Lancaster Rugby 1st XV faced off against Bangor University on Saturday 10th, with a convincing win of 20-3; as the referee quoted, they acted with “strength and guile”. Using their superior pack of forwards to dominate the scrums and line-outs, Lancaster repeatedly stole possession, forcing their opposition to be on the back-foot, clearly highlighting how much work Bangor have to do if they are to stay in their newly promoted league position. Defensively, Lancaster were solid, countering several charges from Bangor and instrumenting impressive hits, with number 13 thumping a Bangor player early on the game, setting the tone of for a physically tough defensive line. The final outcome was three Bangor players being carried away, with one especially crunching hit from the Lancaster number 8, leaving the opposing player on the ground for a good five minutes. However, Lancaster’s defence does have some room for improvement, with gaps being exploited by the opposition backs.
Offensively, Lancaster were very good, using a combination of set plays, quick ball from the ruck, and good passing, all of which quickly put Bangor under pressure. However it wasn’t all plain sailing, as Bangor gained the majority of possession in the first quarter, but once Lancaster gained the ball, they rapidly added points to the scoreboard. With the help of conceded penalties, Lancaster quickly took full use of them, with the number 6 scoring a try after several phases on the touchline . This followed with another successive try 10 minutes later by a swift counterattack, where Lancaster swept the ball to the wing, finishing it with clinical precision by the number 13. Two more successive tries were scored in the second half, the first being set up by the Bangor defence fumbling the ball when trying to catch a sky rocketed kick by the Cats fullback. A swift turnover followed, which ended with a try by the Lancaster loosehead prop, and a fourth try finished off on the wing by one of the Lancaster’s number four. The one aspect that needed obvious improvement was Lancaster’s kicking game, however if they keep on playing this standard of rugby, they will have high hopes of reaching the promotion spot they wish for.
