Tykes’ set-piece strength stifles spirited Chester
The Leeds Tykes clash against Chester was nothing short of a rollercoaster, packed with a seesawing scoreboard, momentum swings and a high penalty count against the home team.
Chester started strongly, setting the early pace. A penalty from Sam Earl-Jones gave them a 3-0 lead, and Leeds struggled to find their rhythm. Chester controlled possession, keeping Leeds pinned back. Leeds’ were further hampered when Ollie Williams had to come off due to injury after 6 minutes. James Watts replaced him. The backs were re-jigged to accommodate him. However, the Tykes fought back when Toby Williams crossed the line for their first try, followed by Kit Keith’s successful conversion.
Another injury after 10 minutes meant that Henry Macnab was replaced by Ewan Laughton. Keith went out to the wing. Leeds’ set-piece play was the backbone of their performance. Leeds’ pack, both powerful and agile, dominated the tight exchanges, especially at the scrum, winning penalties and disrupting Chester’s efforts. The majority of lineouts were sharp and well-executed. A quick throw to the front, leading to a recycled play by Burke, set up Adam Brown to score his first try of the day.
In open play, though, Leeds struggled to keep momentum. Chester took advantage of errors, intercepting passes and forcing turnovers. The revamped Tykes’ backline lacked impetus at times, leading to stalled attacks. When Leeds managed to move the ball wide, they couldn’t break Chester’s defense, and promising moves fell short.
Adam Brown and Eddie Brown stood out, scoring a hat-trick each. The forwards deserve credit for their work in the scrums and turnovers. Edward Brown’s smart running lines and Adam Brown’s strength and charging runs gave Leeds an edge in attack.
Chester’s ability to exploit Leeds’ mistakes made sure the match stayed close. Dave Jones scored a try, Ben Ivory scored a length-of-the-pitch try from a restart and Earl-Jones converted a penalty from inside his own half. Another try from Andrew McMinimee kept the score tight. Chester’s penalty count was punished with yellow cards for Harry Graham and Thomas Clarke.
Leeds’ set-piece power made the difference in the end. Eddie Brown’s final try in the eightieth minute made the scoreboard look good. While their open play didn’t fire in this match, Leeds’ strong, mobile pack and reliable set-piece performance remain key strengths; ones they’ll need for the remainder of the season.
After the match, Director of Rugby Pete Seabourse said: “Chester is a tough place to come. That was a patchy performance with adversity in the first 10 minutes. Overall though, it is job done and we got 5 points. Fair play to Chester, they came at us and caused us some problems at times. Four matches to go.”
