It was never going to be easy against a Rugby Lions side who have a 100 per cent home record but after a first half mauling Wharfedale mounted a spirited revival and finished the game with their pride intact although losing 42-21, writes Keith Lewis.

Not many teams relish the prospect of a trip to this Midlands stronghold where fourth place Rugby have swept all before them this season to establish a genuine promotion challenge.

Admittedly Worcester and Leeds have yet to visit Webb Ellis Road but London Welsh recently lost there 21-15. In spite of this the Dalesmen were reasonably confident going into the game, boosted perhaps by the fact that 70 per cent of the Midlands side's tries this season have come from their numbers 1 to 10 and that their own pack has been in defiant form throughout.

It seemed therefore to come as a surprise when Rugby used quick early possession to transfer the ball to the flanks where they ran in four sparkling tries before reverting to type and adding a close-range effort from the base of a scrum.

The Greens' second half revival was a welcome relief for the battalions of Lawny's Barmy Army who had made the trip south, but although Jonathan Davies emerged as the most powerful midfield runner on display and David Lister was the pick of the forwards the deficit was too much to make up.

This was Wharfedale's first visit to the town where William Webb Ellis first tucked the ball under his arm and ran, thus condemning future generations of grown men to perpetual adolescence. The Greens made two changes, bringing in former North Ribblesdale flier Craig Eccleston for only his second full league appearance at this level and welcoming back their international student prop Ian Peel from Paris to rub les paules with Rugby's England B tight-head Trevor Revan.

The Lions, who were in the equivalent of Premier Division One only five seasons ago, fielded two players from their original league line-up in 1987, winger Eddie Saunders and scrum-half David Bishop. Their team also included Western Samoan international centre To'o Vaega and All Black flanker Andy Earl, two of the five full-time professionals in their squad of 27 players. It seemed to be to the chagrin of the Lions' supporters and many of their officials that the club now only runs a 1st XV, that is they have no other senior sides and their splendid facilities are only used every fortnight.

The Lions took an early lead when an untidy Wharfedale lineout resulted in possession being lost and Vaega sending his winger Paul Bale racing clear for a try in the corner. Undaunted the Greens responded and took the lead after two penalties by right wing Adam Mounsey. The first came from a situation earned by the strong running of Davies and a supporting drive from hooker John Lawn which ended with Rugby straying offside. Minutes later a long throw found flanker Hedley Verity in space and when he was stopped the home side were penalised as they prevented the ball being recycled.

In the space of 10 minutes the Dalesmen's 6-5 lead turned into a 24-6 deficit as Rugby took their chances to grab three quick tries. Their stalwart 37-year-old winger Saunders finished off a break by former Welsh Schools fly-half Dean Morgan for the first and in doing so recorded his 900th point for his club. No 8 Jim Withers plunged over after his pack had taken a heel against the head and when Wharfedale fullback Neil Heseltine was tackled in isolation the turn-over gave Bale the opportunity to sprint clear for his second try of the game and give fullback Jim Quantrill his second conversion.

Wharfedale's first try came after 30 minutes when a typical shoulder-dipping break by Davies was continued by the pack before centre Craig Walker bulldozed his way over from close range. Somewhat against the run of play Rugby's centre Adrian Gillooly then collected a Greens' hack-on before racing away to touch down by the posts. Quantrill converted but Mounsey finished the half as he had started, with a penalty, taking his season's tally to 214 points.

Greens' fly-half Harrison was unable to continue after the interval because of a leg injury and so with no Daniel in the Lions' den Mick Harrison came on to line up at inside centre with Heseltine switching to fly-half and Davies to fullback.

As the Greens noticeably upped the tempo in the loose they looked by far the better side for much of the second half, with scrum-half David Whitfield using more workable possession to release his backs. The dynamic Davies, now joining in from the back, continued to evade tackles almost at will, and although the ball rarely found its way to the wing Mounsey and Eccleston tried to get involved at every opportunity.

After 55 minutes the Dalesmen were rewarded with another try when Verity was held on the line and Whitfield burrowed over for his first league try for Wharfedale. Mounsey converted and with flanker Sam Allen on for the final 25 minutes Wharfedale continued to look capable of reducing the deficit even further.

Two Quantrill penalties and a break and try from halfway by Morgan in the final minute seemed slightly unjust - but then isn't the Lions' share always so!

With Liverpool St Helens moving above the Greens after a 39-16 win over Otley on Saturday push really has come to shove. Tomorrow (Saturday), ko 2.30pm, 11th place Wharfedale play the first of their three remaining home league games against seventh place Reading, with Harrogate and Morley still to come. Reading are the division's other "Green Machine" and so Wharfedale's cherry and white hooped shirts will be coming out of mothballs again - and after three consecutive defeats everyone will no doubt be hoping for a change of fortune as well.

The Wharfedale team is: N Heseltine; A Mounsey, C Walker, J Davies, S McManus; D Harrison, D Whitfield; J Lancaster, J Lawn (capt), N Dickinson, D Lister, D Wood, P Evans, H Verity, C Vyvyan; reps I Peel, J Metcalfe, J Ogden, S Allen, D Stephens, M Harrison.

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