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03/05/04 - Tigers Fun in the Sun at South Yorkshire 7’s
A happy go lucky Tigers squad turned up at Doncaster for the annual South Yorkshire Sevens competition. Although a couple of reluctant bodies had to be dragged onto the field for the first game, by the end a squad of 11 was available and keen to play.
Pool Game 1: Tigers 28 - University B 0
Highlight: Davydd Evans scoring under the post within 10 seconds of the tournament starting as he caught the kick off and beat the defence for speed.
Pool Game 2: Tigers 47 - Toll Bar 14
Highlight: Captain John Storey’s 20 points from 2 tries and 5 conversions.
Pool Game 3: Tigers 21 - Medics 0
Highlight: Dave Holmes lineout catching where he was hoisted so high by his lifters that he came off at the end suffering from vertigo.
Quarter Final: Tigers 38 - Dinnington 42
Having topped their pool, and playing good tactical sevens under the direction of Eugene Martin, Tigers were being looked at as one of the favourites going into the knock out stages. They ended up with a tough draw against Dinnington but stuck to their game plan of rotating subs after each score so as to get everyone involved. The score see-sawed throughout the match and Tigers went into the last minute with a 3 point lead, but Dinnington managed to get the all important score just before the final whistle. Both teams had scored 6 tries but Dinnington went through on their basis of scoring all of their tries under the posts for easy conversions, whereas Tigers had a couple of tries in the corner and conversions were missed. The hard match took its toll on Dinnington who were beaten by Sheffield University in the Semi-final, and they in turn were beaten by Hallam University in the Final.
Squad
Davydd Evans (4T), Sam Buckley (1T), Dave Holmes, Chris Houston (2T), Eugene Martin (4T, 2C), Ed Neill (1T), Toby Perkins, Ricky Prescott (1T), Jordan Ranson, John Storey (4T, 15C), Doug Trivella (3T).
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28/04/04 - Tigers 1st XV South Yorkshire Trophy Triumph over Battling Barnsley
Sheffield Tigers 13 - Barnsley 3
Barnsley started this South Yorkshire trophy Final showing the confidence that comes with only losing one previous competitive match all season. They retained possession for the first five minutes testing the Tigers defence but not coming near to scoring. After 7 minutes, in their first sortie into the Barnsley half, Tigers moved ahead 3 – 0 through a penalty by centre Eugene Martin. Both teams were trying to play positive rugby but the wet and windy conditions led to many handling and kicking errors. Tigers increased their lead on the half hour mark when Eugene Martin put over a well struck penalty from the 10 metre line. During the first half neither team threatened the opposition line and Tigers’ 6 – 0 lead was deserved only in the sense that they had taken their two opportunities with penalties.
Midway through the second half Tigers began to edge ahead in terms of possession and position. A rolling maul from a 5 metre scrum crossed the Barnsley line but the referee, who had an excellent match in very difficult conditions, judged the ball to have been held up. Barnsley cleared their line and within a few minutes had a score on the board through a Paul Matthews penalty. Tigers realised that they were still in a game and increased the pressure. A kick and chase by winger Wayne Warren almost led to a Tigers try, and for the last ten minutes of the match most of the pressure was close to Barnsley line with a series of lineouts and 5 metre scrums. With 5 minutes to go Barnley were penalised at one of these scrums and, rather than attempt the kick against the wind, Tigers set up a rolling maul which crossed the line for hooker Anthony Parkin to extend his try scoring record to 6 successive games. Eugene Martin converted to make the final score 13 – 3 and put Tigers name on the South Yorkshire Trophy for the first time.
The large crowd who turned up to brave the elements were treated to a very competitive match which was fairly contested and showed that Barnsley will be a force to be reckoned with in Yorkshire 3 next season. Among the spectators we were delighted to see former committee member Pete Ward and his wife Margaret. They now live in northern Sweden and were in the UK for a few days, but as regular readers of the Tigers web pages they knew about the match and worked it into their itinerary.
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24/04/04 - Tigers 1st XV in 9 Try Bonanza Win in Final League Match against West Leeds
Sheffield Tigers 59 - West Leed 22
For the third time in four games the 1st scored nine tries. Apart from the first minute, when they made a couple of unforced errors, Tigers were always in control of the game. The first of the tries came after only 5 minutes when Damian Larroument, who has made a very successful move from wing to flanker over the past month or so, made good ground off the back of a lineout. When tackled he popped the ball up to hooker Anthony Parkin who has scored a try in each of the last 5 matches. Having made the first try Damian Larroumet scored the second try himself when good support on a No 8 scrum pick up by Matt Wood allowed him to force his way over. Mid way though the half West Leeds, who had been surviving on minimal possession, came back with a great try when they moved lineout ball quickly across the field to the right wing. He found the support inside him, and with excellent hands the ball was moved back again for the scrum half to score unopposed. Tigers hit back immediately when their defence, pushing up fast, allowed centre John Storey to intercept on half way for a try. With the threequarters getting plenty of quality ball they had the confidence to try attacking from deep. A good break by stand off Eugene Martin on his own line got the ball out to wing George Leach who finished from 60 metres. Eugene Martin had 100% success with first half conversions to make the score 28 – 5 at half time.
Tigers pushed home their superiority with three more tries in the first 15 minutes of the second half. Winger Wayne Warren showed his pace in finishing from half way; Anthony Parkin scored his second try from a rolling maul, and then flanker Andy Williamson made a powerful surge off the back of a lineout to score from 45 metres. Although Tigers, with two of these tries converted by Eugene Martin, were by now 47 – 5 up West Leeds refused to lie down. A quick tap penalty inside the Tigers 22 allowed them to set up a rolling maul that they drove over the line for the try. Eugene Martin scored Tigers eight try when he took an offload from Anthony Parkin at pace. A few minutes later it looked as if Tigers were going to get a second interception try, but the ball was nudged up in the air and into the hands of the grateful West Leeds full back who ran in the try. Each side scored in the last minute of the match. A miss ball in the middle gave Wayne Warren the room to get in for his second try. Tigers tried the same ploy from the restart but there wasn’t enough height on the miss ball and the West Leeds centre intercepted for a converted try to make the final score 59 – 22 in Tigers favour. With a try and 7 conversions Eugene Martin brings his total for the season to 131 points to overtake Doug Trivella (115) as top points scorer in the 1stXV.
Tigers 2nd XV draw second half against Rotherham Development XV
Sheffield Tigers 2nds 15 – Rotherham Development 37
Tigers kicked off on a hot afternoon at Dore Moor. An early penalty gave an opportunity for the Rotherham stand-off to kick to the corner.From the lineout, a good handling move saw an unconverted try scored in the opposite corner. A break by John Francis and sustained pressure on the Rotherham line resulted in a try for Tigers to tie the scores.
Tigers then had their worst period of the match as Rotherham ran in three tries in quick succession to establish a 22-5 lead. To their credit the pack then “rolled up their sleeves” and took the game to the opposition forwards. Ball retention improved, the midfield tackled strongly and the team were unlucky to conceded a long range try following a strong weaving run by the Rotherham right wing just before half-time. The conversion was missed leaving the score 27-5 at half-time.
The second half started with the pack still playing well and a short kick to the corner by Karl Sockett was gathered by Tim Bowman to score. Karl then scored a try himself to reduce the deficit to 27-15. In the last 20 minutes the Rotherham pack began to win more ball and two late tries made the final score 37-15.
Overall it was a good final match to end a very successful season for the 2nd XV. The players all showed determination on a hot day against skilful, lively and well drilled opponents.
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20/04/04 - Tigers 1st XV Comfortable Progress to South Yorkshire Trophy Final
Sheffield Tigers 57 - Wheatley Hills 7
Tigers dominated this home Semi-final match in the South Yorkshire Trophy. The forward control at lineout and scrum allowed the pack to vary the game between very effective rolling mauls and releasing good ball to the three-quarters. No. 8 Doug Trivella opened the scoring with a 5 metre scrum pick up for an unconverted try. A few minutes later the crowd were treated to the spectacle of prop Bob Chadwick breaking away from a maul in his own half for a 30 metre run before finding hooker Anthony Parkin in full flight. A brave tackle from the full back stopped him a few metres from the line but Tigers had only a few minutes to wait before their next try. This was a fine individual effort from winger George Leach who dispossessed a Wheatley Hills back and sprinted 60 yards to score in the corner. Midway through the half a Tigers rolling maul from a lineout saw Anthony Parkin score his fourth try in four successive games. The final try of the half was the result of a fine break by stand off Richard Butler who when tackled a metre short of the line released the ball quickly for it to be moved to left winger Wayne Warren to score. Centre Eugene Martin converted two of the tries to make the half time score 24 – 0.
In the second half Tigers continued to press home their advantage and within 5 minutes fast lineout ball gave centre John Storey a try near the posts. The next two tries came in rapid succession. The first came when flanker Matt Wood secured a ball loose ball hacked through in the Tigers half. Quick hands allowed full back Matt Walker to use his pace, draw the full back and put Wayne Warren in for his second try. Immediately after the restart a miss ball to Matt Walker coming into the line at pace allowed him to cut through the defence to score. Although Tigers were dominating all phases of play Wheatley Hills continued to make it a competitive match and got a deserved consolation try, which was converted, with a quarter of an hour to go. Tigers regained possession from the restart and moved the ball to winger Tim Bowman who had replaced George Leach. Although space was tight Tim worked hard to beat three tackles and force himself over in the corner. Prop Tim Fearn completed the try scoring with a few minutes to go when he came off a rolling maul close to the line. Eugene Martin converted four of the second half tries.
This was a good all round team performance with more cohesion and purpose than for some time, and should give the players confidence for next week’s match against Barnsley who beat Sheffield Oaks in the other Semi-final.
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17/04/04 - Tigers 1st XV win League Match against Heath but miss out on Promotion
Sheffield Tigers 27 - Heath 12
Heath scored somewhat lucky tries in the first and last minutes of this match but in between it was Tigers who controlled the game and should have won by a greater margin. A poor Heath kick with their first possession bounced up in the air off a Tigers head and then into the arms of a grateful winger who scored in the corner. An excellent conversion saw Heath 7 – 0 up but Tigers came back quickly with a rolling maul getting No. 8 Doug Trivella over for an unconverted try. Tigers were dominating possession and came near on occasions, but the Heath fly half used the strong wind to push Tigers back into their own half when he got possession. Tigers had to wait for their second score until just before the half time whistle. A maul set up from a lineout on the 22 metre line was driven over the goal line for hooker Anthony Parkin to be credited with the unconverted try and give Tigers a deserved 10 – 7 half time lead.
With the wind in their backs and forward domination Tigers controlled the second half. After 7 minutes another rolling maul got Doug Trivella over the line for the try that gave him 100 points for the season. Coincidentally, when centre Eugene Martin converted it also gave him 100 points for the season. Doug Trivella completed his second hat trick in 4 days when he picked up from the scrum on the 22 metre line, sold an outrageous dummy, and went over for an unconverted try. Midway through the half Doug Trivella broke off from another powerful maul to get behind the defence and put flanker Andy Williamson in for the try. In the last 20 minutes Heath got more possession than earlier in the game but their runners couldn’t penetrate the Tigers defence. Right on the whistle they attacked from half way and the referee must have been the only one not to see that the final pass was a good metre forward but the wing ran it in to be awarded the try, leaving the final score 27 – 12 to Tigers.
In the end this comfortable win gave Tigers their 2 League points but their promotion prospects were dashed as Ilkley beat West Leeds to almost certainly take the 2nd promotion spot with Beverley as League winners. North Ribblesdale are likely to finish on equal League points with Ilkley but to miss out on promotion on ‘points difference’ as they will need about a 100 point win next weekend to leapfrog Ilkley. North Ribblesdale will be doubly disappointed as they drew 13 – 13 with fellow Yorkshire 2 team Leodiensians in the Final of the Powergen Vase Competition at Twickenham, but Leodiensians were awarded the trophy on the basis of tries scored.
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14/04/04 - Tigers 1st XV cruise to victory in South Yorkshire Trophy
Adwick-le-Street 1st XV 0 - Sheffield Tigers 1st XV 59
Tigers ran up almost a point a minute in this curtailed 2nd round South Yorkshire Trophy match. On arrival at Adwick the referee decided that the pitch was not playable and last minute arrangements were made for Wheatley Hills to host the match. The delay to the kick off meant that there could only be 30 minutes each way before it became too dark. However, it was soon obvious that the result would be settled well within the hour as Tigers rattled up points. The first score came after only 3 minutes when a powerful break by flanker Andy Williamson from half way was supported by hooker Anthony Parkin for a score under the posts. The next try came from nothing as No. 8 Doug Trivella hacked on a loose ball at the back of a lineout. What seemed like a fortuitous bounce for the Adwick full back didn’t work out as Doug, following up at pace, snatched the ball from his arms to score under the posts. Only a minute later Doug Trivella picked up from a scrum on half way, got behind the Adwick defence, drew the full back and put Andy Williamson in unopposed for a try. With Tigers dominating possession the threequarters were getting plenty of opportunities to practice their moves, and a break by centre Eugene Martin allowed winger Wayne Warren to finish from 50 metres out. The restart didn’t go 10 metres and from the ensuing scrum full back Matt Walker exploited the wide blind side and outpaced the defence for the fifth try. Just on half time another break by Eugene Martin made a second try for Doug Trivella. Eugene converted all 6 first half tries to make the half time score 42 – 0.
Replacements at half time saw Ben Rand on at hooker, Nick Scheinkoing on at scrum half and Richard Butler on at fly half. Three minutes into the half Doug Trivella completed his hat trick when good ball from a shortened lineout was whipped across the field to put him in at the far corner. With the game comfortably won he was then replaced by Damien Larroumet. With the Adwick defence coming up very flat to try to close down the Tigers backs Richard Butler varied the tactics by good positional kicking. Tigers hit the 50 point mark when an Adwick ruck ball was turned over on half way and moved to the left wing where Wayne Warren had to work hard to beat the defence and score in the corner. The final try came 10 minutes from the end from a Tigers lineout 10 metres from their own line. Centre Owen Evans powered his way through the first tackle and then used his pace and strength running in the try from 80 metres out. As only one of the second half tries was converted the final score ended up at 59 – 0.
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10/04/04 - Tigers 1st XV no fixture
10/04/04 - Tigers 3rd XV out mauled by Mansfield ‘B’
Sheffield Tigers 3rd XV 14 - Mansfield 'B' XV 19
Tigers kicked off on a soft pitch with a light breeze behind them with only 14 players (including a prop loaned by Mansfield) and found themselves up against a set of experienced mainly veteran players. Mansfield had the better of the early exchanges with strong direct running from their centres which was well defended by Tigers with Nick Barker producing a number of good turnovers. Poor ball retension by Mansfield after a break in the midfield allowed Tigers to come away with the ball and, from a ruck near the Mansfield line, Sam Burton darted away to score under the posts. The try was converted by Eddie O'Neill. Mansfield regrouped and began to pressure the Tigers line with a number of rolling mauls and forward drives but they could not ground the ball and were eventually penalised. Tigers cleared their lines upto half-way. From the ensuing line-out, Tigers executed a scissors between fly-half and centre which released Owen Evans to round the defence and score near the posts. Eddie O'Neill converted the try to give Tigers a deserved half-time lead of 14 - 0.
The second half started with a melee between the forwards which resulted in both no. eights being sent to the sin-bin. After the next phase of play a second Tigers player was also sin-binned for retaliation after the referee had failed to spot the initial elbow from Mansfield. Mansfield started to pressurise the Tigers 5 man pack by keeping the ball in the forwards and a series of driving mauls and rucks resulted in a try wide-out which went unconverted. From the restart, Mansfield applied the same tactics and eventually scored again. This time the try was converted to give a score of 14 - 12. Although both sides were back to full strength (an extra Tigers player turning up after half-time) Mansfield kept the ball in the forwards and Tigers found it hard to break out of their own half. Eventually, a good passing movement by the Tigers backs got them a penalty on the Mansfield 22 metre line. Instead of going for goal, the penalty was kicked to touch and although Tigers won the line-out they turned-over the ball. Mansfields fly-half cleared to touch but took exception to Sam Burtons attempted charge-down and elbowed him in the face. The referee sent off the Mansfield player and Tigers tried to drive over from the penalty but were held up and eventually lost the ball. Thereafter, Mansfields forwards took control and through rucking and mauling down field, they scored again. This was also converted to give them a 14 - 19 lead. There was no more scoring, Mansfield came close but the Tigers defence held out to the final whistle.
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03/04/04 - Tigers 1st XV nearly get Knotted in League Match at Knottingley
Knottingley 25 - Sheffield Tigers 33
This game was very much a repeat of the home League match in December when Tigers seemed home and dry by half time only for Knottingley to claw their way back to produce a nail biting finish.
Tigers nearly opened the scoring after a couple of minutes when Doug Trivella, back at flanker this week, made a break on half way and kicked ahead only to be narrowly beaten to the touchdown. With the Tigers forwards dominating, Knottingley struggled to get out of their own half and the first score came on the 10 minute mark when good continuity and ball allowed prop Bob Chadwick to sprint over untouched from at least 1 metre out, Eugene Martin converted. Knottingley failed to get the ball 10 metres at the restart and from the resulting scrum a clever kick to the corner by John Storey, who looked more at home at stand off than he did in previous games at centre, almost produced a try for wing Wayne Warren. Tigers’ second try came from a drive at a Knottingley scrum. Scrum half Dave Holmes put pressure on his opposite number and when the ball went loose he kicked ahead and caught the covering full back in possession on the 22 metre line. The Tigers pack dispossessed him and rolled the maul over the line for a try credited to lock James Norris who was last up with the ball. Tigers were conceding a lot of penalties and two of these were kicked to bring the score back to 12 – 6 after half an hour. Tigers’ dominance was, however, turned into points in the last 10 minutes of the half. An excellent blind side break saw locks James Norris and Chris Peel make some 30 metres before a quick maul produced quality ball which was sweetly moved across the three-quarters for Wayne Warren to score in the corner. Eugene Martin was successful with a very difficult conversion. A few minutes later, following good work by both forwards and backs, a beautifully timed pass from John Storey put Doug Trivella through a gap and he had the strength the break three tackles and score under the posts. Eugene Martin converted to make the half time score 26 – 6 and the Tigers team looking forward to a big win.
It looked as if complacency had set in when Knottingly were allowed, through weak tackling, to score two tries within the first five minutes of the second half. With one of these converted it brought Knottingley back in contention. Tigers had lost their composure and failed to get the ball into the opposition half thus giving Knottingley the opportunity to attack through their fast threequarter line. On the half hour mark they got their winger away from about 30 metres out for what seemed a certain try, only for full back Chris Houston to make a brilliant try saving tackle that smothered man and ball just short of the line. However they only had to wait a couple of minutes before they scored their third try of the half and a touchline conversion brought the score to 26 – 25 with 7 minutes to go. With the home crowd sensing a victory Tigers seemed to appreciate the seriousness of the situation and began to control the game again in the opposition half. At a lineout on their own 22 the Knottingley hooker missed his jumper, No. 8 Matt Wood gratefully picked up the loose ball to set up a maul from which Eugene Martin forced his way over for a try that he converted himself to make the final score 33 –25.
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27/03/04 - Tigers 1st XV Ring the Changes for Friendly against Matlock
Matlock 29 - Sheffield Tigers 5
A much changed 1st XV took the field in a friendly against Matlock with only 3 from the starting line up in the last match against North Ribblesdale a fortnight ago starting this time. In the first half Matlock had most of the possession and position. Their rolling mauls were very effective and they scored 3 tries through this ploy in the first 20 minutes. Another try came 5 minutes before half time when after sustained pressure in the Tigers 22 their centre came onto a short ball at pace to score under the posts. From the restart Tigers established good position in the Matlock half and eventually got their own rolling maul over the line for a try that was credited to flanker John Price. Having converted 2 of their tries Matlock had a 24 - 5 half time lead.
In the second half Tigers started to get more, and better quality, ball and retained it through a number of phases. Chris Houston, Paul Hirst and George Leech all made penetrating breaks and the Matlock line was threatened on a number of occasions. However their defence held firm. Just before the end Matlock launched their first real attack for some time and a missed tackle in midfield gave space for the winger to get over at the corner for an unconverted try to make the final score 29 – 5 in Matlock’s favour.
Considering that most of the team have been playing 2nd team rugby this season this was a creditable performance against a team from a league level above Tigers. Once they had got used to the higher pace of a 1st XV match they matched Matlock well, and another Tigers try in the second half would not have been undeserved.
Tigers 3rd XV defend valiantly against Dronfield 1st XV
Sheffield Tigers 3rd XV 6 - Dronfield 1st XV 18
Tigers 3rds, expecting to be playing away at Dronfield 2nds, found themselves playing at home against Dronfield 1st XV and aquitted themselves very well with a good defensive display.
The match was played in a light wind with periods of drizzle and was characterised by Dronfield attacking and Tigers defending. Dronfield spent most of the first period in the Tigers half of the field but only managed to score two unconverted tries while Tigers replied with an Eddie O'Neill penalty.
After the interval, one of the Dronfield players was sin-binned and Tigers began to see more of the ball. From a period of pressure, Tigers were awarded a penalty which Eddie O'Neill kicked successfully to take the score back to 6 - 10. With Dronfield back to full strength, and a number of substitutions from both sides, Tigers again came under intense pressure and eventually Dronfield pulled away with a penalty and an unconverted try to give a final score of 6 - 18.
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20/03/04 - Tigers 1st XV League Match postponed due to gale force winds at Dore Moor
Sheffield Tigers - West Leeds
Tigers 2nd XV gloss over gale force winds at Dore Moor
Sheffield Tigers 2nd XV 24 - Dinnington ‘A’ XV 10
Although the gale force winds blowing across Dore Moor caused a late postponement of the 1st XV's League match, Tigers 2nd XV kicked off with the wind behind them. The first half was characterised by Tigers kicking very long out of defence and Dinnington 'A' XV driving Tigers back with their dominance at the ruck and maul. The stalemate was only broken towards the end of the first half when a relieving penalty kick from Tigers tryline, went the full 100m and over the Dinnington deadball line. As a result the referee called play back to Tigers tryline and awarded Dinnington an attacking scrum. From the scrum Dinnington broke away to score near the posts but the conversion was missed. There was no more score and Tigers turned round 5 - 0 down.
Dinnington now playing with the strong wind had trouble controlling the ball and Tigers were quick to capitalise on their mistakes forcing Dinnington back up the pitch. Another dropped ball from Dinnington allowed Tigers to pick up and quick hands put Vince Clooney over in the corner. The conversion was missed and Dinnington reasserted their forward dominance by rucking and driving their way to a score near the posts giving them a lead of 10 - 5. Again the conversion was missed. Tigers made a number of substitutions in the forwards and slowly began to take control of the game. Another Dinnington error allowed Tigers to drive up the field and eventually Chaddie scored near the posts. The conversion was successful but unfortunately the Tigers touch judge didnt raise his flag so the referee disallowed it, leaving the score at 10 - 10. Tigers then made a tactical substitution by replacing the touch judge with their captain, Karl Sockett. Tigers began to win more possession, and from a good breakout from defence, Tigers backs quick passing put Owen Evans clear to round the fullback and score under the posts. Tim Bowman took the conversion and Karl Sockett raised his flag high to give Tigers a lead of 17 - 10. Dinnington came back into the game through their forward support play but could not breach the Tigers defence and eventually Tigers snapped up a loose ball, drove it on and then put Tim Everson into space for a 30 metre run in to score under the posts. Chris Houston drop-kicked the conversion, captain Karl raised his flag and Tigers had won by 24 - 10.
Both sides should be pleased by how they managed to adapt to play an entertaining game in such difficult weather conditions.
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13/03/04 - Tigers 1st XV League Promotion hopes ruined by Ribblesdale
Sheffield Tigers 9 - North Ribblesdale 22
North Ribblesdale kicked off with the sun and the wind in their favour in a match vital to the promotion prospects of both clubs. The early play involved a series of poor kicks by both sides, none more so than when a Tigers 22 metre drop out went straight into the hands of the Ribblesdale centre who ran in unopposed for a converted try. Rob Pound made 3 good catches to diffuse further Ribblesdale pressure before a sweeping move through several pairs of hands resulted in a Tigers penalty that Eugene Martin kicked to make the score 7-3 to Ribblesdale after 20 minutes. A second penalty was awarded 5 minutes later when the Ribblesdale back row came over the top at a ruck and Eugene Martin reduced the deficit to only one point. A period of sustained pressure by the visitors with good recycling saw the Ribblesdale pack drive over the Tigers’ line but the score was disallowed by the referee. However, Tigers were forced to concede a penalty in front of their posts for offside and this was kicked for a 10-6 scoreline. Deep into first half injury time scrum pressure from Ribblesdale allowed their backs some space and a try was scored following a scissor move in the centre. The conversion was charged down but was ordered to be retaken to make the half time score 17-6.
Tigers started the second half in determined fashion and a good kick by Jonathan Storey gave Tigers excellent position near their opponents try line, but Tigers were unable to gain the possession they needed from the line out. Several balls were spilled in the midfield and the Ribblesdale pack started to take control. However, on 60 minutes Ribblesdale again infringed at a ruck and Eugene Martin kicked the penalty to reduce the deficit to only 8 points. Several half breaks were ended by good Ribblesdale defence and Tigers’ chances were ended when the visitors stand off kicked ahead from a Tigers’ midfield break down and won the race in from 40 metres to score an unconverted try.
The final score of 22-9 was a fair reflection on the pattern of play with Ribblesdale turning their pressure into points and Tigers unable to recycle the ball enough times to create holes in a well organised defence.
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06/03/04 - Tigers 1st XV keep League Promotion hopes alive with a win at Leodiensians
Leodiensians 21 - Sheffield Tigers 27
On a fine day and good playing surface the match provided an open encounter with both sides wanting to play expansive rugby. A length of the field phase of play early on saw Tigers open the scoring with a dropped goal to Eugene Martin. Leos replied in similar fashion to also get a dropped goal and level the scores.
The next 20 minutes was completely dominated by Tigers who showed glimpses of the exciting potential within the side. Some dynamic attacking play inspired by Eugene Martin and Doug Trivella in the backs and Antony Parkin and James Norris in the forwards saw Tigers run in 3 unanswered tries. The first 2 by George Leach and Jon Storey were the result of continual build up play over the length of the field. The third by Doug Trivella came from sustained pressure by the Tigers pack. One conversion by Eugene Martin had the score at 20-3 after 30 minutes. Leos got a penalty back and then just before half time scored a long range try as a result of a dropped pass by Tigers, as they were about to score at the other end of the field. This made the half time score 20-11 to Tigers.
The second half again saw the ball being moved around with Tigers only reward being a try to Rob Chadwick after good build up work by Nick Barker. This was converted by Rob Pound. Leos got another penalty back and a late converted try to make the final score 27-21 to Tigers.
Tigers had 3 tries disallowed, after the referee couldn’t make out who had scored under the pile of players. They also came 5 metres short on 3 others from good periods of play. While the score appears close the difference was actually significantly more. This will be little comfort to a Tigers side that are striving for the complete game.
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28/02/04 - Tigers 1st XV Weather causes posponement of League Match against West Leeds
Sheffield Tigers P - West Leeds P
Tigers were forced to cancel all matches at Dore Moor due to a heavy snowfall on Thursday night and sharp frosts thereafter leaving the pitches unsafe to play on.
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21/02/04 - Tigers 1st XV Booted out by League Leaders Beverley
Beverley 9 - Sheffield Tigers 3
Beverley kicked off the match with the cold wind at their backs. The early highlights were an excellent catch by Rob Pound of a very difficult high ball and a glorious midfield move that released winger Matt Walker for a strong run down the middle of the pitch. A penalty attempt was missed by Tigers but they had made a confident start with good handling moves. However, both defences were strong, which was shown by a temporary blood replacement of Eugene Martin by Wayne Warren just before the quarter hour mark. After 20 minutes Beverley took the lead with a penalty and this was increased to 6-0 on thirty minutes by a second penalty. Tigers then pressed hard and good work resulted in two charge downs before a second penalty attempt was missed by Tigers. The Beverley stand off continued to secure good field position but missed two attempted drop goals before half time. At the end of the first half from possession on their line Tigers handled enterprisingly across their backs and released Matt Walker for another good run.
The second half continued in the same uncompromising manner as the first. A good run by Eugene Martin was followed by a forward drive that was pulled down by Beverley. Sadly the attempt at goal by Eugene Martin was wide of the target. Tigers front row were then penalised for slipping their binding on 55 minutes and a good penalty kick increased the Beverley lead to 9-0. On 65 minutes Tigers opened their account with a penalty from Eugene Martin. During the last 15 minutes Tigers continued to play expansive rugby but could not gain the territorial position and then the possession to press home any advantage. Tigers never gave up and a final good handling move released winger George Leach but after a good run he ran out of space.
The match was played in a competitive yet friendly spirit. The Tigers midfield players found it hard to create space as the Beverley back row and centres were certainly always up to and even beyond the offside line. Full credit goes to Tigers for not letting their frustration show. On the day Tigers played the better rugby but Beverley won by converting the penalties they were awarded into points.
Special mention goes to Alick Bush who ran touch in the absence of John Joel and to our travelling physio Clare Heward.
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14/02/04 - Tigers 1st XV Skip over Skipton in home League Victory
Sheffield Tigers 53 - Skipton 14
Tigers kicked off on a grey day at Dore Moor. From a scrum on the right touch line, there was a good handling movement by Tigers backs when Eugene Martin looped to create the extra man and Matt Walker touched down in the left corner to give Tigers an early 5-0 lead. Skipton then missed a penalty attempt before a 50 metre break by Eugene Martin was carried to just short of the Skipton line by Doug Trivella. Skipton were forced to concede a penalty and Tigers opted for the scrum. A well worked set piece saw Doug Trivella race over the line untouched by the Skipton defence. Eugene Martin converted to make the score 12-0. On twenty five minutes following two forward drives Andy Williamson went over for another converted try to increase Tigers lead to 19-0. Shortly after, following a 50 metre run down the left touchline by Matt Walker, Tigers mounted further forward pressure and Andy Williamson ran through unopposed to score his second try. Eugene Martin again converted for a score of 26-0. Next came the highlight of the match when Rob Chadwick ripped the ball from a Skipton forward and then had a storming charge. A high kick downfield was not gathered by the defence and Jonathan Storey kicked ahead, picked up and scored to make it 31-0. The final score of the first half saw Chris Peel steal a line-out ball on Skipton’s throw and good handling in the midfield resulted in Rob Pound releasing winger George Leach who scored to make the half-time score 36-0.
The second half was more competitive as Skipton fought back. It started with a good period of Skipton pressure and a converted try was scored from a forward drive. Then Tigers replied when a break by Dave Holmes and good midfield passing saw George Leach finish in the corner to make the score 41-7. Tigers were now playing with real confidence and a tap from a penalty released Matt Walker who flicked the ball inside for Doug Trivella to score in the corner. Eugene Martin converted with his best kick of the game for a score of 48-7. After conceding a penalty try Tigers finished the game with George Leach’s third try of the match after a good driving run by number eight Matt Wood. The score line of 53-14 fully reflected Tigers superiority and was well deserved. The handling was excellent and all 15 players had a good game which should give them confidence for next week’s match at league leaders Beverley.
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07/02/04 - Tigers 1st XV No Ball, No Win in League defeat by Ilkley
Ilkley 7 - Sheffield Tigers 3
Tigers lost this close match because they couldn’t secure good ball from either their own lineouts nor scrums and the threequarters got few chances to show their talents. The strong wind and solid defences meant it was unlikely to be a high scoring game but Tigers struck first after 25 minutes when a thunderous tackle by Doug Trivella forced the Ilkley centre to hold on to the ball in front of the posts. Full back Rob Pound kicked the points. Shortly before half time Ilkley had the opportunity to level the scores with a relatively easy penalty but their stand off compensated too much for the strong cross wind and the opportunity was missed.
There was little in it for much of the second half and Tigers should have taken advantage when a yellow card reduced Ilkley to 14 men. During this period Tigers still couldn’t get good scrummage ball nor put Ilkley under pressure on their own ball, and it was Ilkley who scored against the odds. The nature of their try epitomised Tigers’ problems. Tigers had won a lineout in a good attacking position some 20 metres short of the Ilkley line but couldn’t secure their own possession and a long clearing kick took play to the Tigers 22. Again Tigers lost their own throw in. Ilkley whipped the ball to their left wing who had already scored 16 tries in 14 matches. When shown the outside by the defence, he used his pace to cross at the corner and run round behind the posts to leave an easy conversion for their flyhalf. Although Tigers responded their options were limited. Ilkley could boot any ball in their own half off the park fairly safe in the knowledge that they could take the Tigers lineout ball and regain possession. In the last 20 minutes Tigers’ only opportunities came from a couple of penalties which they ran close to the line but solid defence kept them out.
When the final whistle went the large Ilkley support was ecstatic as this deserved win revives their promotion chances. With West Park Bramhope winning their postponed game against Heath, only 2 points now separate the five teams competing for the second promotion spot behind Beverley. Tigers have dropped to 4th position but have a game in hand. It looks like it could be the last Saturday of the season before the issue will be settled.
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31/01/04 - Tigers 1st XV League match posponed at Leodiensians due to waterlogged pitch
Leodiensians - Sheffield Tigers
Tigers Vets - Root Rocks ‘Em, Sockett Socks ‘Em and Delight Delights
Sheffield Tigers Vets 66 - Huddersfield YM Vets 0
Waterlogged pitches meant that this match was moved to Castle Dyke and the firmer turf allowed Tigers to play an expansive running game in which centre Matt Root ran in 4 tries, full back Karl Sockett 3 tries and stand off Tim Delight 2 tries.
The first 5 minutes of the match were very scrappy with both sides throwing out a lot of loose balls and Matt Root latched on to one that had bobbled over the line to open the scoring. YM had started the match a man short and an injury reduced them to 13 men after a quarter of an hour. The numbers advantage wasn’t felt as much as it might have been as the scrums were unopposed allowing YM to keep a full threequarter line. There was some evening of numbers when one of the more senior members of the Tigers pack got 10 minutes in the sin bin for digging himself in and killing ball in the ruck.
By midway through the half Tigers had settled into an expansive game with wingers Andy Kirwan and Tim Barlow seeing plenty of the ball and making penetrating runs. From one of these Andy Kirwan floated a long inside pass to full back Karl Sockett who ran in under the posts. Soon afterwards another loose ball thrown out by YM near their line was snapped up by Tim Delight for a try. The final score of the first half came from a good break by Karl Sockett who with support either side of him went for glory and took on the last two defenders himself. Wallace Cuthbertson converted 3 of the tries to make the half time score 26 – 0.
YM had a disastrous start to the second half when a clearing kick from their own line went straight into the arms of Matt Root who ran over unopposed. Shortly afterwards forward pressure sucked in defenders and Matt Root was left with space on the outside to complete an easy hat trick. However, he had to work hard in beating a number of defenders for his fourth try. A few minutes later Tim Barlow took an inside pass from Matt Root to get onto the scoreboard after a couple of near misses in the first half. Good support from Tim Delight gave him his second try after another Root break. The game was up for YM when after one of their rare forays into the Tigers 22 they knocked on just short of the Tigers line and Karl Sockett picked up to run the length of the field to score.
A YM injury at this stage reduced them to 12 men and the teams agreed to call it a day with 10 minutes to go. Wallace Cuthbertson’s 5 second half conversions made the final score 66 – 0.
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24/01/04 - Tigers 1st XV get revenge on Bradford Salem in League
Sheffield Tigers 5 - Bradford Salem 3
Tigers avenged their away defeat to Bradford Salem earlier in the season with a tight, but well deserved win, and thus leapfrog them into second position in the League. In the first half Salem had the advantage of a strong wind and this allowed them to have the territorial advantage. On the basis of the previous meeting Salem, having got position, would have expected the strength of their rolling mauls to bring them rewards, but the Tigers’ pack defended them well. Salem’s only scoring opportunities came from a penalty and two drop goal attempts all of which missed, so when the teams turned round with no score at half time the odds favoured a Tigers win.
Six minutes into the second half quick ball from a ruck set up a blind side overlap for Rob Pound to put winger Matt Walker in at the corner. Bradford fought back keeping the ball in hand into the wind to get position, and were rewarded after 20 minutes when their stand-off put over a well struck penalty from 40 metres assisted by a brief drop in the wind speed. Tigers continued to look fairly comfortable but were unable to turn pressure into points. With only a couple of minutes to go it looked as if the game was going to go Salem’s way when they broke away from their own line and it was a scrambled defence that managed to stop them a few metres short of the Tigers line. In the ensuing maul Tigers won the turn over ball and were able to relieve the pressure and take control until the final whistle.
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17/01/04 - Tigers 1st XV beaten by the boot in Powergen Junior Vase 5th round
Sheffield Tigers 10 - Leodiensians 25
Right from the kick off in this Powergen Vase 5th round match Leodiensians showed that they were willing to put boot to ball, kicking for position, putting chip kicks behind the defence, and putting up occasional Garryowens. These were dealt with confidently by full back Chris Houston in the swirling wind. They also took their kicking chances with 100% success giving them 3 penalties and 3 drop goals. Even their try came after a speculative deep kick came off a Tigers player before crossing the goal line and going dead. From the resulting 5 metre scrum their centre burst onto a flat ball to score a converted try under the posts.
The match was far from one sided. Tigers started slowly and after 3 minutes were 3 – 0 down after conceding an easy penalty. This seemed to wake Tigers up and they began to gather momentum. From a 5 metre scrum George Leach came off his wing to break through the centre, and a quick ruck ball allowed stand off Eugene Martin to go over for a try which he converted himself. Five minutes later he kicked a penalty. The play see-sawed for the rest of the half so Tigers were only 7 points up at half time having had the advantage of the difficult wind.
Tigers started the second half in spirited style and looked like stretching their lead on a couple of occasions. Eugene Martin went very close with a long range penalty into the wind and, following a penetrating run by George Leach, winger Matt Walker linked well with flanker Doug Trivella who was stopped a metre short of the line. Tigers failed to turn this pressure into points and the whole complexion of the game changed in a three minute period midway through the half when Leos scored 2 drop goals and a penalty. This left Tigers 5 points down, and although there was still plenty of time left they tried to force the game and made mistakes. Leos could afford to play the safe territorial game and this gave them the position for their try 5 minutes from the end. By then the game was won and Leos capped a good performance with a drop goal to make the final score 25 – 10.
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10/01/04 - Tigers 1st XV suffer League Defeat by last minute try
West Park Bramhope 17 - Sheffield Tigers 13
The first twenty minutes were evenly contested with both sides missing penalty kicks at goal. The best chance early on fell to Tigers following a swerving run by new centre Walker who, unfortunately lost his footing on the slippery pitch just as he was heading for the posts. On twenty five minutes West Park went ahead. With the referee playing advantage for offside, their centre chipped ahead and won the race to the touch down. Their Fly-half converted to give West Park a 7 - 0 lead. Tigers then had a period of pressure and West Park were forced to concede two penalties in their own half and had their wing forward sin-binned for 10 minutes. Eugene Martin was successful with both kicks to make the half time score 7 - 6 to West Park.
The second half started with a very good try by Tigers. Eugene Martin made a break in the centre and passed inside to Walker to race over from 30 metres. Martin converted to give Tigers a 13 - 7 advantage. The rest of the half was spent with West Park attacking and Tigers defending. There was excellent defence by Tigers on their line under extreme pressure and all West Park gained was a further three points from a penalty by their Fly-half to make the score 13 - 10 going into injury time. In the fourth minute of injury time a clearance kick by Tigers failed to find touch. The West Park full back dummied to kick ahead from inside his own half but instead ran the ball and linked with his backs to release the right wing who scored in the corner. The try was converted with the last kick of the game as the referee blew his whistle to finish the match leaving West Park 17 - 13 winners.
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03/01/04 - Tigers 1st XV Start 2004 with a League Win
Sheffield Tigers 12 - Ripon 5
Playing against a strong wind Tigers didn’t threaten the Ripon line in the first half but took the lead after 20 minutes when stand off Eugene Martin kicked a superb penalty from 45 metres. Ripon had enough penalty chances to build up a first half lead but failed to take them. Just before half time a series of short carries by the Ripon pack set up a ruck close to the Tigers line. A quick ball to the blind side exposed defending forwards to the pace of the Ripon backs and allowed the full back to get through for an unconverted try. Tigers hit back immediately with another Eugene Martin penalty to give them a 6 – 5 half time advantage.
Intelligent use of the wind in the second half meant that Tigers had the territorial advantage. However, there were a large number of uncharacteristic handling errors as the cold took its toll, and the threequarters were unable to get any momentum and really threaten the Ripon defence. Tigers best chances of tries came from two rolling mauls which made considerable ground before being stopped a metre short of the line. However, these set up positions for Eugene Martin to kick a couple more penalties to give Tigers a 12 – 5 win.
Worthy of a mention is Phil Ponder who came on as a replacement for the last 20 minutes. Phil has been a regular starter all season and his ability to pinch opposition lineout ball and his unobtrusive grafting will be missed when he emigrates to New Zealand next Friday. We wish him every success in the future.
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20/12/03 - Tigers 1st XV Return Trip brings reward in 4th round of Powergen Junior Vase
Northallerton 10 - Sheffield Tigers 15
Following last Saturday’s abortive trip to Northallerton when the referee failed to turn up, the Tigers team and supporters made the long journey north again for their rearranged Powergen Junior Vase match.
The conditions played their part with heavy rain throughout most of the game leading to a lot of handling errors and making it difficult to control the ball in the lineout. It was never going to be a high scoring match. Tigers opened their account after a quarter of an hour when flanker Andy Williamson burst round the front of a lineout and made about 30 metres before setting up a quick ruck. The ball was whipped crisply across the threequarter line to put winger Tim Bowman in at the far corner for an unconverted try. Northallerton were playing with the confidence of a team that had only lost one match this season but they couldn’t penetrate the aggressive Tigers defence. Midway through the half they were awarded a penalty for hands in the ruck and an indiscreet word to the ref gave them the extra 10 metres and a kickable chance which they took. A 5 – 3 lead at half time was less than Tigers would have hoped for.
Gradually in the second half Tigers superiority began to show and a Richard Butler penalty soon restored the lead to 5 points. Some 10 minutes later a good ball from the pack allowed Richard Butler to delay his pass before feeding a short ball to Eugene Martin who touched down near the posts. Richard Butler converted to give Tigers a two score advantage. In the conditions this was a substantial lead and Tigers were fairly successful in keeping the ball in the opposition half. However, some five minutes from the end Nortallerton mounted a series of drives on the Tigers line and despite some solid tackles they eventually got over for a converted try. Tigers took control for the remainder of the match to end up with a deserved victory.
Tigers 3rd XV leave no Hope for the Valley
Sheffield Tigers 3rd XV 17 - Hope Valley 0
Tigers kicked off with a light wind behind them and a lull in the rainfall on a sodden pitch. They kept Hope Valley pinned in their own half with a mixture of forward drives and some penetrating breaks from the backs. Eventually the pressure told and from another driving maul Tigers caught the Hope Valley backs out of position and rapidly spun the ball out to debutant wing Kirk Andrews who with his 1st touch in Rugby Union scored a try out wide. Eddie O'Neills low conversion adding the extra two points. Hope Valley began to get more possession as the game swung from end to end but good defence from Tigers held them out. Tigers got close to scoring a couple of times but had to be content with a 7 - 0 advantage at half-time.
As the second half started, the wind increased and the rain began to fall making handling even more difficult. However,Tigers started to play most of the game in the Hope Valley half with the Tigers forwards driving upfield and with a number of searing breaks from veteran scrum-half Eddie Joel. The pressure began to tell and from a rolling maul Rob Christie burst through to score near the posts. The conversion was missed as a sudden gust of wind took Eddie O'Neills kick wide of the posts. As the rain poured down Tigers kept up the pressure and as the Hope Valley fly-half tried to clear his lines the kick was charged down by Gareth Kite, who surprised to find the ball stuck in his hands, raced through to score. The conversion was missed and as the weather deteriorated play became bogged down in midfield. There was no more score but Tigers should be pleased with their support play and handling ability in the wet, windy and cold conditions.
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13/12/03 - Tigers 1st XV Ref fails to show up but Elvis does
Northallerton - Sheffield Tigers
Both players and supporters had a very frustrating afternoon having made the 200 mile round trip to Northallerton only to find that the referee hadn’t turned up so there was no game. However following this disappointment the team bounced back with a late surge for lock Phil Ponder’s farewell bash where Elvis turned up for a Tigers Christmas Special. The 70 plus spectators had a night to remember as Tigers rose magnificently to the challenge ahead.
The pack took most of the honours particularly with Phil often rising head and shoulders above his team mates. The front five rumbled through the night and the only awkward moment came when Irish props James Davey and Roy Mowbray requested Elvis to sing a Corrs’ number. Hooker Anthony Parkin confirmed that his shoulder injury was better by throwing his shirt into the crowd when he thought he had scored. At one stage it looked as if prop Rob Chadwick might have to be substituted when he temporarily lost vision in one eye due to his wig slipping. Flanker Andy Williamson’s positional sense was such that he stopped anyone getting past him (to the bar).
Scrum half David Holmes had a busy evening as he linked cleverly with both backs and forwards, and stand off Richard Butler, after almost crying off with flu, demonstrated skills that we hadn’t seen before. The centre pairing of Rob Pound and Eugene Martin had a relatively quiet time. Winger Tim Bowman used his height and weight to great effect popping up in the pack for most of the night. Midway through the second half winger Wayne Warren got the crowd to their feet when he linked with Elvis for a moving rendition of ‘A Little Less Conversation’ and for the remainder of the evening it was a question of who can follow that?
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06/12/03 - Tigers 1st XV Show Strength in Depth
Sheffield Tigers 34 - Knottingley 23
With what seemed like most of a regular 1st team pack on the touchline, a much changed team took the field this week and in victory proved the Club’s strength in depth. Andy Beech’s last minute inclusion at lock made him the 7th player to appear in this position and the 38th person to play for the 1st XV this season.
Tigers domination in the first twenty minutes of the match laid the foundations for what should have been a fairly comfortable win. They opened the scoring from a scrum some 5 metres out, when a strike against the head gave No. 8 Matt Wood the opportunity to pick up and drive over the line. From the restart Tigers controlled possession and a beautiful cut out pass from Rob Pound gave winger Tim Bowman the chance to score in the corner. Richard Butler converted and soon afterwards he reached the 100 points mark for the season when good support play brought him a try. Tigers again attacked from the restart and Tim Bowman, showing his ability to step off either foot, got behind the defence and with an inside pass put flanker Colin Bradfield over.
At the end of the first quarter Tigers were 22 – 0 up and looked as if they could notch up a very big win. They were playing a very expansive game but were caught out when an interception by the Knottingley centre gifted them a try. Tigers came back when a ball turned over and driven by the pack was moved quickly to the wing for George Leach to get in at the corner. However Tigers confidence in attack was not matched by their defence and five minutes before the interval the Knottingley centre carved his way through for a try under the posts which was converted to make the half time score 27 – 12.
Knottingley hadn’t been killed off in the first half and they started the second half with confidence. They used the strong wind effectively and after five minutes reduced the deficit to two scores with a penalty. A further try and a penalty brought them within 4 points of Tigers with twenty minutes to go. Tigers responded and upped their game so as to save the spectators having to endure another nail biting finish. With five minutes left a lovely break by full back Chris Houston put George Leach in for his second try. Rob Pound converted to make the final score 34 – 23.
As players return from injury there is going to considerable competition for places, and selection for next week’s Powergen Vase match away to Northallerton is going to be interesting.
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29/11/03 - Tigers 1st XV in League Game of Two Halves
Heath 5 - Sheffield Tigers 20
The weather ensured that this match wasn’t going to be a feast of open rugby as the first half was punctuated with spells of driving rain. Both sides at times struggled for clean possession at scrum and lineout. However, in the loose the Tigers pack were gaining the upper hand and it was no surprise that the opening score midway through the half came from a lineout rolling maul. The pack drove some 20 metres before Doug Trivella broke off for the touchdown. Five minutes later, following a series of rucks and short drives by the forwards the ball was released to the backs. Centre Paul Hirst changed the angle of attack and was stopped short of the posts. Another couple of short drives saw Andy Williamson force his way over for a try converted by Richard Butler. Forward power also produced the third try when a penalty move set up a rolling maul for hooker Pete Fearn to touch down and give Tigers a 17 – 0 half time lead.
Not for the first time this season Tigers failed to sustain the pressure in the second half. Five minutes after the restart Heath were given a lifeline when three missed tackles allowed their centre to score an unconverted try. A Richard Butler penalty restored the gap to three scores but Heath began to dominate possession and put pressure on Tigers. They varied the nature of their attacks but the Tigers defence held solid. Heath’s best opportunity came ten minutes from the end when they worked a bit of space on the right wing but a try saving interception from George Leech took play back to half way and for the remainder of the game neither team looked like scoring. Tigers ended up with a deserved 20 – 5 win and two league points, but must be wondering how they didn’t rattle up a bigger points difference after their first half domination.
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22/11/03 - Tigers 1st XV in Well Earned League Victory
Sheffield Tigers 20 - Ilkley 14
As expected, this turned out to be a very competitive match with both teams fighting for valuable points to keep in touch with the League leaders. Initially Ilkley looked the slightly stronger team and 15 minutes into the game turned pressure into points when a loose ball at the back of a scrum was touched down for a try that was converted. Wthin a few minutes Tigers replied when stand off Eugene Martin intercepted on the 22m line to go over for an unconverted try. As the first half closed the Ilkley left wing got the ball some 60m out and used his undoubted pace to outflank the defence and run in under the posts for a converted try to give Ilkey a 14 – 5 half time lead.
Tigers responded by stepping up a gear right from the start of the second half and put increasing pressure on Ilkley. Excellent kicking from hand by full back Rob Pound kept Tigers in the Ilkley half and winger Tim Bowman, who was always looking for work, had a couple of strong runs. However it was a second interception try, this time by centre Paul Hirst, that gave Tigers a well deserved score. Rob Pound converted. A couple of minutes later Paul Hirst nearly scored again following a lovely break by Eugene Martin. It was with 15 minutes to go that Tigers took the lead when a beautifully weighted grubber kick by Rob Pound was touched down by centre John Francis. Tigers were now in control and a Rob Pound penalty gave them a 6 point lead going into the last 5 minutes of the match. Ilkley responded by mounting a series of sustained attacks on the Tigers line to get the necessary converted try, but the defence held its pattern to deny them and give Tigers a well deserved 20 – 14 win. It was a real team effort and enforced second half injury substitutions of Tony Blackmore for Phil Ponder and Chris Houston, making his 1st XV debut, for George Leech didn’t weaken the team.
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15/11/03 - Tigers 1st XV in Powergen Junior Vase 3rd Round Victory
Sheffield Tigers 31 - Ryton 3
Tigers kicked off with the sun and a stiff breeze behind them needing to score first half points. They were rewarded when the ball shot out from an early scrum close to the Ryton line and David Holmes touched down for a try that Richard Butler converted to give Tigers a 7-0 advantage. The first 20 minutes were spent mainly in the Ryton half and Ryton were forced to concede two penalties neither of which were kicked. However, after a strong weaving 50 metre run by Tim Bowman a successful penalty did increase Tigers lead to 10 points. This spurred Ryton into their best spell of the match and it was Tigers turn to concede a penalty from which the Ryton stand off opened his team’s scoring. Richard Butler replied for Tigers to restore their 10 point lead. Tigers then produced a good move along their three-quarters and winger George Leach cut back inside and passed to John Francis who scored. Richard Butler missed the conversion leaving the score at 18-3. As half time approached a long flat kick to the corner resulted in a free kick for an offence at the line out and from a short tap move Tiger’s pack drove over Peter Fearn for a good try. The conversion was missed making the half time score 23-3 to Tigers.
The third quarter of the match was a scrappy affair notable only for two tremendous tackles from Doug Travella and several knock-ons. Following a break by the same player and support by Eugene Martin, Ryton were forced to concede a further penalty that Richard Butler converted for a score of 26-3 going into the last quarter. As the final whistle approached yet another surging break by Doug Travella and a well timed pass by Rob Pound saw John Francis score in the corner for his second try to make the final score 31-3 and give Tigers a well earned and decisive victory.
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08/11/03 - Tigers 1st XV in Dismal Draw in League
Ripon 6 - Sheffield Tigers 6
After a couple of Tigers attacks in the first 5 minutes this game settled into a dour encounter with neither team really threatening the opposition line for the whole 80 minutes. Tigers struck first with a Richard Butler penalty after a quarter of an hour and Ripon equalised with a penalty 5 minutes before half-time. Half-time substitutions allowed flanker Sam Buckley and stand off Eugene Martin to make their debuts, but this made no noticeable difference to the Tigers performance. A Rob Pound penalty gave Tigers a 6 – 3 lead ten minutes into the second half, but too many unforced errors and poor decision making allowed Ripon to play the game largely in the Tigers half. Tigers may have thought luck was on their side as the Ripon full back missed a number of easy penalty kicks, but with the final kick of the game he was successful to gain a well deserved draw and give Ripon their first League point of the season.
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01/11/03 - Tigers 1st XV back in Winning Ways in League
Sheffield Tigers 30 - West Park Bramhope 10
Both teams came into this match keen to restart their League challenges having each dropped 2 points last weekend. Although Richard Butler gave Tigers an early lead through a penalty, the West Park backs were exposing holes in the Tigers defence and it was no great surprise when their right wing got in at the corner for their first try after 10 minutes. Tigers began to get their defence organised and by mid way through the half the game was tightening up. A somewhat fortuitous scrummage strike against the head deep in their own half allowed the West Park stand off make a break before kicking ahead. Their left winger won the race to the touch down. Both tries were unconverted so a second Richard Bulter penalty kept Tigers in touch at 6–10 at half time, and it was still anyone’s game.
Five minutes into the second half Tigers moved into the lead when a half break by centre Paul Hirst, supported well by Rob Pound and Doug Trivella, put winger Wayne Warren over for an unconverted try. Tigers slowly started to apply the pressure. The pack began to dominate with good yardage being made through forward drives. The scrum was solid, and the debut performance of Chris Peel in the lineout and around the field ensured that the absence through injury of Phil Ponder, who has had an excellent season so far, wasn’t noticed. West Park were forced into errors and Richard Butler punished them by putting over 4 penalties in the second half. Getting into the final quarter of the match there was little doubt that Tigers would win as the West Park pack started to tire. In the last minute of the game Paul Hirst intercepted in the centre and good support from Rob Pound saw him score under the posts. Richard Butler converted to make the final score 30 – 10.
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25/10/03 - Salem forwards prove too strong for Tigers 1st XV
Bradford Salem 31 - Sheffield Tigers 18
Tigers started well with a Richard Butler penalty soon followed by a Tim Fearn try from a 5 metre lineout that was converted by Richard Butler. By midway through the first half the strength of the heavier Salem front five began to tell and they scored two converted tries from rolling mauls to lead 14-10 before a Richard Butler penalty to make the half time score 14-13 in Salem’s favour.
Tigers quickly regained the lead after the restart with Doug Trivella scoring his 10th try of the season from a lineout. The pressure from the Salem pack was unrelenting but good defence from Tigers kept them ahead until 10 minutes from the end when another rolling maul allowed the Salem lock to cross the line for a converted try. A penalty straight from the restart gave them a two score lead and the contest was over. Salem finished off, somewhat fittingly, with another rolling maul try which was converted in the last minute to make the final score 31-18.
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18/10/03 Wayne Wings It For Five as Tigers trounce Thornensians in 2nd round of Powergen Junior Vase
Thornensians 8 - Sheffield Tigers 60
Winger Wayne Warren used his pace to devastating effect to score 5 tries in Tigers 60 – 8 victory over Thornensians in the 2nd round of the Powergen Vase competition. Tigers superiority was soon evident when after 5 minutes a scrum pick up by No.8 Neil Shaw put flanker Doug Trivella in for a try which was converted by Richard Butler. Thornensians replied a few minutes later with a penalty. Tigers lineout was functioning well with Phil Ponder secure on his own ball and pinching some Thorne ball, so it was no surprise when given a kickable penalty chance Tigers decide to go for the 5 metre lineout. A catch and drive saw hooker Anthony Parkin touch down for an unconverted try. The manoeuvre was repeated about 5 minutes later to give Parkin his second try, this one being converted by Richard Butler. On the half hour mark, the pressure from the Tigers scrum allowed Dave Holmes to harass his opposite number and pick up the loose ball to score. Butler converted. Although Tigers were dominating in all aspects of the game they were caught napping just before half time. Thornensians were awarded a penalty close to there own line, took a quick one and got behind the Tigers defence which was slow to get back 10 metres and regroup. Support from their winger gave them an unconverted try in the corner to make the half time score 26-8 in Tigers favour.
The second half scoring started early when strong running winger Tim Bowman scored a try after only 3 minutes. Tigers were now completely dominant with Alan Pierre, Neil Smith and Andy Williamson making the hard yards to allow quick ruck ball to be moved wide. This set up overlap positions and Wayne Warren on the left wing benefited, scoring 5 tries in the last half hour of the game. Arguably the best of these was not from a run in but came from a crossfield kick into space by Dave Holmes. Athough the full back got to the ball first he was tackled by Warren who quickly got to his feet, picked up the ball and ran round to score under the posts. Richard Butler converted 2 of the second half tries to make the final score 60-8.
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11/10/03 Tigers triumph in first home league victory
Sheffield Tigers 22 - Leodiensians 6
The 1st XV consolidated their good start to the season with another League victory over mid-table Leodiensians. Tigers started strongly when, only after a couple of minutes, debut winger Wayne Warren had a good run to set up a scoring chance with his first touch of the ball. Tackled about 10 metres short of the line the ball got tied in and the chance wasn’t taken. It took a long range penalty by Richard Butler after 10 minutes to get the scoring started but Leos replied almost immediately when their stand-off kicked a penalty. Richard Butler struck another two penalties with one in reply by Leos before Tigers scored their first try. The movement was started by a penetrating break by Doug Trivella followed by a couple of quick ruck balls before the ball was popped up to Tim Fearn who burst over the line. The conversion was missed but it gave Tigers a well deserved 14 – 6 half time lead.
After only 2 minutes of the second half Richard Butler stretched the lead with his fourth penalty. Tigers were comfortably in control and Richard Blackmore scored his first try for the club after some good work by winger Tim Bowman. Leos may have been beaten by this stage but they weren’t giving up. Indiscipline by Tigers gave away a number of unnecessary penalties and Leos mounted a number of sustained attacks in the last 20 minutes. However, the Tigers defence was up to the job and they prevented their line being crossed, so the final score remained at 22 – 6 in Tigers favour.
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04/10/03 Tigers 1sts back to winning ways
Skipton 0 - Sheffield Tigers 23
Following last week’s loss to League leaders Beverley, Tigers got back on track with a comfortable win away to Skipton. First try went to No. 8 Matt Wood who went over from a lineout after just 5 minutes. Richard Butler converted and then added two penalties in the next 20 minutes. In the 10 minutes before half time Tigers’ played their best rugby of the game with good continuity and quick ruck ball stretching the Skipton defence. Doug Trivella, playing at flanker, got over for an unconverted try to give Tigers an
18 – 0 half time lead.
In a somewhat lacklustre second half Tigers failed to push home their superiority. Their rhythm was broken by conceding a number of penalties, and when in possession they tried to force the play in the midfield whereas moving the ball to the open spaces might have brought more reward. With a quarter of an hour to go some excellent support work and deft handling by Phil Ponder put Tim Fearn over for an unconverted try to make the final score 23 – 0 in Tigers favour.
Skipton 0 - Sheffield Tigers 2nd XV 81
Tigers attacked from the start and a second heel against the head allowed scrum-half Shanks in for the 1st score. The 2nd try soon followed for prop Roy Mowbray when he stole the ball from a Skipton lineout. Unforced errors by Skipton and good support play by Tigers backs and forwards resulted in 6 more tries before half-time.
Tigers turned round 46 points up and quickly scored again through Evans after good work from Clooney. Tigers kept up the scoring rate with tries by Owen (2), Hickinson and finally for Alex Fraser from a pass from returning skipper Karl Socket.
Debutante forwards Ben Rand (Hooker) and Dai Roberts (Openside flanker) impressed in both the tight and open field play. Owen Evans had a welcome return after 2 weeks out with a personal tally of 24 points and Hickinson scored a hat-trick of tries.
Sheffield Medics 28 - Sheffield Tigers 3rd XV 14
The Medics ran up a 28 - 0 lead at half time over a scratch Tigers 3rd XV. However, it was a different
story in the second half as a spirited Tigers revival lead to tries for the hooker and for Chris Richardson
with captain Eddie O’Neill converting both.
Sheffield Tigers Vets 29 - Doncaster Dragons 17
Tigers Vets opening fixture of the season saw them overcome a strong Doncaster Vets side. Tigers
started the scoring but Doncaster soon equalised and the scores were level at 12 - 12 at half time.
The Vets kept up the pressure and scored 3 more tries before Doncaster pulled one back at the end.
The backs scored all the tries with man of the match Tim Barlow scoring three.
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27/09/03 Tigers 1st Lose Tight League Game
Sheffield Tigers 12 - Beverley 25
With both teams coming into the game unbeaten this season it was always going to be a tight match. Early on Beverley had the best of the game and after half an hour were 12-0 up thanks to two tries, one converted. Tigers then moved into the ascendancy and after a series of good carries by Andy Williamson, Doug Trivella and Alan Pierre giving quick ruck ball, stand off Richard Butler went over at the posts and. Richard converted his own try to make it 7 – 12 at half time.
Tigers started the second half as they finished the first and within 5 minutes had levelled the score with a try from a lineout move by flanker Andy Williamson. At this stage it was anyone’s game and it seemed likely that the next team to score would win the match. Midway through the half Beverley edged ahead with a penalty. A minute later Tigers had the opportunity to level the score again with a long range penalty, but when this was missed Beverley had the advantage. They tightened up their play by kicking for position and a good bounce from a missed Garryowen gave them the game breaking converted try. Their lead was stretched to 13 points by a penalty a few minutes later. Two scores behind, and with just over 10 minutes to go, Tigers had to start playing ‘catch up’ rugby. They pressurised the Beverley line but couldn’t get over. Beverley conceded a series of penalties whilst under pressure but as Tigers needed tries they had to forgo the easy points. When the final whistle went it was Beverley who, in a well contested game, had come out on top 25 –12.
Sheffield 3rd XV 5 - Sheffield Tigers 2nd XV 38
After 10 minutes of end to end play with neither side gaining the upper hand, Tigers began to assert themselves as fly half Colin Bradfield shrugged off two tackles and sprinted past the full back to open the scoring. Unfortunately the try wasn’t converted as the ball bounced off the upright. On the half hour scrum half Sam Burton scored an excellent solo try after sniping around the back of a ruck from 15 metres out. The conversion left Tigers 12 – 0 up at half time.
Tigers slept for the first 10 minutes of the second half until three pick up and drives resulted in No. 8 Jim DeNormanville barrelling over for a converted try. Right wing Daffyd Evans went close after a beautiful box kick by Colin Bradfield which confused the Sheffield wing and full back. Soon after good interplay between forwards and backs saw Duncan Gillespie give a scoring pass to centre Rob Brockley for a converted try.
Immediately after the restart some quick recycling by the forwards and quick hands by the backs allowed open side flanker Phil Carver to Maori sidestep the last defender for a try in the corner. Handling errors by the Sheffield backs and a kick through by centre Shaun Hickinson gifted Sam Burton his second try of the match. A consolation try by Sheffield at the death, with the conversion attempt being charged down by Daffyd Evans, left the final score 5-38 to Tigers.
Special mention should go to Richard Harvey who impressed as he moved across from prop to hooker after a nine year absence. Also the hit of the match goes to full back Justin Synan who followed up his own up and under with a bone crunching tackle on 'Bison’. Justin also converted 4 of the tries.
Sheffield Tigers 3rd XV 12 – Mosborough 2nd XV 21
The Tigers 3rd XV, which was a mixture of youth and experience as the Vets haven’t yet started their season, came second in this encounter. There was some discussion as to who should be named as Man of the Match as last year’s Vets skipper Wallace Cuthbertson scored all Tigers points with a try, a conversion and a penalty, and hooker Ian Gudgeon who claimed 9 strikes against the head
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20/09/03 Successful Start to RFU National Powergen Vase Campaign
Sheffield Tigers 49 - Doncaster Phoenix 3
The difference in League status was all too apparent as the 1st XV earned a comfortable victory over Doncaster Phoenix, scoring 8 tries in their first round Powergen Vase RFU National Knock Out Competition match. The first try came after 15 minutes when Matt Wood and Dave Holmes exploited a wide blind side to put George Leach over in the corner. This was followed by a pushover try from Matt Wood, a try for Phil Smith after the midfield had made him a bit of space, and finally a Doug Trivella try when good support play gave him the opportunity to finish from 40 metres. Newcomer Richard Barker converted one try and kicked a penalty to make the half time score 25 –3.
Tigers started the second half with two more Trivella tries in the first 10 minutes and it looked as if the final result could be a cricket score. However, to their credit Doncaster Phoenix didn’t give up, defending with spirit and occasionally pressurising the Tigers line. They kept Tigers scoreless for 20 minutes before Doug Trivella scored his fourth try to outdo last week’s hat trick, and debutante hooker Peter Fearn finished it off with a try under the posts. Richard Barker converted two of the second half tries to make the final score 49 – 3.
Sheffield Tigers 2nd XV 0 - East Retford 1st XV 47
East Retford’s 1st XV were just too strong for a Tigers 2nd XV which had suffered a number of changes due to injury and unavailability. Players who caught the eye were stand off Rob Brockley, wing forward Dan Mitchell and winger Ed Bodger. Gus Honeywell, playing at No.8, must have given his everything as his Under-8s were giving him the run around the following morning. They were just one group of the 80 juniors who turned out on Sunday, and are recommended watching any week, especially as both bar and kitchen are open.
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13-09-03 Three Try Trivella Takes Tigers Team To Triumph
West Leeds 20 - Sheffield Tigers 52
After a mediocre first half by Tigers, the second half saw a spirited performance which brought Tigers their first 50 point win for some time. Tigers got off to a good start being 6 points up after 4 minutes thanks to a couple of penalties by Richard Senior. Once West Leeds started to win some ball their slick backs showed why they had won the Yorkshire Shield last season and narrowly missed promotion. As half time approached they had scored 3 tries with only another Richard Senior penalty in reply and it looked as if they could be on for a comfortable win. However, following a series of good drives by the forwards Paul Hirst broke through the centre for a converted try, and then in the seventh minute of injury time Tim Fearn crossed in the corner to give Tigers a somewhat fortuitous 21 – 20 half time lead.
Whatever was said at half time Tigers were a different team in the second half with the pack starting to dominate. An early try by Doug Trivella from a well-rehearsed lineout move stretched the lead shortly after half time and midway through the half Tigers stretched away. George Leach had a little bit of work to do to score his try in the corner. John Francis gained possession after charging down a clearance kick and as he was tackled short of the line gave a beautiful pop up pass to put Doug Trivella in under the posts. A couple of minutes later Doug completed his hat trick with a solo effort by using his power and pace to leave defenders floundering. On those occasions when Tigers had to defend their defence was solid. West Leeds spilled the ball after a robust tackle under the posts and replacement Damien Larroumet sprinted the length of the field to score. Richard Senior converted 3 of the second half tries to make the final score 52 – 20 in Tigers’ favour.
Away League victories against the two teams who, as last season’s Yorkshire Shield finalists, would be expected to perform well in the League is an excellent start to the season and should give Tigers confidence in their abilities.
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06-09-03 1st XV start League campaign on a wining note
North Ribbledale 3 - Sheffield Tigers 6
Having made the long coach journey to Settle, Tigers produced enough to emerge as narrow victors in a typical start of season encounter. For most of the match both teams showed little continuity, but Tigers always looked the slightly more dangerous in attack, with Paul Hirst penetrating in the centre and Phil Smith getting the opportunity to show his pace on the wing on a couple of occasions. The platform for victory was a solid defence with Doug Trivella, playing at No 7, setting an example to his team with a number of rib-crunching tackles.
It was a day of mixed fortunes for the two newcomers. Winger Tim Bowman only lasted 2 minutes before he had to be replaced by Mike Brennan due to a hamstring twinge. However, Tom McKay had a very promising debut at full back, looking comfortable under kicks and launching a few counter attacks.
Tigers took the lead with a Richard Senior penalty after 9 minutes, but North Ribblesdale levelled the score with a penalty on the half hour mark. Midway through the second half Richard Senior struck another penalty to give Tigers what at the time was a deserved lead. However, there were a few anxious moments in the remaining 20 minutes when Tigers conceded a number of kickable penalties. Tigers deserved their win but, not unexpectedly at this stage of the season, there is still some work to be done before the team can fulfil its potential.
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