Bedford 25 – 21 Tykes

Unfortunately this game was beyond my range.  I confess to predicting a defeat (to within a point, maybe that's why I won the prediction league – smug!  Me?), but would have happily been proven wrong.  Alas Bedford were as tough as expected, and fought to an apparently deserved victory.  Leeds were masters of their own downfall, giving away an interception try in the first half, and just failing to hold the Blues out on the last play of the game.  One notable highpoint for those Tykes who travelled to Bedford was the opportunity to see Humphreys kick a wonder drop goal from his own half.  I’m sure it will lengthen in the telling, but I’m informed it was from the vicinity of Milton Keynes.  Many have told me it was worth the trip just for that.

Tykes 30 – 18 Doncaster

From one tough set of opponents to another.  Doncaster are going places.  They’ve become big boys in a short space of time, and need to be respected.  I sat in the new stand for the first time and have to confess it’s pretty good.  Padded seats, don’t you know!  Very posh.  Oh, the game?  Yes, it was another good one.  Played in bright sunshine, on a Saturday due to rugby league usage on the Sunday, Leeds once more played with attacking style and flair.  As so often so far in the season, this flair brought about it’s own problems – plenty of loose passes and knock-ons.  By half time we were trailing by five.  But again, the second half was all Leeds.  Ascendancy was attained and the win looked safe with minutes to go, but again the bonus point was proving elusive.  Remember that Humphreys chap mentioned earlier?  Well. He only went and did it again in the last minute, reacting quickest after a Doncaster knock-on to hack the ball ahead and score the fourth try.  And may I just add, Gary Hetherington was sat a few feet from us and he was up on his feet yelling at Humphreys to run, and beaming broadly just like the rest of us at that.

Tykes 37 – 27 Moseley

Two home games on the trot, and Moseley came to town.  With a few good results now to our name I must confess that I started to feel more positive about games against the lower teams.  Not cocky, but nowhere near as dejected as I was after ‘that game’ at the start of the season.  Still, I knew that the opposition has a habit of raising their game against us as we’re still seen as the big fish.  The first half was a bit of a shocker really.  I counted eight line outs lost out of fifteen.  There was a Moseley interception leading to a try.  There was a bizarre ‘advantage’ given to Leeds by the ref which two passes later resulted in a Moseley try.  There was an overthrown Leeds lineout leading to a Moseley try.  In all, Moseley were winning, but Leeds were clinging on.  Once more the second half was almost one-way traffic as the Tykes found their rhythm.  Twenty unanswered points were scored before Moseley managed a late consolation score, and the win (and bonus) were secure.

Waterloo 15 – 77 Tykes

Another ‘lowly’ team, but we’ve learned by now not to take anyone for granted.  Besides, these guys have already beaten the Pirates and Exeter this season!  With Tom Biggs providing a running commentary from behind the thronged mass of Tykes fans, the game got underway.  Waterloo started brightly and took the lead via a penalty, but that was the last time they were ahead.  Tries rained in from everywhere for the Tykes, as everything seemed to click at last and the team functioned smoothly as they’d threatened for the last few games.  Even the knock-ons stopped!  Leeds were rampant, scoring twelve tries and amassing 77 wonderful points.  And for the first time in ages, it seemed that nobody picked up a serious injury.  In fact, there were returnees – and the word is that even more players may be fit in the coming weeks!  Was this match the turning point in more ways than one?

Exeter 21 – 35 Tykes

Ok, I confess.  I’m not too great at these long distance away games – I wasn’t there.  But the team certainly were.  Prior to the match, this as being talked of as being our sternest test yet.  But in the event, Leeds ran out reasonably comfortable winners.  And with the result, second place in the running became ours.  The push for the top was definitely on.

Tykes 34 – 0 Coventry

Nil-ing the opposition is rare in rugby.  But it happened at Headingley this day.  Coventry, despite a lot of bluster and effort, just weren’t at the races and the scoreline reflects it.  And all this despite Leeds not playing particularly well themselves, particularly in the first half.  Big Mac started to show his class as a finisher (though to call him a winger may be pushing things too far…), scoring a brace of tries.  Richard Vasey also looked more comfortable than his previous appearances, and the defence was awesome. 

London Welsh 18 – 38 Tykes

Bogey team? London Welsh?  Well, they’d shocked us all on the opening day.  But now we were in a higher gear.  The players even knew each other’s names now.  Surely revenge would be gained.  Allowing Welsh to open the scoring after quarter of an hour wasn’t helpful, but tries from Welding, Hinton and Bouza soon made things look rosier.  A penalty try early in the second half then provided the bonus point and finished off Welsh’s hopes.  Tuilagi added another try, but those ther (and those who saw the tv highlights) will mostly remember Kearnan Myall’s amazing sprint across the length of the pitch to prevent a try, and show off his awesome athletisism.

On top of everything else, the win put Leeds Tykes top of the table after Otley’s shock win against the Pirates the previous day!

Tykes 45 – 13 Newbury

This was the match where we really discovered the vagaries of ND1 refereeing.  Leeds tore into Newbury, Mark Lock scoring on five minutes.  Newbury then had a player red carded, which Leeds capitalised on rapidly by scoring three more tries in fifteen minutes through Welding (2) and Cusack.  It was around this point that the referee appeared to try to ‘even things up’ by finding fault with everything Leeds did, and sin-binning Holtby for reasons unknown.  The second half continued in the same frustrating vein, but Leeds did add more tries through Holtby(2) and a very impressive looking Chris Hughes.  The referee added Hepworth to his card list too, another mystery yellow.  But with the result going our way we could almost forgive him.  Almost.

Tykes 27 – 10 Pertemp Bees

My last match before the New Year (damn these Christmases abroad), so I was hoping for a good one.  I was a bit disappointed.  The result went our way, but the performance was bitty, not helped I’m sure by the conditions.  A gale force wind made kicking, and even passing, a bit of a lottery, and both teams struggled to maintain any real control over the ball.  By half time, a single unconverted try was all that separated the two teams – Hepworth having scored shortly before halftime.  The second half produced more scores, but not much more flowing play.  After dropping behind on the score sheet, Leeds finally got a second through Tuilagi, and with a couple of penalties traded held a narrow 15-10 lead as the final whistle drew close.  Just two tries though, and it looked like the bonus point was lost.  But two stunning tries in stoppage time from Hughes and Rauluni saved the day, completed the win, and returned the Tykes to top spot.  Hurrah!

Half way – Plenty to Go

So ends the first half of the season.  Leeds sit in top place in a division which has already produced shocks (not just for Leeds), and which is as tightly contested as could be imagined.  The foundations are laid, now it’s on to the second half of the season, where weather conditions can dictate playing style and injuries and suspensions can devastate the best of squads.  How will the season look after another fifteen rounds?  It will be interesting finding out.  Oh, and so far Bristol and ‘Quins were right. It has been fun – long may it continue.