When The Weather Stops Being So Shit, Maybe Swinton Can Play Some Rugby.?!
Swinton picked up a win... not against a team in our league, but we'll take it! Narrowly losing to all those around us has been frustrating, to say the least.
I've also started the threads of a post on the New York trip, then wrote around 1,500 words and am about a seventh of the way through, oops! I might have to divide that into several articles...
Anyway, good to be writing for fun again and not just 'work', speaking of which, this is my latest League Weekly Swinton report and hello to a newbie kjemiskhjerte:
Swinton Lions 40 London Skolars 8 by Jeff Tyldesley
The Lions prevailed with a robust team effort, in a ‘Summer Rugby’ contest that was close for a long while but the game was very much a creature defined by the tough conditions it was played in.
Perpetual rain and a blustery wind buffeted the players and made handling extremely difficult, even for Swinton, a team renowned for use of the ball in hand.
Credit also to the Skolars, who put in a huge defensive effort and at times gave the Lions plenty to think about on the attack, with their sizeable pack, particularly Anthony Mbaraga plus substitutes Lamont Bryan and Michael Sykes, keeping the ball chugging down the heart of the pitch.
This stoicism was typified with the first Lions siege of the Skolars’ territory seeing both Anthony Nicholson and Andy Bracek (twice) stopped on the line.
London’s response featured powerful charges from Simone Vavega and Callum Bustin but the kick on the final tackle disappointed.
Sadly for London, they leaked penalties in the first half and having given Swinton field position, Chris Atkin threw a lovely pass wide for Shaun Robinson to crash over.
By contrast to London’s tactics, Swinton were also gaining large chunks up the middle with nimble widemen, like the eager Mike Butt and Robinson skimming over the heavy surface from dummy half.
It was a good chase pressuring London kicker Charlie Lawrence that set the platform for Swinton’s second, his off-colour kick and a penalty against Mbaraga afforded the Lions time and tackles close to the Skolars’ line, again Atkin created an opportunity, this time with a low kick for Robinson to pounce on; before goaling from the sideline.
It was also an encounter with much time added on, Butt and Anthony Bate clashing heads with both requiring treatment, while Matt Gardner was forced off with a leg injury, for which Andy Thornley was pushed out into deputising in the centres once again.
Of the two sides, London came closest to adding to their points in the remaining quarter of an hour. Sykes making a gigantic impact, twice being held up over the line after coming off the bench. A try or two then, and it could have been an entirely different outcome…
As it was, it was a resurgent Swinton who trotted back out in the second half, Jake Melling failed to collect a Lions kick and Sam Nash picked it up while offside, the Championship side shipped it left and Butt flew in at the corner for another converted score.
Skolars did well to hold up Josh Barlow shortly afterwards too. There were a couple of minor skirmishes around this time, centred around Barlow, Mbaraga and Louis Robinson but there were more words said than punches thrown so the referee elected to carry on sans cards.
A Grant Gore try with (again with Atkin involved in the build-up) lead to a game-securing lead. Not that’d you would know, as London were tenacious as ever, holding up another Lion, this time Ben Austin over the line.
Grittily, the Skolars claimed a consolation try, as with most of the scores on the day, it involved a winger sneaking in at the corner, this time Nash finishing off a thoroughly deserved four points.
The response was the best try of the match, Nicholson using quick hands to release Atkin down the middle, the pass was too low for Connor Dwyer but Gore was a willing recipient by the posts.
Extra sheen was added to the scoreline, as first Nicholson dived over from dummy half and an excellent pass from Austin sent in the industrious Bracek, Atkin goaling all four of Swinton’s second half tries to bring up forty points.
It was the men from the Capital though who had the final word; Matt Davies and Josh Allinson sending in Nash, too wide out for Lawrence to convert once more.
SWINTON LIONS
7. Chris Atkin 8
2. Shaun Robinson 8
3. Chris Hankinson 6
21. Mike Butt 8
5. Matt Gardner 6
14. Ben White 6
7. Grant Gore 7
15. Andy Bracek 8
9. Anthony Nicholson 8
16. Anthony Bate 7
11. Connor Dwyer 6
17. Oliver Davies 6
13. Andy Thornley 7
Subs:
19. Josh Barlow 6
24. Adam Jones 6
20. Sean Kenny 7
18. Ben Austin 8
Tries: Robinson 9, 19, Butt 43, Gore 57, 70, Nicholson 73, Bracek 75. Goals: Atkin 6/7.
LONDON SKOLARS
20. Jake Melling 7
2. Sam Nash 7
4. Josh Allinson 6
24. Michael Brown 7
5. James Hill 8
27. Brandon Pickersgill 6
9. Charlie Lawrence 6
30. Simona Vavega 7
14. Billy Driver 7
29. Callum Bustin 6
28. Keenan Tomlinson 6
12. Eddie Mbaraga 8
13. Ryan Chester 6
Subs:
26. Matt Davies 7
19. Louis Robinson 7
25. Michael Sykes 8
11. Lamont Bryan 8
Tries: Nash 64, 78. Goals: Lawrence 0/2.
Ref Rating: G Dolan 80/100
Half Time: 10-0
Penalties: 10-7
Sin Bins: None
Sent Off: None
Weather: Rainy and windy
Man of the Match: Andy Bracek (Swinton)
Attendance: 200 (EST)
Match Rating: 2/5.