Bees on the up as new boys shine
5:04pm Sunday 16th March 2008
Bradford & Bingley 28, Leicester Lions 17
Coach Carlos Hassan's face was wreathed in smiles yesyerday after his Bradford & Bingley side had further eased their National League Three North relegation worries by defeating play-off chasing Leicester Lions.
Fellow coach Neil Spence may not have been smiling outwardly after suffering a gruelling 80 minutes in the Bees' engine room but he was undoubtedly chuffed inwardly.
Just when they needed it to stop themselves falling back into the Northern divisions, an injection of new blood in the shape of second rows Patrick Pole and Rodney Turner and left winger David Moore has given the Bees the lift they needed.
For a third successive week, Bradford & Bingley put in a wholehearted performance and 21-year-old Londoner Turner hopes he can be a part of things for next season.
The 6ft 6in lock, who is studying sport and exercise nutrition at Leeds Metropolitan University, has a basketball background but enjoys the social side of rugby so much that his indoor sport has faded into the background.
Turner, who has only been playing rugby for three years after spending six graduating to the first team at Brixton Topcats basketball team and turning down the chance to go to a basketball college in the United States, explained: "I decided to stay in England because I preferred the whole rugby culture.
"I initially played at college in Richmond, then for the last two years at Leeds Met, and Bees hooker Iyran Clunis got me down here when I heard they needed some second rows.
"This was my third game and I really like it down here and I hope to be here next season - but it all depends on what happens at uni. I have to try and get a degree at some point and there could be too many lectures missed and too many nights out after a rugby game!"
As to whether the three newcomers have been the catalyst for the Bees' revival, Turner said: "I hope we have made a difference. Paddy (Patrick) has played really well and Dave has done well on the wing.
"It has been a lot of fun. I don't know how they were playing before I came but for the last three matches the forwards have played exceptionally well."
Leicester Lions, beaten 14-11 at home by play-off rivals Darlington Mowden Park the previous week, made a great start, going 10-0 ahead by the 15th minute.
Gareth Collins was gifted an interception try from a stray Ben Greaves pass in the sixth minute, and fly half Jonathan Boden converted it and added a penalty.
Collins almost made it two tries by the ninth minute, Greaves just beating him to the touchdown after his fellow full back had hacked on.
But the Bees were sparked into life by two delicate chips by centre Richard Tafa in the 23rd minute, the forwards then driving left to allow Pole to stretch out his left hand and score the try.
Fly half Tom Rhodes converted and, after right winger Peter Sutcliffe had blown a try opportunity by spilling a Joe Bartlett cross-kick, Tafa was over for a five-pointer after getting involved in a maul.
Rhodes' conversion stretched the lead to 14-10 and six minutes after the interval Tafa was over again, getting on the end of Bartlett's reverse pass.
Rhodes made it three conversions out of three but the Lions were right back in it when centre Joe Hill scooted over in the 66th minute, Boden's goal cutting the margin to just four points.
However, the ball was tending to be far enough away from the Bees line for the hosts not to get too tense and when the visitors tried a quick line-out near their own line in the 77th minute, Rhodes pounced when it went wrong.
He snaffled up the loose ball to score the bonus-point try and then added the touchline conversion to seal victory.
Lions director of rugby Chris Tarbuck said: "Bradford wanted it more than we did. They were more passionate about it, they ran better lines and were a little bit more physical than we were.
"Our start was good but there was always going to be a time when Bradford were going to have a bit more ball, so we just sat back and tried to play too deep and let them come on to us.
"We dominated in very small patches but we made unforced errors and our last try was a pretty poor one to give away - it was silly to take a quick line-out near our own line - and those sort of errors have been creeping into our game a little bit in the last few weeks.
"The play-off spot probably went last week for us when Darlington Mowden Park beat us and they have an easier run-in than us."