Match report: Rugby Lions v Syston

Lions maintained their 100% winning season going into a fortnight’s break from SSE National 3 Midlands action but newly promoted Syston made it a tough assignment for a Rugby side not recently allowed to demonstrate the high-scoring potency of their earlier fixtures.

With Matt Mountford still affected by his injury at South Leicester, Lions moved Peter Wackett to full back for Harry Ellis to make his first start at outside centre.

In the front row, the returning Ben Buxton replaced Gareth Hardy, who was joined on the bench by fit-again pair, Fraser Tait and Steve Goode.

Syston, coached by former Lion Chris Tarbuck and captained by former Lion Warren Coles, had had to introduce some youngsters to cover absentees but they were able to keep the game tight early on when Lions no. 8 Nigel Mukarati saw a lot of possession taking the ball out of defence.

On 14 minutes, Danny Wright took Lions close to the Syston tryline under the clubhouse balcony and the pack then drove Alex Bibic over the line to break the deadlock.

Leigh Hinton converted from wide out for 7-0 at the start of an another impeccable kicking display from the winger.

But Syston responded through Ian Smith’s penalty at the end of the first quarter.

Rugby then re-discovered their scoring form to settle the game by half time.

Andy Vilk made a brilliant break to send in Wackett for a converted try.

The forwards then took over for Dan Oselton to touch down after the pack drove back the visiting defence.

And the first-half scoring was completed, and with it the four-try bonus point secured, when Hinton scored before himself converting for 28-3 at the break.

The scoring continued soon after the re-start when Mukarati was driven over the line and, at 35-3, the big crowd must have been anticipating much more of the same.

But credit to Syston, it was they who scored next when scrum half Alex Cavner found a way through to score for 35-8 on the hour, at which point Lions introduced Hardy and Goode from the bench.

And surprisingly that was that as far as scoring was concerned.

The game’s highlights through the final quarter were the enterprising runs of Ellis, the short lineout move and run by Oselton and Hardy and the late runs by final Lions replacement Tait.

So job done in terms of a win and a four-try bonus point but Rugby will be disappointed how their game can be allowed to be closed down by poor policing of the offside law.

Result Rugby Lions 35 Syston 8

Rugby Lions: Wackett, Hinton, Ellis, Vilk(c), Hales, Gollings, Needham, Buxton, Oselton, Adams, Bibic, Wright, Raven, Brock, Mukarati. Reps: Hardy, Tait, Goode

Match report by kind permission of The Rugby Lions