On a bitterly cold afternoon at Bodington, the Leeds University Rugby League mens 1s managed to warm to their task and progress to the next round of the cup competition after a thoroughly convincing 60-8 victory over a Warwick side that started brightly, but faded as the game went on.

The Gryphons set the tone right from the off, an impressive move down the wing leading to a try from Theo Thompson. Another quickly followed from Jack Blagbrough after a rampaging run. Blagbrough is on the books at Sheffield Eagles in the Rugby League Championship, and it is easy to see why with his imposing physical presence and strong running causing countless problems for the Warwick players.

Tries followed regularly from then on, with Blagbrough getting his second before captain Ben Finder got in on the act. With Jacob Morgan regularly knocking the conversions over, the scoreboard was already starting to look a touch worrying for the visitors.

While Warwick did manage a try of their own in the 35th minute, this did little to stop the Leeds onslaught and after the break they carried on in exactly the same manner. Morgan scored and converted his own try, before the visitors scored again in the corner in the 53rd minutes. Again, this failed to dampen the hosts spirits and the try-fest continued. With rolling subs, the hosts could ensure all the players stayed fresh and that there were constant replacements on hand. This was necessary after a particularly unpleasant-looking injury where one of the backs emerged from a tackle with a dislocated finger.

Sam King, Nacho Hurtados and Finder all added late tries, as well as Blagbrough, who completed his hat trick. By this point the Gryphons were carving open the visitors defence with ease, and it was simply a question of how many they could get before the final whistle saved Warwick from any further damage. With the final score 60-8, the Gryphons could reflect on an excellent performance and they will now take plenty of confidence into the next round of the competition.

 

Euan Cunningham

 

Image courtesy of sport.leeds.ac.uk