Match Report – GAME 2 – Keighley U 9’s v Old Brods U 9’s

Keighley won the toss decided to play downhill for the first half and the start saw them continued where they finished the first game with immediate pressure, forcing a lineout on the 15 yard line in the first 40 seconds.
From the lineout 3 quick cross-field passes left Zac Scott with an open track to the try line and he duly obliged scoring his first try almost unchallenged.
Keighley (1) 5 – Old Brods (0) 0 – 1.5 minutes played.
Directly from the restart a super pressure tackle from Joseph Myers gifted Will Halliday the ball and he powered though the static Old Brods defence to score the second try in as many minutes.
Keighley (2) 10 – Old Brods (0) 0 – 2 minutes played.
Both teams then settled for a while, trading possession in midfield with each team turning over the ball. However, Keighley’s bigger, stronger players were key to the outcome of the match and again they pressed the Old Brods players once more into poor ball-handling and Harry Gould overpowered an Old Brods player, stole the ball and surged over the line to score.
Keighley (3) 15 – Old Brods (0) 0 – 7 minutes played.
Keighley didn’t have it all their own way and the Old Brods defence showed real commitment in holding back the bigger more powerful Keighley forwards.
Keighley pushed from all quarters with Aaron Wilson and Lennon Curr particularly quick to capitalise on anything loose. Quick ball from a lineout on the left saw Halliday jink his way past the Old Brods forwards to score in the centre for Keighley’s 4th try on 12 minutes.
Keighley (4) 20 – Old Brods (0) 0 – 12 minutes played.
Old Brods pushed forward and put the Keighley defence under pressure and only resolute tacking by Scott and Halliday on the touchline stopped them scoring.
Despite the score line both teams showed total commitment and the quality of rugby played was first class with most of the game being played in midfield with an occasional flurry down the lines.
A Keighley lineout on their own 15 yard line left Gould asking if he could take and run and that’s exactly what he did, Tom Richardson providing the ball, Gould running unchallenged for ¾ the length of the pitch to score in the corner.
Keighley (5) 25 – Old Brods (0) 0 – 15 minutes played.
Half Time - Keighley (5) 25 – Old Brods (0) 0
Old Brods started with a flourish in the second half but were pinned back by Keighley pressure and this resulted in a steal from Alex Wormersley who ran diagonally into the left corner to score within 2 minutes of the restart.
Keighley (6) 30 – Old Brods (0) 0 – 17 minutes played.
Despite apparently being overwhelmed, Old Brods didn’t give up and from a good cross-field pass resulting from a loose Keighley ball their Centre intercepted and ran unchallenged down the line to score Old Brods first try of the match.
Keighley (6) 30 – Old Brods (1) 5 – 19 minutes played.
Keighley were moving the ball well and again their power particularly in the tackle with James Field, Joss McArthur and Harvey Bird leading the way, was beginning to tell as the game progressed but they were being made to work very hard by the Old Brods boys who challenged for every ball. However, on 21 minutes another swift break from midfield saw Jack Rodborne overpower one of the Old Brods players to steal and power into the corner for Keighley’s 7th try of the game.
Keighley (7) 35 – Old Brods (1) 5 – 22 minutes played.
From then on it was very evenly balanced but Keighley continued to press forward with Lennon Curr and Kian Saunders continually looking to steal and the score line didn’t reflect what was happening on the pitch and Old Brods began to be more assertive, capitalising on the slope so the Keighley defence was forced to work extremely hard to stop them.
Both teams played good tight rugby but again Keighley were caught napping at a penalty with Old Brods scoring a copy of their first try down the opposite line.
Keighley (7) 35 – Old Brods (2) 10 – 27 minutes played.
Scrums and line outs were shared for the remainder of the match with both teams battling for territorial advantage. But Keighley came out on top thanks in part to their superior performance from the first half.
Final Score - Keighley (7 Tries) 35 Points – Old Brods (2 Tries) 10 Points
Keighley Scorers: - Scott 1, Halliday 2, Gould 2, Wormersley 1, Rodborne 1.
“We played probably our best all-round rugby of the season so far” said Coach Steve Welch “and while the score lines appear to flatter, the boys all gave 100% and they thoroughly deserved both wins” he added. “It shows just how much the work done in practice and training can influence what happens on the pitch during the matches”