Brod’s 2’s visited Copley in a hotly contested local derby against Old Rishworthians. The game began with savage defence from both sides, which set the tone for this match. The Brods had an early spell of possession but didn’t make any headway through the Rishworthian
defence, full back Zak Thomson opted for a grubber kick through, however the speedy Rishworthian backs regathered the ball and surged upfield. Desperate defence by the Brods initially held up the attack but a clever chip over the onrushing defenders led to
the opening try under the posts, which was converted for a 7-0 lead. Then ensued a period of attritional rugby as both sides used their forwards to break down the middle on the narrow pitch in greasy conditions. Lots of errors, scrums and several stoppages
for injuries stopped any flow in the game. For the first time this season the Brods had a full subs bench and had to use it as several players took knocks and had to come off. With around 10 minutes to go to half time the Brods hit a purple patch and started
to break down the opposition defence. This resulted in them camping in the Rishworthian 22, earning a couple of penalties. The Brods utilised their imperious lineout to perfection and drove to the line, number 8 Ollie Anderson getting the touchdown, Thomson
missed the conversion, 7-5. Soon after the restart the Brods forwards again battered their way into the Rishworthian 22, led by excellent drives from Tom Ashton and Ryan Harris. Good distribution from scrum half Michael Tuke put intense pressure on the home
defence, and the referee lost patience with the Rishworthian side who encroached offside too many times. Yellow card for the Rishworthian flanker. Brods opted for the lineout and again young hooker Jackson Wood hit his jumper James Heap and the driving maul
earned another try, finished by Jackson Wood, Thomson converted, half time 7-12.

The second half brought more dominance from the Brods as they engineered breaks from both forwards and backs. Good runs by Zac Roberts, Zak Thomson and Ross Minney brought territorial gains and were matched by forwards Pete Williams and Ryan Harris, who were tireless with their efforts for the Brods. Rishworthians gave away several penalties in this period and Zak Thomson dispatched two of them near to the posts for a 7-18 scoreline. The home side had hardly touched the ball for 20 minutes as the Brods dominated the set
pieces and territory. However both sides began to tire due to the intensity of the game and the relentless tackling.

Inthe last 10 minutes of the game the Rishworthians mounted an onslaught in an attempt to get back in the game. They reached the Brods 22 and a slick backs move with a delayed pass allowed the Rishworthian centre to find a gap for a converted try to finish the scoring, 14-18.

The Brods lads managed to hold out for the last few minutes for a well deserved first win of the season.