Rugby league returns!

So, I need to get back into the blogging habit. It's a curious thing, that Skolars' two pre-season friendlies may be their biggest gates of the season. Wigan XIII (the kids) at the Honourable Artillery Company is a great season opener, and certainly draws in the crowds. Having the Broncos to the New River also brought a great crowd two (and it was good to hear they were in full voice). It was good to be back New River, and my regular seat. Enfield was nice, but the green view around the ground on White Hart Lane is hard to beat. Skolars played well in both games, only losing by respectable margins, rather than 60-nil drubbings (although it was clear from the error strewn Broncos that they are clearly not a Super League team, but maybe the test of the season will tell. They only need to escape the Championship and recruit. Last season showed what the core of their support is, and that will stay while they're in the Championship, and they can only grow from here). A bit of flash basketball throwing here and there they could cut out, bu the basics are in place, and only pace and size will tell against them (and it will). I look forward to some humdingers. (Oh, and seems the New River has been renamed New Camp. Ho Hum). It took me a little while to adjust my head from watching union matches (kept expecting kicks to touch and ten minutes standing around for the next set piece). The pace has been terrific, as well as the physical courage. A new season, loads to enjoy. Howay the Skolars!

Double trouble... (London Broncos v. Leeds Rhinos & London Skolars v. Barrow Raiders)

I was lucky enough to have two home games to watch this weekend: Broncos v. Leeds and Skolars v. Barrow. Both games seemed to illustrate the concept of the score not reflecting the match (Broncos were murdered 12-58, while Skolars managed a more creditable 17-30)). They also illustrate the fact that a terrible damage can be done to the score line in a very short time.

The first twenty five minutes of the Broncos match were scoreless: indeed, the London side were mostly camped out in the Leeds half, and the West Yorks team locked a shadow of the sides I've seen. Broncos' tackling was efficient and their rucking was tight. They just seemed to lack finishing, relying on dink kicks that were inevitably scooped up on the line. Leeds' first try was disallowed for a forward pass: but it did show how they could cut Broncos apart ion the wing. The visitors were ahead at half time, and despite London scoring first, began to build a steady lead.

Then came the last ten minutes. Leeds drove home try after try, and suddenly a close match became a drubbing. The worst thing was they were soft tries: not bulldozered over the line but gaps exploited mercilessly. The dreaded fifty mark loomed and was approached with terrible inevitability. Ten tries are hideous to be on the receiving end of. The Southern side just, almost literally, took their eye off the ball, and their spirit crumpled. The victor's coach, however (admittedly an ex-manager of the then Harlequins) said afterwards that the score didn't reflect the work and the quality of the contest for most of the match.

Much the same could be said for Skolars. They're mitigation is they were up against the top of the league side who only are slumming it in Championship One because of financial difficulties (tomorrow I'll have a rant about the Bulls, don't let me forget). They were 11-0 up at half time (including a cheeky drop goal). The match had been tight and scoring opportunities few. Then, second half, the league leaders remembered what they were there to do, they drove through three in succession (in the space of 9 minutes). From there on the struggle resumed, but Skolars had men sent off. The perennial strugglers clawed one back, before a final two tries finished them off. The bonus point slipped out of grasp. The thirteen point gap in no way represents the real gap between the teams: the difference was those nine minutes and the entirely preventable third try. At this rate, the occasional cries of Skolars' fans that their is the best team in London might just, terrifyingly, and for all the wrong reasons, be correct.

FBU Picket run down by manager

hat tip Ian Bone

Mick Shaw, president of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), described the accident. He said: "A fire engine returned from an incident and drove into the fire station, its crew refusing to wind down their windows and talk to the pickets.

"It was followed by a car driven by the officers, and as the pickets tried to talk to the driver of the car, it accelerated suddenly and one of the striking firefighters was thrown up and into the windscreen.

(Croydon Guardian

The driver of the car has been arrested.

Update: More at Scrocialist untie

Back to the Rugby: Skolars v. Rams.

I didn't blog about the first match of the season I managed to attend, mainly because the composition in my head was a snarky demolition of the Skolars for their apparent inability to hold onto the ball and not give away soft penalties.

Their match with Dewsbury Rams, yesterday, was a transformation. Sure, they lost. That's what I expect. But I expect them to lose excellently, with passion, skill and energy, vibrantly fighting against men twice their size and speed with the skills and tactics of experienced players recently demoted from a higher division. That's what I saw against the West Yorkshire side.

OK, so the visitors scored a try on their first set. That's alright. That that team cut through the Skolars like a whatsits through summat, no problem. That the Londoners could make metres when they had the ball, and the whole game was practically fought in their own half, fine, fine.

15 minutes at the start of the second half, despite wave after wave of Dewsbury using their 900 stone No. 33 like a battering ram, they did not pass. that was worth the admission. To see Skolars breifly snatching the ball, and playing through the Rams' lines, that was worth the price of admission.

The score in the end was both truthful and a deceit, the Rams scored fairly and freely, but the Skolars' fight nearly, just nearly, might have been a better match, with some cannier play, maybe.

London Skolars 14 - 42 Dewsbury Rams

London Skolars v. Keighly Cougars

Well, Friday night lights for the last Co-op Division Two match of Skolars' season. Kick off in the falling dusk, a capacity attendance, 1,427, from visiting rugby fans down in the smoke for the Challenge cup next day (So that'll have been about £130K in the bank for the club).

The match itself was excellent - Skolar's pulled their socks up and really played beter than I've seen them all season. But, the omens were not good: their line was fast, they defended like demons but they had to do it again and again and again. Keighly struck through the centre, taking every advantage - Skolars were driven out to the wings to make their tries.

A sin binning was the most disappointing moment of the match for for the Londoners, but they're play remaine resolute even down one man. Although behind in points and play, they kept on catching up, and kept the game competetive to the end, even holding the lead for somewhile.

When the end came, it was a scrappy chase, which Skolars could have won with a touch more skill. Throughout loose hands let them down, and giving away unnecessary technical penalties.

In many ways, it summed up Skolar's season.

On my way out I ehard some of the Yorkshire fans complaining that this was the worst stadium they'd ever visited, other than Saints'. I don't think I've ever described the New River Stadium. First, the New River isn't new, nor is it a river - it's an old canal. The stadium isn't really a stadium, it's one stand. it looks out over an athletics track and to an attractive park beyond, on a warm summer's day it can be highly pleasant to sit there. Off to the left (when sitting in the stand) Alxandra Palace can be seen rising over the trees. It isn't the greatest ground in the world, but it will do for now.

The worst problem was the lights. they lit themselves, but not the ground. The clue was, the players on the pitch weren't casting shadows.

Skolars have officially come second from bottom, they had every chance of coming a little higher, and may do so next year. But, at the end, Friday's match was:

London Skolars 14-18 Keighley

Finally, a little note, Skolars has a group of fans, henceforth to bne known as the ironic singers. Their chants of "The referee is Elvis" and other such surreal offerings normally make up most of the crowd noise, but with a bigger crowd cowed them tonight. Lets hope their in full voice next year. On the stairs though, I heard them, ever hopeful chanting "We got a bonus point!"

London Skolars v. Blackpool Panthers

Well, what a game, this was what National League Two looks like.

For the first quarter the teams tussled without crossing the line, and honours were pretty much even. Skolars looked a touch ropey, and gave a couple of unnecessary holding down penalties. Technical faults were to be their undoing.

The Lancastrians ran in the first couple of tries, but Skolars clawed a couple back, to basically end up playing catch up for the hole match.

As the game went on, the Londoners faults began to show through, with an excess of fumbles and knock-ons. The score belies their performance, because unless the try was under the posts, Blackpool seemed incapable of converting.

Towards the end the home side scored an improbably try on the fifth tackle of their set - a ball was thrown back loose into space, picked up, passed on, and then run through - I suspect incredulity stunned the visitors momentarilly. They had used forward kicking before the end of their sets to great effect throughout the game.

There was some poor referreeing, particularly grievous was an icnident in which a Blackpool player swung his opponent around by the head, and didn't get sent off. That was ruddy dangerous.

Skolars lost, but seem set to come above Hunslett in the table - result!

Anyway, all aside:

London Skolars 28-36 Blackpool

London Skolars v. Gateshead Thunder

A desultry match - I could see the players wilting in the heat, and lethargically joining the scrum (as they often did due to the highly activist ref. who gave some, erm, odd decisions from time to time).

To be fair, the score belies the nature of the match - hard fought, with completed sets each way - but Skolars were bedevilled by indiscipline and gave aweay many early penalties - and Thunder were able to manage a few streaky breaks.

Even when London had repeated sets on the Tynesiders try line they couldn't punch their way through in the same manner that the visitors could manage.

The North eastern crowd was, of course, boisterous and loud - their chants of "We are top of the league" were, boastful, true and it turned out, justified.

But, hell, Skolars are off the bottom of the table, for a while at least.

London Skolars 18-44 Gateshead Thunder

London Skolars v. Workington Town

Listening to the commentary on the Bradford Bulls v. Hull FC Challange cup quarter final, I overheard the commentators discussing whether both teams had been wise to opt to kick for goal when awarded panalties in the opponent's half, rather than taking the set to push for a try.

The near certainty of 2 points, versus the possibility of 6 is a tough call.

Workington gave a master class answer to that question at Skolars' on Saturday.

Skolatrs scored first in a tit-for-tat run of tries in the first half; but Town stole the advantage before half time, and went into the second half ahead by one try. Early in that next half, they chose to kick for 2, and got it. That meant Skolars' needed and additional score to make back the deficit - and taking two would cost them a re-start kick and more time. It was an excellent call to add pressure on the home side - a neat way of consolidating a lead.

The London side put on a spirited show, clawing their way back to near the Cumbria side's score, when they opted to knock in a cheeky drop kick for a point to retain their edge.

The tries were too easy on both sides, running through their opponents line, and often through or next to the posts. Workington clearly had the edge on that, and exposed Skolars' tackling on occaision. Towards the end, the Skolars' were let down by a couple of dropped passes.

Once sad point, a fight broke out on the pitch, during the tense closing part of the match, leading to one player from each team being sent off, after an unecessarilly rough tackle.

Skolars kept the score close enough to gain the point for a near loss, and to gain on Hunslet in the division - further, they proved that at least they belong in the same divison as their victors.

London Skolars 38 - 45 Workington Town

London Skolars v. Hunslet Hawks

Where the Hell is Hunslet? Well, apparently, it's near Leeds - dirty, dirty, dirty, Leeds, Leeds, Leeds - as David Peace would have it (I don't see a novel about the Hawks being forthcoming).

Their fans were a disgrace, non-stop abuse of the ref (including end of game chants accusing him of being a cheating bastard - now, I ask, at barely professional level, what possible incentive is there for any ref. to be crooked? Further, as some fo their fans acknowledge on their forum, they shouldn't have been in the position where a few referee decisions could even decide the match. As it was, as far as I could see, although he was a botehrsome and busy ref, be blew up for both sides, and both sides had tries disallowed. So, eitehr he's really cunning, or just a ref. trying to make split second decisions in what was a frantic and busy game.

Hunslet and London are the bottom two of the Second Dvision (Skolars were below hawks before Saturday). Their play seemed matched, and their deserve their relative (and probably also their absolute) positions in the table.

Skolars have certainly picked up their game, their passing was crisper, but they didn't lay off enough in attack - but they certainly showed guts in attack and defense.

They ran over some early tries, which the Hawks more or less had clawed back to lead at half time. the second half was a close affair, with the first try not coming until the end of the first quarter. Skolars squeaked a narrow lead, which last almost until the very end. A bit of nouse in this situation was lacking, they passed up a penalty that could have given them two points, and in the end ended up having a drop goal charged down.

The last try was something of a distraction, a clean break when the game was almost over anyway. the real score should have been a win by one point, that would have been justice. As it was, London Skolars 31 Hunslet Hawks 24,

London Skolars v. Barrow Raiders

Maybe I'm a jinx. I think I'm yet to see Skolars win, I tend to miss those golden moments.

Saturday's kick off was scheduled slightly late, 1630hrs, and was delayed due to mysterious reasons. The pitch was like the Somme - leading to ironic chants of "Come on you browns" from the fans towards the end.

My end of game cry was "Keep them below fifty, please." After having watched Rochdale annihilate the Skolars 5-54 on bank holiday monday(*) I didn't want to see a similar score line.

Overall, this was a disappointing performance, although they occasionally applied pressure, in reality the game was all one way, and the maority of the Raiders tries came through finding gaping holes in the London team's defence. The latter also gave away too many penalties, and cleary seemed to drop the (albeit sodden) ball too often.

Raiders were better at powering through the Skolars' lines, passing the ball and running with it.

Still, at least it wasn't a three figure score, lets look on the bright side.

Skolars 4 - Raiders 54.

(*) I saw two matches over the Easter weekend, and couldn't get round to blogging them, but it was two defeats, Skolars v. Hornets 4-54 (sounds familiar) and Quins v. Dragons 22-24

London Skolars v. Sheffield Eagles

Fresh from two away wins, one against Sheffield, Skolars must have been confident walking into this match. Sadly, such confidence wasn't rewarded.

In a brave, but sometimes tetchy, match (the Sheffield 15, a big brute of a bloke, certainly needed a few words from the ref from time to time) Skolars managed to struggle to stay in the game. Although they scored first, their try was a sneaky one, won off a kick - deserved, but all the same, not a sign of powering through the oppositions ranks.

Sheffield did power through, though, they bulldozed, and although scores were level by the third quarter of the match, the reality was that most of the play, and repeat sets, had belonged to Eagles in the Skolars' half.

That well known sign in sport of being outmatched happened in the fourth quarter, the collapse, as the Eagles repeatedly ran over the line - their final try, symbollic of a weary opposition, came from a failed tackle where the Sheffield man bounced his tackler off, and stomped on to score a try.

In a pathetic fallacy, the skies turned to grey, and began to weap a little for the London team.
Skolars 14 - Eagles 34

London Skolars v. Celtic Crusaders

So, I popped along to the New River stadium to watch a bit of rugby league on Sunday. A very enjoyable day I had, I'm sure it will be lovely through the summer to sit in that nice shady grandstand, watching big buggers running into each other on the pitch of Rugby League. I mean, not that I'm a chippy northerner who chose to watch league rather than the Six Nations on the telly, but, I am a chippy northerner who chose to watch league rather than the Six Nations on the telly.

The crowd wasn't huge, but the welsh folk certainly chanted loudly, and there was a bit of banter with the handful of Skolars fans there.

The play bodes well - there were clear differences between the sides. Skolars ground out their two tries, the Crusaders tended to score on the break. Mid-way through the second half a move that epitomised the Crusaders fleet passing play came to naught, blocked by the dogged defending of the Skolars (who must have been a touch sick of standing on their own try line).

10-26 to the Crusaders in the end, but by no means a walk over, especially given the gap between the two teams in the leagues.

There, rugby commentary, an occasional break in normal service, just to give me more time to digest Gordon Brown's fascinating insight into his vision in yesterday's Observer...