Old Modernians 10 - 20 Burley
T: Hayward, Palfrey-Smith, Zielinski, Binder
26th August 2009
After Saturday's trouncing of East Retford Burley were in high spirits for this midweek encounter, but those players accustomed to matches against local rivals Old Mods knew that the Cookridge side would pose a much sterner test. With a 1st and 2nd XV due to be selected for the fixtures against Roundhegians on Saturday, the players all had something to prove, and the result was satisfactory even if the structure of the evening was somewhat muddled and disjointed.
Old Mods' pitch is dominated by a slope running down the field, and this proved to be an important factor in what was a keenly fought match. Burley began the first of four periods playing down the slope and scored two tries, which could have been three had Pinder's normally reliable handling not deserted him at a crucial moment.
The theme of changing large numbers of players throughout the match continued from Saturday, but it quickly became clear that Burley's initial side was superior to that fielded by Mods. Attacking down the slope the Burley pack, marshalled keenly by Palfrey-Smith found a good degree of cohesion, dominating the early scrums and laying a platform for attack deep inside the Mods half. With Bissett and Robinson forming an experienced halfback partnership the backs could attack at will, and Burley scored their first try when the ball found its way to the right wing and was scooped up by Hayward, the 2nd XV captain scooting in at the corner. Conversions were off for this game so the restart was swift, and Burley again found themselves in Mods territory. The forwards were continuing to set the tone and Mods struggled in the first period to keep a lid on their drives, frequently being penalised around the ruck area. It was from one such attack that Palfrey-Smith was able to force his way over for Burley's second try, having taken one of his trademark quick taps and used his strength to breach the line. Burley nearly had a third shortly after when their strong scrum pushed over from close range, but Pinder at 8 was just unable to control the ball for a try, most unfortunately for him. At 10-0 down Mods finally came alive somewhat, making some promising forays into the Burley half. Their best attack came at the end of the period, when an overlap was worked down Burley's left, but the fly half strangely decided to kick into touch from inside Burley's 22 rather than attack Parsons' wing, which could have been exposed with a bit of thought from the Mods backs.
The second period was a complete reversal of the first, and going down the hill Mods were able to level the score by half time. Burley's modified pack lacked the stability of the initial 8 and Mods capitalised, using the slope to good effect, and dominated this period of the match. From a Burley point of view this session was a struggle, but the resistance was typically dogged at least, although Mods were able to score two tries. Burley's defence showed room for improvement, but it should be noted that the Mods side in this period were significantly stronger than that deployed in the first. Burley were at least able to break a seemingly unstoppable Mods drive at their line, stopping the momentum and winning a scrum with some first class forward defending. Coming into the final periods the match was finely balanced at 10-10, and it took a couple of moments of magic from some old hands to unlock an increasingly confident Mods side.
With the slope regained and a strong pack in place again, especially Schmidt who was inspirational throughout his time on the field, the third stanza was probably the most evenly matched of all. Burley battled against a Mods side buoyed by their fightback, and the game was tight, combative and scoreless for some time until a flowing backs move brought the ball to Naylor, who released Zielinski down the left for an excellent try. The improved support play has been a notable feature of the last two games, with several tries coming from passes made after the initial break, and it is worth noting that even if Zielinski had not had the pace to score himself, Peel was well placed outside him to cross if necessary. The try edged Burley back in front and opened the game up slightly as Mods began to attack again, seeking a response. The backs became more involved as the game went on, and from one attack a mishandled Mods ball dropped into the hands of Barnes, who raced twenty yards down open field before realising he would be caught and attempting to pass to Naylor, a pass foiled by a desperate Mods hand. With the game still tight and balanced on a knife edge, Burley suffered a blow when Carnochan was sin binned for a late (albeit spectacular) hit on the Mods full back. Mods now sensed their chance and came forward in numbers, but the match was dramatically sealed for Burley by a moment of brilliance from fly half Binder, who took a pass from the back of a scrum and cut across field, bringing Bissett back on the inside. Both Mods centres read this immediately and slammed into Bissett; unfortunately for them Binder still had possession, and strolled through the gap left by the Mods' outside centre for a simple, if well crafted try. The score seemed to deflate Mods somewhat, and though they attacked hard until the end of the period, Burley's line held firm. A short final period was played in increasing darkness, but was completely devoid of notable events save one, when Parsons lost a high kick in the night and spilled the ball, but Wider was on hand to clear up.
In many ways, this was exactly the kind of fixture Burley needed; a tough slog against committed opponents will have done wonders to prepare them for the season ahead. Man of The Match was Schmidt for an inspirational performance, the big man looking dangerous on attack and solid in defence. Burley's final preseason match before the big kick off falls this weekend, when the 1st XV take on Roundhegians at home, and the 2nds travel across Leeds for the reverse fixture.