By Peter Creek
April 4 2007

Otley, a small market town in Wharfedale, is fiercely independent of its biggest neighbour Leeds. That independence is epitomised by the town’s rugby team who are currently punching above their weight in National Division One.

On Easter Saturday Otley play Leeds in a derby game that will be as intense as it can be within the rules of the game.

The two clubs are enjoying widely different fortunes. Otley are in the drop zone, one small point above Moseley who occupy the second relegation spot. Their neighbours, on the other hand, are at the top of the heap with promotion to the Guinness Premiership tantalisingly close. One thing Leeds do not need at this stage of the campaign is a trip to a feisty little club with something to prove. This fixture will be regarded by the coaching staff as a potential banana skin.  The Tykes will need to be on their guard as better teams than them having come a cropper at Cross Green this season.

 

Last weekend Leeds visited Coventry and, after a slow start, overcame their hosts with an eight try display which incorporated some dazzling play linking forwards and backs. The Tykes made plenty of mistakes during that game but always ensured that they were in a higher gear than Coventry. This is a habit that they have acquired as the season has gone on. The better the opposition the better the Tykes play, demolishing quality teams like Doncaster and Exeter in the last month or so. Stewart Lancaster now has a settled team with key players hitting form at the right stage of the season. The way that the coach has blended the remains of last years team with the newcomers and a smattering of Academy players into a formidable playing unit is remarkable considering that this is his first season in the job.

 

Leeds take nothing for granted and will have done their homework on Otley. They will expect Otley to be quick out of the blocks and to disrupt the fluidity of their play whenever they can get away with it. In the game at Headingley over Christmas that was the pattern and the Tykes only pulled away as Otley tired. However since then Leeds have started to put the phases together in games and dominate the opposition for long spells, accumulating points in the process. The Tykes are still prone to making mistakes and possession is frittered away unnecessarily but the faltering pre-Xmas displays are a distant memory. Confidence is high in a  squad that is playing expansive rugby based on forward supremacy coupled with a mean defence.

 

Cross Green has seen some great games over the years. I do not expect this to be one of them. Yes it will be hard fought and the Otley fans will be urging their team on to another famous upset. Leeds, however, have all the necessary weapons in their arsenal to overcome the home side and move closer to their season’s goal. Their all round strength, pace and flair will ensure a derby day victory by eighteen points.

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