The Buccs are back baby!! The Buccs are back!!!

Two years ago the Buccs were relegated from the Yorkshire and North East premiership, two years later they are now in the final to win this league! It’s the biggest comeback since Olly Tyson stepped foot in total fitness!!

Their route to the final meant they had to travel up to play Tynedale again in the semi’s! Having lost & drawn against Tynedale this season the Buccs knew they were going to be in for a hell of match.

From the kick off it was obvious to all watching what both teams game plans would be….. The Buccs would look to ship the ball around & play fast attacking rugby using their highly talented young back line whilst also using their fit & fast forwards to punch holes at the “dale’s” defence. Tynedale on the other hand were going to use their huge pack who probably carried three stone a man on the Buccs pack to smash holes in to them from everywhere & hope gaps would appear so their back line could score.

After just three minutes The Buccs got their first try of the match! Tynedale smashing into the Buccs defence tried to play out of their 22 and threw a pass which winger Rhys Phillips intercepted, he flew down the touch line, evaded the covering winger and touched down 0 - 5 The Buccs and conversion missed! This stirred Tynedale and from a line out the Buccs back line “bit” and all went for the same man and their 10 sprinted in from 30 metres out! Conversion missed 5 - 5! The match then settled down and two good teams went at each other both not giving an inch, the one major issue was the scrum where Tynedale’s weight advantage was obliterating the Buccs scrum but with Alley Forth back in the Buccs ranks the line out was functioning superbly! From a peach of a box kick from scrum half Alex Edwards, the Buccs won a line out five metres out after the dale winger touched the ball as it went out! From the line out the Buccs went for the catch & drive and outstanding number 8 Luke Mackay got hold of the ball at the back of the maul and with a great forward drive smashed over the line with his pack and dotted down! Conversion slotted by Sam Hassard 5 - 12 The Buccs. One of the problems that the Buccs have had all season is getting on the right side of the refs & on Saturday it was no exception! Just outside their 22 the Buccs were done for a bizarre offside and the ref gave a penalty which Tynedale chose to kick! Kick slotted & the score was 8 - 12! Play started to go Tynedale’s way and the Buccs were defending for their lives! From a rolling maul five metres from the Buccs line, Tynedale shipped the ball out on the attack but outside centre Jacob Edwards’s read the pass & made the interception! With a full pitch to sprint everyone was wondering if Jacob had the speed / the legs to go the distance, he did not! So he kicked the ball down field and chased after it with the Tynedale defence! From the opposite side of the pitch a good thirty metres away from where Jacob kicked it was someone who did have the speed and legs winger Ali Lovel! Lovel when he runs doesn’t seem to sprint, he just kind of beautifully glides across the grass! He just went past each Tynedale defender as if they weren’t there as they tracked back in desperation! The ball bounced up for him just before the dale try line and up into his hands as he slid over for one of the tries of the season! Conversion slotted by Hassard again 8 - 19 the Buccs. With a few minutes left of the half Tynedale’s scrum dominance was rewarded with a penalty! They kicked to the corner & from the line out drove the Buccs backwards and over the line! Try & conversion slotted 15 - 19 and the half time whistle went!

The half team talk was a tetchy affair but that was down to passion & lads caring! But the message was keep doing what we are doing, pull them round the park and we’ll win it in the last ten minutes with our better fitness!

The second half started positively and the Buccs back line never seemed flustered with fly-half Hassard & full-back Charlie Cook taking it in turns to manage the game with aplomb! From one great show & go Hassard made a break on the half way line and went flying up the field with inside centre James Couttie on his shoulder but Tynedale covering defence tracking them both! Hassard threw another dummy which was the right call as it pulled the defender away from Couttie, Hassard then lined up the fullback and passed to Couttie on his righthand side and Coutts outpaced the final two defenders! Try scored & conversion slotted by Hassard! 15 - 26 to the Buccs! Changes were made and Will Gaunt went to hooker, Alley Forth to flanker with Adam Thornton also on at prop! This added weight all of a sudden gave The Buccs some parity in the scrum. From a Buccs break up the field they were penalised for holding on, Tynedale do what they do best! Kicked to the corner, catch and drive, try but crucially conversion missed! 20 - 26! And that was it for the next twenty or so minutes there was no scores for either team! The action was played in the middle of the park with both teams being utterly relentless in attack and defence but something started to show because at every stoppage in play Tynedale were screaming to their bench to get water on & their players were taking a knee to catch their breath! When they got another penalty instead of opting to kick for corner they bizarrely went for the kick at the posts which sailed wide! It was still a 6 point game with minutes to go! Play was getting pushed back deeper and deeper into the Buccs half and Tynedale were clattering into the Buccs however from one secure ruck the ball was spun out wide it and it reached Couttie’s hands, he showed & go’ed like Hassard did early on in the half and went on a blistering, jinking run going from the left hand side of the pitch into the middle of the pitch, leaving dale defenders in his wake, just as he was about to be tackled he passed out to Mackay on the Tynedale 22 who sprinted in for his second of the day and Hassard slotted again 20 - 33 and a minute to go!!!!! From the kick off the ball reached skipper Jack Pinder’s hands he went through a gap in between two very tired Tynedale forwards and went sprinting up the field, he evaded two tackles and just as the fullback lined him up to make his tackle, Pinder offloaded to supporting scrum half Edwards who ran in untouched! Conversion slotted by Hassard!! Final score 20 - 40!!! The Buccs were in their second league final in two seasons!

Every player who’s played for the Buccs this season has contributed to getting us to this final and Saturdays 20 man squad to a man were superb but number 8 Luke Mackay was just on a different planet on Saturday and was rightly awarded MOTM!

Up the Buccs!!

Hull Ionians RUFC

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