UP AND UNDER <RXU 'H¿QLWLYH *XLGH WR <RUN 58)& 01/01/10-29/04/10 £1.75
COLTS TRIUMPHANT! The Full Story of York RUFC’s Victory In The Yorkshire Bowl
Help For Heroes Tournament at 2 5LÀHV LQ %DOO\NLQOHU <RUN ,QYLWHG 7R 3OD\ ,Q 3UHVWLJLRXV Tournament
([ /HHGV &HQWUH 6LJQV )RU York- )XOO 6WRU\ ,QVLGH
2
UP AND UNDER
CONTENTS <RXU 'HÀQLWLYH *XLGH WR <RUN 58)& Pg.3: York RUFC Sign Ex-Pro in Major Coup
- Find out which ex-Leeds star has signed on a free transfer to play for York RUFC.
Pg. 4 & 5: Colts Batter Ilkley in Yorkshire Bowl - York Colts beat Ilkely 13-36 to win the Yorkshire Bowl final and bring the club its first piece of silverware this season. Full match report and player review inside.
Pg. 6: York Raising Funds for Help4Heroes - During their tour to Northern Irelannd, the York senior section will be participating in a charity tournament organised by Help 4 Heroes to raise funds for the Rifles Battalions. Details inside.
COLTS TRIUMPHANT! Pg. 7: Results and Tables
The Full Story of York RUFC’s Victory In The Yorkshire Bowl - Breakdowns of all results and tables for the York RUFC senior section. Help For Heroes Tournament
at 2 5LÁHV LQ %DOO\NLQOHU <RUN ,QYLWHG Pg. 8: Youth Section News 7R 3OD\ ,Q 3UHVWLJLRXV - Breakdowns of all the goings on in the Youth Section and Academy of York RUFC. Tournament
([ /HHGV &HQWUH 6LJQV )RU York- )XOO 6WRU\ ,QVLGH
3
&DZWKRUQ +DV /DQGHG York land ex-Leeds winger for free in stunning end of season Former Leeds Carnegie and Wakefield centre Mike Cawthorn has agreed to sign for York RUFC for the remainder of the season after his contract was terminated by Hull Ionians. Cawthorn is due to make his debut in the game against Bradford Salem at Clifton Park on Sunday 25th April after Hull Ionians were forced to cancel the contracts of several players due to deepening financial troubles. York RUFC Chairman, Niall Barry, was full of praise for the signing of Cawthorn: ‘Our President, Mike Negri, had had talks with him (Cawthorn) in the not so distant
past about joining us as he is based in the city so we jumped at the chance when we heard his contract had been cancelled. He will be a great addition to our squad, especially in regards to educating the younger lads in the reserves and we hope we can reach a deal to keep on at Clifton Park for next season.’ Cawthorn, who played for Leeds during their climb through the league tables in the late 1990’s said that he hoped to provide a calming influence to the team and keep them focussed during the last 5 games of the season, particularly in the game against Bradford Salem. Cawthorn said: ‘The Salem
game is a big one because they are one of 3 teams that are a point behind us with a game in hand. We need to beat them to disturb their momentum and maintain our current winning streak.’
Going into the Salem fixture,York are unbeaten in 7 games and third in the Yorkshire 1 table. However, they are without centre Sam Arkle and tight-head prop Rob Allen.
4
UP AND UNDER
York RUFC Colts: Yorkshire <RXU 'HÀQLWLYH *XLGH WR <RUN 58)& Colts Hammer Ilkley 13-36 to Win First Trophy of the Season Despite their promising start,York soon began to show the kind of inconsistency which has plagued their season and seen them knocked out of the Yorkshire Cup and Yorkshire Plate competitions. Ilkley On a stunning Sunday afternoon at winger Brian O’Connor made a searching run down Moortown Rugby Club, York RUFC the left flank and cut inside to be met by a high tackle from centre Charlie Nicholson. Ilkley fly-half James Colts capped off a turbulent season with a thumping victory over Ilkley in Lambert opted for the kick and was rewarded with 3 points. the final of the Yorkshire Bowl. Ilkley were gifted another lifeline almost immediDespite missing key players such as flanker Matt Appleton and prop Will Norris,York made an imme- ately, when hooker Tom Sleeman was unable to hold on to an unexpected interception. Lambert seized his diate impact on the game with second-rower Mark opportunity again when the ball was popped back to Benson powering home over the Ilkely touchline after a stunning drive through a ruck on the 5-metre him from the scrum for a simple drop-goal to make the score 6-12. Unfortunately for Ilkley, winger line. O’Connor was forced to retire from the game after York’s play was the epitome of rugby in the first 15 minutes with stunning passing manoeuvers set up twisting his knee in a collision with prop Ben Hepfrom the breakdown by scrum-half Arran Thompworth shortly after. son and fly-half Cameron Griffin which ended with After the break,York took full advantage of a rearwinger Matt Hawkins touching down for York’s sec- ranged and haphazard Ilkley, scoring two incredible The Fullwas Story of byYork RUFC’s Victory IntheThe Bowl ond try which converted Max Knighton. tries within first Yorkshire 4 minutes. The first came when stand-in centre Ben Johnson burst
The first silverware of the season has come to Clifton Park in the form of the Yorkshire Bowl.
COLTS TRIUMPHANT!
Help For Heroes Tournament at 2 5LÁHV LQ %DOO\NLQOHU <RUN ,QYLWHG 7R 3OD\ ,Q 3UHVWLJLRXV Tournament
([ /HHGV &HQWUH 6LJQV )RU York- )XOO 6WRU\ ,QVLGH
5
Bowl Champions 2009/10 through a gaping hole in the Ilkley defence on the half-way line to score under the posts, avoiding 3 tackles in the process. The second was another powerhouse display from Benson who forced his way through 2 opposing defenders to score from a short crash ball from a ruck. Two further conversions from Kighton meant that victory seemed almost assured. The York defence looked solid as Griffin and centres Charlie Nicholson and Ben Johnson put on a master class display of tackling technique and power, with each man individually saving York from potential try-conceding situations. The major surprise in this was the man of the match form of Griffin (pictured right with coach Sean Bass) who, before this match, had a reputation as a weak tackler and as having relatively poor defensive qualities. After absorbing nearly 20 minutes of constant pressure from the opposition,York again scored two blistering breakaway tries in quick succession. The first came when Nicholson took the ball into heavy contact with Ilkley prop Dave Gillon and offloaded to Griffin who touched down in the corner with Ilkley full-back Steve Whittaker hanging from his shoulders. Thompson scored barely a minute later
when he produced a stunning box kick onto Ilkleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unprotected blindside and chased it down himself to score in the opposite corner to where Griffin had touched down minutes earlier. At 6-36 with 10 minutes to go,York knew they were cruising to victory and, once again, took their foot off the gas. A fumbled catche off the kicking of Ilkley fly-half Eric Huggon from prop Will Dutton provided Ilkley and Huggon with a superb try on the blindside of the scrum to give York a minor scare. However, York held on comfortably to win the game and Bowl 13-36. This was a game that meant everything to both teams but the win for York capped off a largely mediocre season and showed what the senior teams can look forward to bringing in next season.
6
UP AND UNDER
York RUFC: Helping Our Heroes <RXU 'HÀQLWLYH *XLGH WR <RUN 58)& York RUFC Senior section (including members of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Colts teams) will be touring to Belfast in from the 21st to the 23rd of May in order to play in a tournament that will raise funds for the Help for Heroes charity. The tournament, held at 2 Rifles in Ballykinler, will be a weekend-long fundraiser designed to raise funds for the Rifles Battalions through the Help for Heroes charity. President of York RUFC, Micky Negri, said: ‘Having the opportunity to support our injured soldiers was just too much to pass up. The fact that the tournament was in Ireland is an added bonus as it gives our players a decent end of season tour but the tournament itself will be a highlight. It is a massive honour to be invited to this tournament and we hope we can raise somewhere in the region of £12,500.’ The other clubs competing are Sheffield RUFC and Castleford RUFC,York’s rivals in the Yorkshire 1 division, as well as a team of soldiers, past and present, who serve or served in regiments stationed in Ballykinler.
Chief Officer of the Rifles Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel William. S. Wright MBE, had nothing but praise for all teams involved in the tournament saying that, without the fantastic support of functions like these, many wounded soldiers would have a much more difficult recovery and went on to say that he was looking forward to ‘a weekend of rugby, beer and laughs!’ As an added bonus, 3000 pints of beer have Victory In Theto Yorkshire Bowl been donated the event by various small breweries in the region.
COLTS TRIUMPHANT! The Full Story of York RUFC’s
Help For Heroes Tournament at 2 5LÁHV LQ %DOO\NLQOHU <RUN ,QYLWHG 7R 3OD\ ,Q 3UHVWLJLRXV Tournament
([ /HHGV &HQWUH 6LJQV )RU York- )XOO 6WRU\ ,QVLGH
7
Results: Senior 1st Team 23rd Jan 30th Jan
York 18 vs 10 Yarnbury
League
Castleford 25 vs 13 York
League
6th Feb
York 17 vs 28 Heath
League
13th Feb
York 24 vs 20 Dinnington
League
20th Feb
Wheatley Hills 26 vs 25 York
League
27th Feb
Selby 30 vs 37 York
League
6th Mar
York 34 vs 10 Bradford Salem
League
13th Mar 20th Mar 27th Mar
Bridlington 6
vs 9
York
York 30 vs 14 Scarborough Keighley 11 vs 17 York
League League
3rd Apr
York 33 vs 3
10th Apr
York 25 vs 22 Malton and Norton League
The Reserve team unfortunaley had 2 games postponed due to the excessive snow storms that plagued the nation until March. These are due to be played on May 1st (Selby) and the Skipton game will take place a week later on the 8th. The late scheduling is due to both Selby and Skipton’s respected Cup fixture commitments.
Skipton
League
9th Jan 16th Jan 23rd Jan
League
As ever, in this section we provide a rundown of all the results of matches that have taken place since our last issue. The most notable fixture for the first team since the New Year was the victory over Bradford Salem, which bodes well for the Mike Cawthorn’s debut match as his added emphasis will hopefully ensure a much easier win for the Yorkie’s in the return fixture. Going into the final 5 fixtures York RUFC find themselves third in the table.
5HVHUYH 7HDP
York RUFC P
vs
P
Selby
League
Skipton P
vs
P
York RUFC
Friendly
Yarnbury 36 vs
7
York RUFC
League
30th Jan
York RUFC 5
6th Feb
York RUFC 48 vs 10 Pontefract
League
13th Feb
Cleckheaton 10 vs 10 York RUFC
League
20th Feb
York RUFC 12 vs 12 Wheatley Hills
Friendly
27th Feb
vs 11 Scunthorpe
Sheffield Tigers 12 vs 12 York RUFC vs 31 York RUFC
League
League
6th Mar
Wharfedale 3
League
13th Mar
York RUFC 20 vs 26 Ripon
League
20th Mar
Scarborough 18 vs
0
York RUFC
Friendly
27th Mar
York RUFC 20 vs
7
Keighley
League
8
UPResults: ANDYouth UNDER Section <RXU 'HÀQLWLYH *XLGH WR <RUN 58)& Obviously the most notable fixtures for 2nd Jan
Otley
29
vs 13
York RUFC
Friendly
the Colts this year were the consecutive victories in the Yorkshire Bowl, leading 16th Merit to the club’s only piece of silverware to York RUFC Won vs Lost Skipton Jan League date this season. Yorkshire 23rd York RUFC 26 vs 12 Yarnbury Friendly With the regular season over, the Bowl Jan Colts are already building for next 30th York RUFC 48 vs 0 Old Brodleians Friendly season, recruiting new players from Jan the Academy to replace those who are 6th West Leeds 20 vs 10 York RUFC Friendly Feb moving into the senior set up next season. 13th Merit York RUFC 17 vs 3 harrogate Feb League Notable faces such as Ben Hep20th Wheatley 15 vs 20 York RUFC worth, Arran Thompson, Mark Benson, Friendly Feb Hills Cameron Griffin and captain Charlie Yorkshire 27th Nicholson are just a few names among York RUFC 17 vs 0 Driffield Friendly Bowl Feb those who are leaving the Colts to pur6th Merit Wharfedale 10 vs 37 York RUFC sue senior rugby with the club. Mar League However, the Seniors are also taking 13th Merit Ripon 14 vs 17 York RUFC a large number of Colts players on the Mar League to Belfast to play in the Help 4 He20thTheYork Full Story RUFC’s Yorkshire Victorytour In The Yorkshire Bowl RUFC 5 of vs York 0 Scarborough Friendly Bowl Mar roes tournament. As well as the obligatory initiation into senior rugby! 27th Old P vs P York RUFC Friendly 16th Jan
Selby
10
vs
7
York RUFC
North Yorkshire
COLTS TRIUMPHANT! Mar
Brodleians
10th Apr
York RUFC Won vs Lost
17th Apr
York RUFC
36
vs 13
Help For Heroes Tournament at 2 Malton & Merit 5LÁHV LQ %DOO\NLQOHU <RUN ,QYLWHG Norton League 7R 3OD\ ,Q 3UHVWLJLRXV Yorkshire Ilkley Bowl Tournament
([ /HHGV &HQWUH 6LJQV )RU York- )XOO 6WRU\ ,QVLGH
Blue Knights
7KH 1H[W .QLJKWV 6HQVDWLRQ Is Tom Lineham The Future of York City .QLJKWV"
York Sign Jack Lee On Loan: )HDWKHUVWRQH 5RYHUV 6WDU -RLQV .QLJKWV )RU 7KH 6HDVRQ
The ONLY 2I多FLDO 0DJD]LQH IRU <RUN &LW\ .QLJKWV )DQV
15
Contents UP AND UNDER Pg. 3: Knights Sign Jack Lee On Loan.
- Read up on all the details surrounding Jack Lee’s <RXU 'HÀQLWLYH *XLGH WR <RUN 58)& move down a division to the York Knights from Featherstone Rovers.
Pg. 4 & 5: The Future of the York City Knights? - 18-year-old Tom Lineham talks about being labelled one of Rugby Leagues future stars.
Pg. 6: Former Great Britain Coach Named as Director of Rugby. - Former Great Britain and Castleford Tigers coach, Dave Woods, has been appointed the new Director of Rugby at Huntington Park
COLTS TRIUMPHANT! Pg. 7: Results & Fixtures of results for Victory the season far Yorkshire as The Full Story -ofTable York RUFC’s Inso The Bowl well as upcoming fixture list and notes on any injury concerns. Help For Heroes Tournament
at 2 5LÁHV LQ %DOO\NLQOHU <RUN ,QYLWHG Pg. 8: League Tables and Transfer News 7R 3OD\ ,Q 3UHVWLJLRXV Tournament - Details on all the ins and outs for the Knights.
([ /HHGV &HQWUH 6LJQV )RU York- )XOO 6WRU\ ,QVLGH
14
Thank You Featherstone! )HDWKHUVWRQH 5RYHUV¶ 8QGHU VWDUOHW KRRNHU MRLQV York City Knights have pulled off a major transfer bargain for this season by signing Jack Hall from Championship side Featherstone Rovers. Hall, 20, was a first-team regular at Featherstone Rovers last season after joining the side permanently following a successfull loan spell from Super League side Castleford Tigers. The deal was struck after Lee was made available for transfer by Rovers officials following the signing of Ben Kaye from Harlequins. Knights General Manager, Ian Wilson called the signing of Lee ‘a vital step in providing a solid, winning start to the season’ and went on to express how pleased he was that the club was attractLee himself added: ‘Coming to the ing such high-profile players. York City Knights is a great decision for me as it will allow to continue my rugby development in an environment that is entirely different to the Championship and Super League.’ Lee then went on to explain that, at the Knights level, there is a lot more physicality and a greater set of consequences concerning promotion and relegation: ‘Obviously getting relegated is never easy but it is doubly important in this division because so many teams lack proprer funding. The price of success or failure makes every game doubly important and I think that is reflected in the style of play in this league.
13
7KH )XWXUH RI <RU
UP AND UNDER At 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing in at a respectable 16st5lbs, York City Knights winger Tom Lineham looks more like a second row from a Rugby Union team rather than the lightning fast winger he has the reputation of being. In fact this observation is almost entirely accurate. Just 18 months ago Tom was playing junior rugby as a flanker for York RUFC Under-17s and only made the transition to Rugby League 10 months ago after signing up for the York College RL team. During a post-match interview conducted between the two of us, Tom was very vocal about his relatively newfound passion for rugby league. ‘Rugby league is miles better for me than rugby union; it
hits harder and the games generally flow a better. There’s no rucking, mauling or competitive scrimmaging either which is a real bonus because, in my opinion, they represent everything that’s wrong with Union. Rugby league is all about focussing on the basic fundamentals of Rugby, running with the ball, quick passing and hard tackling, all of which I prefer to the slow play and kicking game in Union.’ Given recent events, there can be little doubt in anyone’s mind that he enjoys the running. Two months ago at the tender age of 17, Tom was a last minute entrant into the Carnegie Sprint Challenge- a race designed to find the fastest players in the rugby league world. He competed against representatives from 8 Super League teams and 3 Championship teams, the biggest names among which were Hull KR’s Peter Fox and Wigan Warrior’s Amos Roberts. During the course of the sprint, Lineham pulled out a shock 3rd place finish, coming in third only two-hundredths of a second behind the pre-race favourite, Warrington’s Kevin Penny, and four hundredths of a second behind surprise Inwinner The Yorkshire Bowl Jamel Chisholm, the replacement for injured Leeds representative Scott Donald. Fortunately, the success and recognition he has received for his impressive finish hasn’t gone to the young lad’s head: ‘People can make a fuss about this if they want but it was just a one-off. The only way to determine the fastest player is if every team in the entire rugby league set up sends a player down. It’s a great personal
<RXU 'HÀQLWLYH *XLGH WR <RUN 58)&
COLTS TRIUMPHANT! The Full Story of York RUFC’s Victory
Help For Heroes Tournament at 2 5LÁHV LQ %DOO\NLQOHU <RUN ,QYLWHG 7R 3OD\ ,Q 3UHVWLJLRXV Tournament
([ /HHGV &HQWUH 6LJQV )RU York- )XOO 6WRU\ ,QVLGH
UN &LW\ .QLJKWV" achievement to be spoken of in the same breath as proper professionals but I need to do a lot more if I’m going to get proper recognition among the big boys.’ As well as posting his impressive time of 11.5 seconds (wearing full kit) for the 90 metres Lineham, as he is known to his friends, also made his Knights first team debut last month, after impressing in a number of reserve-grade academy matches where he has been a regular try-scorer. Only a month after making his first-team debut Tom has been awarded a new deal for the rest of this season and the 2011/12 season. When asked about the potential to move to a bigger club Tom was fairly nonchalant: ‘I’m not looking beyond this season to be honest. I want to stay here and learn more about the game and build myself up into a first-team regular before I even think about moving. I’d rather stay with the Knights and see us promoted but if an opportunity comes along in a few years time I’d be stupid not to think about it.’ However, Tom is the first to admit that, at this stage, it is all just speculation and Knights gaffer James Ratcliffe agrees: ‘It’s the lad’s first year in the game so he’s still learning. He’s already accomplished more in that year
than most people do in 3 or 4 years but he needs to earn his place with us. We will be working closely with Tom to take the raw materials he has and convert them into a fully-fledged rugby league player.’ Despite the praise he gained from the Carnegie Sprint Challenge and from his performances in the reserves and Knights first time, it hasn’t all been plain sailing for the former York RUFC youngster. ‘I got a bit of a slating for my performance in the loss to Doncaster RLFC. The papers gave me a bad write up saying I was frail defensively and not good enough to succeed. It’s all just media spin really so I’m not too bothered. Everyone has a bad game or an off day now and again and I’ll admit I had a pretty shocking game. The Doncaster lads ran rings around me and I wasn’t happy about it but I think it was unfair for the reporter who wrote the article to judge me on one poor performance. Like the gaffer said I’m still learning the game so all I can do is improve.’ As well as fulfilling his commitments with the Knights, Lineham is also soon to be moving to Selby College to study a sport diploma. This combined with his practical, pragmatic and philosophical approach to his personal rugby development mean that he will receive a decent education and, at the same time, have a potentially bright future in the world of rugby league that will begin next season with the York City Knights. All he needs to is follow the words of his coach convert his raw talent into skill and capability.
12
11
)RUPHU *UHDW %ULWDLQ &RDFK 1DPHG DV 'LUHFWRU RI 5XJE\
UP AND UNDER York City Knights have appointed former Great Britain Under 18’s and former Castleford Tigers and Gateshead Thunder Coach Dave Woods as their Director of Rugby. Woods joins the Knights with immediate effect until the end of next season. Woods will be responsible for player recruitment and development as well as consulting with the head coach on team selection and assistant coaches. Woods will also be responsible for managing the playing budget within the constraints of the Knights board and for coach development. Commenting on the news of Woods’ $ %ULHI +LVWRU\ RI 'DYH appointment, Knights General Manager :RRGV¶ $FKHLYHPHQWV Ian Wilson said, ‘We are lucky to be in a position to appoint such a high-caliber candidate. His track record is far Woods began his coaching and away better than anyone else in our career at the Pentirth Panthers, division and is as good as anyone in the where he worked alongside division above ours.’ Wilson went to say current St Helens Coach Mick that Woods’ experience and knowledge Potter and former Wigan legFullwillStory ofasset York RUFC’s Victory InKenny. The Woods’ Yorkshire end Brett first Bowl be a great to the club. game in English Rugby League Woods himself was optimistic but was against the Knights while pragmatic in his short statement released following his appointment: ‘The he was coaching Castleford. main priority for me is to maintain the That season ended in victory Knights as a competitive force in our di- for Woods and the Tigers with a vision, both on the pitch and financially. win against Whitehaven to gain I will be taking a few weeks to further promotion back to the Super assess the clubs situation but I am con- League. Woods left Castleford vinced that I can bring this club forward to coach Gateshead where he and make promotion an inevitability.’ again won promotion in 2008. In more recent times Woods has spent time with St Helens and Great Britain Under 18’s.
<RXU 'HÀQLWLYH *XLGH WR <RUN 58)&
COLTS TRIUMPHANT! The
Help For Heroes Tournament at 2 5LÁHV LQ %DOO\NLQOHU <RUN ,QYLWHG 7R 3OD\ ,Q 3UHVWLJLRXV Tournament
([ /HHGV &HQWUH 6LJQV )RU York- )XOO 6WRU\ ,QVLGH
10
Results & Fixtures Fixtures/results - Season 2010 Date Dec 27 Friendly Jan 15 Friendly Jan 17 Friendly Jan 21 Friendly Feb 7 NRC2 Feb 10 Friendly Feb 14 NRC3 Feb 17 NRC1 Feb 21 CC Rd 1 Mar 7 C Cup Rd 3 Mar 10 NRC4 Mar 14 CC Rd 2 Mar 21 CC Rd 3 Mar 28 CC Rd 4 Apr 2 CC Rd 5 Apr 5 CC Rd 6 Apr 18 C Cup Rd 4 Apr 25 CC Rd 7 May 3 CC Rd 8
D ay Su n Fri
H/A
Tim Fixture e
Res
F/A
L
616 286 3630 5012 1312 1028 1040 3612 368 4412 3412 2232 2524 2440 7214 1427 856 3634
H
3:00 York Select
H
8:00 Hull KR
W
Su n Th u Su n We d Su n We d Su n Su n Su n Su n Su n Su n Fri
H
3:00 Castleford Tigers
W
H
7:30 Hunslet Hawks
W
H
3:00 Leigh Centurions
W
H
8:00 Leeds Rhinos
L
A
3:00 Sheffield Eagles
L
A
8:00 Rochdale Hornets
W
H
3:00 London Skolars
W
A
3:00 Gateshead Thunder
W
H
3:00 London Skolars
W
A
3:00 Workington Town
L
H
3:00 South Wales RLFC
W
A
3:00 Doncaster RLFC
L
H
3:00 Gateshead Thunder
W
Mo n Su n Su n Mo
A
3:00 Blackpool Panthers
L
H
3.00 Crusaders RL
L
H
3:00 Rochdale Hornets
W
H
3:00 Swinton Lions
9
/HDJXH 7DEOHV DQG 7UDQVIHU 1HZV
UP AND UNDER &R 2SHUDWLYH &KDPSLRQVKLS Team Hunslet Blackpool Oldham York South Wales Rochdale Doncaster Workington Swinton London Skolars Gateshead
P 7 6 6 7 7 7 8 6 6 8 6
W 6 6 6 4 3 3 3 2 3 0 1
D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
L 1 0 0 3 4 4 5 4 3 8 5
PF 288 239 191 229 154 228 196 146 146 112 88
PA 93 76 92 179 143 196 292 124 198 354 270
Diff 195 163 99 50 11 32 -96 22 -52 -242 -182
Bns 0 0 0 1 3 2 2 3 0 2 1
Pts 18 18 18 13 12 11 11 9 9 2 -2
<RXU 'HÀQLWLYH *XLGH WR <RUN 58)&
The Knights find themselves perched precariously in fourth with South Wales only a point behind in fifth. A wrong result in the next game could see them slip sixth behind South Wales and Rochdale.York are put even further in limbo by the fact that third-place Oldham are 5 points clear with a game in hand. It will be hard work to recreate last season’s finish but with the new faces in the squad and a fair share of good luck it should still be possible to earn that elusive promotion.
Transfers In: Jack Lee (hooker), loan from Featherstone Rovers,
COLTS TRIUMPHANT! Jordan Thompson (centre), loan from Castleford. John Davies (back-row forward), loan from Castleford. Tom Lineham (winger), promoted from reserves academy.
Out: RUFC’s None The FullTransfers Story of York Victory In The Yorkshire Bowl Out of the four new faces to grace the turf this season, by far and away the most exciting are loan signing Jack Lee and the fast-tracked academy youngster Tom Lineham. Lee and Lineham have both taken steps to cementing their statuses as first team regulars and look like decent prospects for the future. The other two on-loan youngsters from Castleford are yet to make their first team debuts but are hotly tipped to be key players for the Knights by the end of the season. Much has been said in the Castleford camp about Thompson’s incredible vision and off-loading while the same people wax lyrical about Davies’ brutal powerhouse running ability. These attributes, if proven true, are certain to make these youngsters fan favourites at the Huntington Stadium.
Help For Heroes Tournament at 2 5LÁHV LQ %DOO\NLQOHU <RUN ,QYLWHG 7R 3OD\ ,Q 3UHVWLJLRXV Tournament
([ /HHGV &HQWUH 6LJQV )RU York- )XOO 6WRU\ ,QVLGH