Amateur RU: YM allow another win to slip away

YMCA 13

Leodiensiens 15

FOR the umpteenth time this season YMCA allowed another victory to be snatched out of their grasp in the closing stages of a match which was there for the taking.

Scrum half Simon Wilson had an excellent game, as did the whole of the YM front row, with Stuart Dyke claiming the home team’s solitary try, but their efforts were not enough to seal the points.

A John Smith penalty gave YM an early lead before Leo’s stand-off Freear replied with three points for the visitors who then took the lead on half-time when a poor clearance from YM allowed left-winger Liu too much space on the flank, and with the benefit of an overlap forced his way over in the corner.

Freear missed the conversion but the visitors went in with a deserved 8-3 lead.

YM opened with the second half with renewed vigour and quickly had the visitors on the back foot with the ball moving through hands well and creating chances for both wings, Chris Beever and Adam Ryder.

But it was through the forwards that YM got back into the game, when Stuart Dyke emerged from under a pile of bodies on Leo’s line to come up with the score, Smith putting them ahead with his conversion.

Although YM enjoyed the bulk of possession in the second half they were unable to again break down Leo’s defence, and some times were guilty of being naive with the ball in hand, trying to force the pass rather than taking the ruck and recycling.

And with the exception of Wilson, who put in somebeautiful probing kicks down the touchlines, YM’s kicking game was generally flawed by simply kicking the ball to the opposition to run back at them.

With the amount of possession they had Damon Scholes’ side should have had the game sewn up earlier, but could not find a way through, and had to rely on Smith to put them 13-8 ahead with a penalty.

As the clock towards full time, the inevitable happened, when a desperate kick out of defence by the visitors was fumbled and knocked forward by the usually reliable Ryder, and Leo’s winger Liu was quick to snatch his chance, picking up and off-loading to his centre Winter, who sprinted unopposed from inside his own half to level the match, and Freear kept his nerve with the conversion to steal the victory.

This was the seventh game of the season that YM have lost by less than six points, and in nearly all those games they have been the better side, but failed to capitalise on their chances.

YMCA: Smith Beever, Horner (Leonne-Mazza 61), Stead, Ryder; Swift, Wilson, Sanderson, Dyke (Stephen), Sellars, Hellawell, Dyke (Stuart), Van Niekirk, Sharrock, Walker (Lyon 61).