Underdogs come away with the spoils at Ripon

Ripon 5 v Aire 27

League standings made Aire massive underdogs at yet another game on the road at Ripon. Aire were boosted by a squad of 18 and the return of influential forward Callum Diamond who has been out with a long term MCL injury. Aire re shuffled the back line with Eliot Bunn returning at scrum half, Joe Priestley at 10 and a centre combination of Harvey Sellers and Sam Woodley. The back 3 had a good balance with direct running winger Lewis complimented by the pace and Guile of Callum Hilliard and full back Jack Dawson.

Aire started with the slight wind and slope; however it was Ripon who gained their stride the quickest in the early exchanges. Ripon were organised and put some phases together to stress Aire's defence in the middle and out wide. Ripon were clearly well drilled and there were some ominous signs; however Aire's scrambling defence nullified the onslaught and caused unlikely errors. Aire gained confidence from successfully absorbing the early pressure and it was their turn to test Ripon' appetite for defence. A scrappy clearance led to Aire powerhouse winger Lewis Watson breaking down the left side and a combination of pace and power saw him score in the corner from 25m. Jack's conversion was a beauty, but the swirling wind dragged it wide.

Ripon were in no mood to fold and came back out in determined mood. An error at the re-start cost Aire precious territory and possession which the hosts gladly seized. There was a momentum shift with Ripon now pulling the strings and dominating possession and territory. Aire's impressive rear guard action wasn't enough to prevent Ripon scoring a well worked try to make it 5 points each.

The game was in the balance but Aire's mantra is to play rugby and this worked in their favour on 27 mins when a deliberate knock on led to a Ripon sin bin. Aire quite rightly went for the sticks, but the wind was playing havoc and the kick narrowly missed. Ripon cleared their lines with a kick, but Lewis Watson's return made impressive metres. The ball was turned over but a charge down led to the ball being shipped to Sammy Woodley who scored in the corner. In the final minutes Aire pressure led to a penalty, which Jack slotted over for Aire to lead 13-5 at half time.

The bench was unleashed in the 2nd half with Callum Diamond slotting into the 2nd row, Tom Hirst at prop, hooker Alex Currie and flier Spencer Wood on the wing. Aire had the lead but the conditions favoured Ripon and an 8 point lead would be tough to defend. Ripon looked to use the elements in their favour and pinned Aire back in the early exchanges. Aire new that a defensive shift was required and a series of dominant collisions caused turn overs or penalties. Aire managed to work field possession and sharp eyed scrum half Eliot Bunn identified an opportunity to his right. A neat pass found newby stand off Joe Priestley who's short pass hit Harvey Sellers who hit a sumptuous line. Harvey sat down the would be tackler and fed Sammy who scored right of the sticks and Jack converted.

Aire gained further territory and formed a ruck 30m out from Ripon's whitewash. Eliot Bunn hit front rower Tom Rudd on a great line and he opened up Ripon like a tin of John West Salmon. There was a collective call of "Yes Tom Rudd" but unfortunately his trademark hit and spin led to a stumble and the breakdown of a promising attack.

Ripon tried valiantly to get back in the game, but Aire's defence had their tales up and they were dominating the tackle. Pack leader Vaughan Reeves led from the front and set an example to the rest of the forwards. Tom Ayrton, Rhys Bradley and Matt Tindale made some huge hits and scavengers Eddie Farnell and Callum Diamond swooped for jackals or penalties.

In what had been a very tight game early on it was Aire that were confident going into the final 10 minutes and they were the dominant team. Aire were again in Ripon territory and a speculative kick by Harvey was snaffled by the impressive 10 Joe "Giuseppe" Priestley who scored in the last 10 minutes.

The game was decided but Ripon kept battling to the end and were unlucky not to gain another score with the match finishing 27-5 to Aire. Credit to the referee who was accurate, firm and consistent throughout.

This was undoubtedly one of Aire's better performances in what has been a very difficult injury hit season. Tom Hirst made an impression in the front row as did Alex Currie, Tom Rudd , Finn Eastcott & Vaughan. The engine room and back row was equally impressive with captain Eddie Farnell leading from the front again. The backs clicked, with Joe "Giuseppe" Priestley having an excellent game at 10 but the MOM award goes to influential scrum half Eliot Bunn who scrapped and dictated the game throughout.

Next game is at home (yes really) on Sunday v Guisborough meet 11:30 for 12:30 KO