McIntyre; (3) Webster;
(4) Taylor; (5) Baldwin; (6) Jones; (7) C.Lavin (Ferguson); (8) B.Wilson
Unused replacement: (17)
Cassidy
Fylde now visit Orrell in the 4th Round on November 3rd. Orrell beat Rosslyn Park in London by 40-32, despite being behind by 11-26 at half-time. Newcomer, Wigan RL's star winger, Wes Davies scored two 2nd half tries to achieve the win.
There were no real surprises in the rest of the 3rd Round matches. A number of National One sides overcame lower division sides with some comfort. However, some of these scorelines may be deceptive. For instance, Coventry's 40-22 win at Sedgley Park did not reflect what was a very close game. Park had a six point lead going in to the final quarter and only four late tries gave the final score an unreal look.
There were one or two close calls and some exceptional performances by 'lesser' sides. Two of the four leading National Three clubs, Darlington Mowden Park and Dudley Kingswinford, battled it out in the North East with the home side winning by 31-25. Kendal gave Manchester a tough match before going down by 6-16 at Mint Bridge. In rugby-mad Cornwall, Launceston had a crowd of 2,000 to see them go down heroically to neighbours (and National One high flyers) Exeter by 26-40. Oh for such support for Northern sides! Perhaps the most gallant show was put up by another of the other National Three pace setters, North Walsham, who went down narrowly by 17-25 at Moseley.
The revised 4th Round draw, played on the 3rd November, is as follows:
Orrell
v Fylde
Darlington
MP v Manchester
Henley
v Otley
Moseley
v Worcester
Rotherham
v Coventry
Birmingham/S
v Wakefield
Newbury
v Nuneaton
Exeter
v London Welsh
The
5th Round will consist of the eight winners playing off for the chance
to join the 12 Zurich Premiership sides in Round 6.
(13/10/2001)
Kenny to face disciplinary hearing
Fylde coach Dean Kenny has been called to a disciplinary hearing in Leeds on November 6th to face a charge of verbally abusing referee David Matthews after the Orrell match at the Woodlands. Fylde officials have issued an apology. However, similar comments to those uttered by Kenny were being made on the terraces!
Orrell backs (and the referee) beat Fylde
An excellent display from Orrell's quick and clever backs won this match for the visitors at the Woodlands on Saturday. Orchestrated by No 10 Phil Jones, between the 20th and 60th minute they looked continually dangerous. Jones scored one of their three tries, along with centre Andy Craig and wing Neil Kerfoot. The influential Australian centre Wade Kelly prompted many of their best moves.
The other defining element of the match was referee David Matthews' continual penalising of Fylde's front row at scrummages. The Fylde pack was stronger than the visitors and seemed to have an important advantage in the tight. However, Matthews ruled offence after offence against, in particular, Alan Yates. For such an experienced player, this was very strange, and neutralised Fylde's main advantage in the match as well as causing much head shaking amongst the Fylde forwards and a continual unharmonious dialogue between skipper Matt Filipo and Matthews. This problem undermined Fylde's gameplan and eventually proved to have a crucial influence on the result. Matthews explained that the offences were for pushing before the ball was put in the scrum. There seemed little doubt that Orrell played on this, with their pack putting no effort when the scrummage formed and therefore going backwards as the Fylde frontrow engaged.
Coach Dean Kenny was furious at the referee's interpretation of the scrummaging law. "The referee ruined the match, and what we ended up with was uncontested scrums" he told the Evening Gazette. "What is the point of us practising all week on the training pitch with a scrummaging machine? The referee's decisions took away our ability to control the game." Matthews didn't seem to have the courage of his convictions. Despite continual explanantion of why he was penalising the Fylde forwards, he took no decisive action (such as sinbinning someone) in trying to stamp it out.
This matter needs urgent attention by the National Clubs' Association, the RFU or whoever is responsible for clarifying these matters in National Two. As we all know, there is a creeping influence on rugby union, springing mainly from the Southern hemisphere, to make the game more like a basketball match. Super 12 matches are high scoring affairs with sides getting possession, scoring a try, the other side getting the ball and doing likewise, and so on. This implies less tight play, with the scrummage no more important than it is in rugby league. Stephen Jones has argued passionately in the Sunday Times in recent years against this nonsense. Well, even at National Two level we could see one manifestation of the affect of rugby league on union. This was particularly poignant given that Fylde were playing Orrell, owned by a rugby league/soccer boss, organised by an ex-league No 10, and playing a very league oriented style of play amongst the backs.
The game started in the best possible way for Fylde on a very breezy but bright day at the Woodlands. Within the first five minutes and with the strong wind at their back, the familiar catch and drive at a lineout saw the Fylde pack drive the Orrell pack at a rate of knots and Grant Ferguson scored his first try for the Club. Throughout the match the Fylde lineout worked well and the front five performed soundly, irrespective of the scrummaging chaos described above. Steve Gough missed the conversion from the right corner but kicked a penalty a little later. The rest of the half was dominated by Matthews' whistle and the slick Orrell backs. Two beautifully worked tries, both converted by Jones, gave the visitors a 14-8 half-time lead.
In the first 20 minutes of the 2nd half, Orrell had the wind advantage and kicked well to keep play in the Fylde half. Another clever try and three penalties by Jones gave Orrell a commanding 28-8 lead. It looked as though the floodgates might open. The gritty Fylde outfit had other ideas. Martin Wallwork replaced Steve Gough at No 10 and made an immediate impact. He showed a whole gamut of skills, with clever flicks, breaks and passing to release his back line. With Lawrence Condon also warming to the task, the Fylde backs looked dangerous for the first time this season at home. Gaps started to open up. A three-to-one advantage on the left looked certain to result in a home score but the final pass by debutant fullback Andrew Perry went behind Ben Godfrey who would have had the easiest task to score. Generally speaking, Perry looked sound and capable on his senior debut. (Fellow Sale youngster and debutant Chris Jones also made an immediate impact when coming off the substitutes bench. The tall thin lock or backrow forward had real pace and started to find gaps amongst the Orrell pack.)
The Fylde forwards also raised their game. Brent Wilson, by this time at No 8 and having an outstanding 2nd half, drove time and again deep into Orrell territory. Desperate (some would say illegal) defending kept the Fylde forwards from driving over again. Fylde attacked again and the ball was moved along the three quarters. With Evans in the clear on the outside, Andrew Perry, coming into the line, dropped the crucial pass. Following another series of Fylde attacks, a move broke down 20 metres out. An Orrell player flyhacked the loose ball towards the touchline but, fortuitously, it landed right in the arms of winger Mark Evans who sprinted 25 metres to make the line in the right corner. Ben Godfrey's conversion attempt went narrowly wide.
What looked at one time like becoming a heavy beating certainly didn't become one. Arguably, if the problems in the front row had been sorted out by the referee earlier, this would have been a much closer contest. It was by far the best game at the Woodlands this season and there is no shame in being beaten by a good, well organised (and streetwise) Orrell side bent on promotion. With 'Uncle' Dave Whelan's substantial money behind them, they look to be a likely bet to go back to National One at the first attempt.
If there are any doubts about Whelan's ambitions and the depth of his pockets, his latest team strengthening announced after the Fylde match sees prominent Wigan Warriors winger Wes Davies join their ranks. 23 years old Davies is the highest profile league player to move to Orrell - and is the grandson of Wigan legend Billy Boston. He is expected to make his debut against Rosslyn Park on Saturday. On top of the Australian and South African already in the Orrell squad, Samoan prop Tonga Leota has signed as an amateur. If we didn't already know it, National Two isn't going to be a level playing field this season!
The Fylde players never gave up and enough can be taken from the match for the coaches to work on before future difficult league matches. If Fylde win at Norwich next Saturday , as they should, and Orrell overcome the highly inconsistent Rosslyn Park side in London, then a RFU Senior Cup Round 4 tie at Edge Hall Road will give us another occasion to judge the respective merits of the two teams. Click here for a full report on the game from the Evening Gazette.
Fylde: Perry; Evans, Kenyon, Davies, Godfrey; Gough (Wallwork), Condon; Yates, Scott, Filipo, Taylor, Baldwin, Wilson, Lavin, Ferguson (Jones).
Orrell: Welding; Beauchamp, Craig, Kelly, Kerfoot; Jones, Broxson; Winstanley, Moffat, Livesey, Bentley, Cusani, Bennett, Lloyd, Monighan.
Tailpiece: given the criticism of referee David Matthews above, its worth looking back at this website's report on the home match with Wharfedale in February:
"The highly experienced David
Matthews was just about the best referee seen at
the Woodlands this season
- consistent, sympathetic, letting the play flow etc.
To quote Stuart Barnes talking
in the Daily Telegraph (about Ed Morrison's
performance in the marvellous
Tetley Bitter Cup Final), Matthews is an official
who understands that the
man with the whistle is an attendant and not Prince
Hamlet. A number of referees
at the Woodlands in recent seasons have behaved
like they were the star
turn."
Oh well, even the best of us have off days!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elsewhere in National Two, Plymouth continued their inexorable way at the top of the table by hammering Kendal 57-12, scoring eight tries in the process. Two of these were contributed by coach and former England international Graham Dawe. Its very rare for the well organised and miserly Cumbrians to concede 30 points, let alone 50+. The Devonians don't seem to be worn down yet by the vast distances they have to travel to away matches. This will really bite when, between 24th November and 8th December, they visit Fylde, Sedgley Park and Wharfedale on three successive Saturdays! This is a combined total distance of some 2,000 miles there and back. The National Two fixture planners won't be the most popular people with the Club.
Other excellent results saw two high scoring sides, Sedgley Park edge home against Harrogate by 33-27, and Nottingham earn their first points of the season by winning at Rosslyn Park by 18-11. Fylde's former player Nick Booth kicked a conversion and two penalties. Rosslyn Park are proving impossibly inconsistent. They beat the top side Plymouth in the Cup one week and then lose at home to the bottom side a week later. Bottom place in the league is now occupied by Waterloo who were well beaten at home by Stourbridge, Fylde's next league opponents on 20th October. The full results are:
Newbury
20-30 Preston Grasshoppers
Plymouth
57-12 Kendal
Rosslyn P.
11-18 Nottingham
Sedgley P.
33-27 Harrogate
Waterloo
12-31 Stourbridge
Wharfedale
16-13 Esher
Norwich, Fylde's RFU Senior Cup opponents on Saturday, warmed up by beating Harlow by 46-20 away from home in London Division One. Norwich are unbeaten this season winning four cup ties and all three league matches to date. Fylde will be foolish to underestimate their opponents.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lytham beat Burnage 16-10 in North Lancs One at the Woodlands on Saturday. Click here for a report on the match.
(8/10/2001)
Fylde now start the build-up to the most important match to date this season when they welcome near neighbours and old adversaries Orrell to the Woodlands on Saturday (ko 15.00). There have been many big clashes between the clubs over the years (click here for Neil Withington's archive memories from 1972 & 1990) but this is as important as any. With Fylde looking to get back on the winning trail in National Two following the Esher defeat, Orrell are starting to hit top form at Edge Hall Road with their successive humiliation of Waterloo in the league and Scunthorpe in the Cup. They have scored 134 points in these two games.
In August they could barely field fifteen players. Dave Whelan's buy-up of the Club has changed all that. Rapid input of funds on the player recruitment front has led to a number of major signings and this short but rich vein of form. They narrowly lost their first two away matches (at Stourbridge, 18-21, and Newbury, 24-26) but at home have beaten Waterloo (51-18) and Preston Grasshoppers (28-16). Newcomer fly-half Phil Jones (Wigan RL) has made the most impact, scoring 71 points in these four games to put him top of the League Two's scoring list. Recent newcomers such as Randwick centre Wade Kelly and South African flanker Jamie Carroll are also class players.
Whelan's acquisition of the Club (which has to be formally agreed by members this month) is associated with an extremely serious intent to get out of National Two as soon as possible - ie this season. According to the Daily Telegraph (2nd October), Whelan has been using the current New South Wales and former Australian, Leicester & Bristol coach Bob Dwyer to run the rule over prospective players for the Club. Dwyer's close associate, former USA coach Duncan Hall, has been watching Orrell's recent games in order to identify strengths and weaknesses of the current squad. Given the current limits of a maximum of two non-EU players in a match, presumably these recruitment efforts are aimed primarily at UK-based players. However, there's an awful number of Aussies, Kiwis, Fijians and Springboks out there who've discovered suddenly that their Great Granny lived in Grimsby!
And its not only on the playing side that plentiful funding is having an effect. Mike Gregory, former Warrington RL player and now a leading rugby league coach, is expected to join Orrell in the near future. Gregory guided the GB U'18 tour to Australia last summer and will be the latest highly regarded RL coach to move to union.
Fylde's situation offers an interesting comparison. With major financial difficulties facing the Club and the future of the ground sale still not resolved, promotion to National One would be a very mixed blessing. Whilst the rugby management side of the Club must reaffirm the 'finishing in the top four' objective, the financial consequences of playing at the higher level would be problematic, to say the least. There are still sufficient memories of the two seasons in Allied Dunbar Premiership Two to not let the Club's financial managers sleep easy in their beds if Fylde maintain their early season form.
Fylde face a number of selection problems ahead of the game. Injury to Richard Kenyon and the unavailability of Greg Anderton has disrupted the back line. The selectors will have to see if Kenyon will be fit in time for the match, or whether to go for the highly experienced Stuart Connell (who deputised for him at Blaydon). Amongst the forwards its to be hoped that the influential Dave Baldwin will have recovered from a thumb injury to take his place in the 2nd row.
According to the Daily Telegraph (4th October), Fylde are expected at some stage to call on the services of Sale U'21 lock Chris Jones, who is joining the Club to learn his trade alongside Master Craftsman Dave Baldwin. The evergreen Jon Taylor and Paddy O'Neill could teach him some of the lock forwards' black arts as well! (PS Didn't we have Chris Jones from Sale playing at centre for us last year?)
The backrow could be the
most difficult area, with Andy Atkinson's knee injury coming just
as he was starting to make a real impact at blindside. Brent Wilson,
assuming that he got through the Blaydon match unscathed, would be an able
deputy, with
Carl Lavin (if available) and Mike Bradwell
fighting it out for the openside spot.
(1/10/2001)