Senior 1st XV
Match Reports 2007/2008
22nd September
Sunderland travelled down the A19 to West Hartlepool TDSOB on Saturday looking to kick start their league campaign following their two narrow defeats in recent weeks to Horden and Northern. The injury jinx that has hit the club this season gained another victim when Sam Jordan pulled out of the game having failed to have recovered from a knock sustained last week. Mike Deluce, back at the club having been away for the second half of last year, was brought in to replace the unfortunate Jordan.
The game started brightly when Sunderland won the ball from a TDSOB line out and with the ball quickly spun wide full back Mike Deluce joined the line and broke through the defence to score a try with minutes on the clock. Scrum half Paul Tarn took the conversion and hit the upright which was the start of a remarkable sequence of events with the Wearsiders attempts at goal on the day. Shortly after TDSOB missed a penalty before Sunderland again won the ball and having spread the defence looked likely to score only for a mistimed pass to be intercepted allowing TDSOB winger Coutts to intercept and run 50 metres to touch down under the post for a try converted by Cole and TDSOB were 7-5 ahead. From the restart TDSOB committed an offence and Sunderland were awarded a penalty which Tarn took but again hit the upright. The visitors continued to press and from a penalty they kicked for touch allowing the forwards to execute a perfect catch and drive which Pete Harrison touched down for a try, Tarn took the conversion but again hit the upright. Sunderlands lead was short lived though with the home side kicking a penalty from another error and the scores were level at 10-10. The score in no way reflected the the dominant Wearsiders and it was no surprise that following a number of penalties conceded by TDSOB that winger Sam Vaughan crossed the line for a try which remarkably again wasn’t converted with the fourth attempt of the day again hitting the upright and rebounding back ! Minutes later Vaughan again scored and with an almost inevitable sequence the conversion attempt was taken but hit the upright. Sunderland were in control now and the outstanding flanker Ed Britton scored a try but the day was not to be a good one for Sunderland who having changed their kicker to David Baines with Roger Prior coming off with a hamstring strain missing his kick with the ball rolling over just as he was about to strike it ! TDSOB scored the last points of the half when another error by Sunderland gave them a penalty which Cole converted and the half time score was 25-13 to the visitors.
Sunderland looked to kill the game off early in the second half and looked to have done so when skipper Tony Irwin made a blind side break which resulted in another Britton try. Sunderland lost another player when the energetic young prop Dave Williams came off with a shoulder injury. TDSOB then put together their best spell of the match, undoubtedly helped by some naïve tactical play by the Wearsiders, the reward was a try by Howard converted by Cole and somehow the score was only 30-20 in favour of Sunderland. Worryingly Sunderlands second row Peter Carter left the field injured replaced by John Drummond. TDSOB were playing aggressive unspectacular rugby but when Tony Irwin was sin binned for excessive use of the foot when a TDSOB player had again killed the ball a shock result was maybe in the offing. The match was quickly over though when Rob Stormont broke from a blind forward drive for a try quickly followed by man of the match Vaughans third score of the day which was at last converted by Baines with Sunderland winning 42-20.
15th September
Injury-ravage Sunderland suffered a second successive league defeat on Saturday.
The 23-20 defeat against Northern, coming a week after the opening day defeat at Horden, leaves the Ashbrooke side facing an uphill battle in their bid for promotion this season.
The injury problems were compounded before the game with flanker John Padgett and centre Nick Hooper pulling out of the team with a damaged shoulder and ankle respectively.
That effectively left the side eight first-choice players short and those starting knew they had a massive task in front of them, against a Northern side who will again have promotion ambitions of their own this season.
Sunderland started brightly though and took an early lead through an Ian Dobson penalty. But the visitors soon hit back with Andrew Sutherland landing a drop goal and then Paul Scott went over to put the Tynesiders 11-3 ahead.
A good spell for Sunderland saw the lead switch hands. Roger Prior made an excellent break and with Sam Vaughan supporting well, Dan Abraham took the pass to score.
Abraham again touched down after he latched on to the ball after a quick penalty. Sunderland were now 13-11 ahead but had missed both conversions.
The see-saw game continued with back David O'Sullivan crossing the Sunderland line. Sutherland converted to put the visitors 18-13 up but again the lead did not last long.
After a delay for an injury to a Northern player, Andy Mackie burst through
the defence for a try converted by Dobson to give Sunderland a two-point lead.
Northern threw caution to the wind looking for a decisive score — and they got it, running the ball over from their own 22; although poor defence from Sunderland helped them on their way.
With time running out, Sunderland missed a penalty attempt and were held at bay as Northern took the points.
Sunderland chairman Andy Kyle said: "The defeat leaves us with an uphill task if we are to press for a promotion spot again — but any side missing so many players would surely have struggled under the circumstances. And with the team coming so close to beating Northern, the players should not be too despondent."
8th September
Sunderland found relegated Horden too strong in their opening game of the new season, going down 30-25.
Home side Horden, who were without eight first-team regulars, hit the ground running and were 10-0 up in the first quarter scoring a penalty and then taking advantage of poor play in the Sunderland backs when they capitalised on a knock on and scored a fine try and conversion.
Both sides seemed to be over anxious and mistakes were a plenty but Sunderland, who had six players missing, pulled back the score to 10-3 with a penalty by Nick Hooper and looked sure to score when winger matt Goforth had a great run before being stopped by a try saving tackle by Hordens Luke Watson.
Unfortunately in the move Goforth pulled a problematic hamstring and had to leave the field being replaced by Stevie Graham who moved into the centre with Roger Prior transferring to the wing.
Sunderland kept the pressure up and had their best spell of the game and some fine work by flanker Ed Britton looked to have been rewarded by a try but the referee wasn't able to see the ball being grounded and Sunderland were awarded a five metre scrum.
From the scrum Sunderland played a text book back move and Hooper crashed over for a try which he converted and the Wearsiders were level at 10-10.
Sunderland having clawed their way back into the game needed a good start to the second half but again let themselves down when a tackle was missed and Horden broke through for a fine try converted and the score was 17-10.
The game became worse for Sunderland when a player needlessly retaliated to foul play and had a penalty reversed and played the next ten minutes with 14 men. It was Sunderland, however, that were next on the scoring list when after a fine break by Roger Prior flanker Ed Britton crashed over for a try.
Soon after, though, Sunderland lost scrum hlf Matthew Kyle with a knee injury which resulted in winger Sam Vaughan moving to half back, flanker Liam Monte going to wing and Graeme Brown coming on in the forwards.
With the game at a pivotal point, it was Horden who took advantage of another Sunderland mistake to kick a penalty before they again capitalised on a basic error by an Ashbrooke player and they were 27-15 ahead with only ten minutes to go.
Two penalties were exchanged and with minutes left, Sunderland pressurised the Horden line time and time again and following the giving away of four penalties close to their line by the Colliery Men, the referee had no option but to award a penalty try which was converted by Hooper only to be met by the referee's final whistle with Horden winning 30-25.
Sunderland chairman Andy Kyle said: "After such a promising pre-season campaign, we hoped to come to Horden and gain a victory. Unfortunately we lost a number of players through injury at West Hartlepool last week and then had two more players pull out on Friday.
"To make matters worse we then had two further
injuries to key players in the game and the obvious advantage we expected to have with the Horden players missing evaporated.
"That being said the game was still their to be won and the players we brought in tried their best but didn't match up to the youngsters that Horden selected.
"The Horden lads deserved their win because on the day their team as a whole exhibited more desire to play as a unit and win than we did."
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