Then came the main talking point of the match. We all know rugby is a hard game, and that rucking a player out from the wrong side is an acceptable practise. Stamping on a player’s head three times, however, is a different matter, and certainly not acceptable, but this is exactly what Tynedale’s flanker Grant Rastall did to a prone Wilf Barclay. This naturally sparked a reaction from Rugby’s players and a minor fracas erupted. When the dust had settled, the referee called the culprit over and everyone expected a red card to be shown. The fact that the official only issued a verbal ticking off and a warning to both captains is an absolute disgrace. Wilf was forced to leave the field and take no further part in the game with a cut eye and stud marks on his head. At least Lion’s were awarded the penalty!!!

Some promising attacks from the home side were scuppered by the odd poor pass or knock-on which kept giving the initiative back to the visitors. From a lineout on the visitor’s five-metre line, Alex Nash was about to pounce on a loose ball a metre from the try line but he was tackled before he could reach it. A penalty was awarded and Lions opted for the scrum. The ball was spun wide but Hawken knocked on and the chance was gone. Tynedale were not threatening at all, but Rugby gifted them a try when the ball was lost at the base of a scrum on half way, which allowed Murray to run under the posts unopposed. James Hawken had a chance to reduce the deficit with a penalty when the visitors dived over the top of a ruck, but he pulled his kick just wide of the left post.

On a rare excursion into Lion’s 22, the visitors squandered an overlap on their left to end a scrappy first half.

Some poor defence from Rugby early in the second half allowed Tynedale’s Ben Duncan to stroll over for a converted try and a 17-0 lead. A quick tap and run from Toby was halted by a Tynedale player no more than two metres away but play was allowed to continue and the visitors were eventually awarded a penalty. More paper thin tackling by Rugby allowed Massey to score Tynedale’s third try which put them close to claiming the extra bonus point which they desperately needed.

Matt Goode had to leave the field with blood pouring down his face, although he returned shortly after being strapped up. Although you could not class this as a particularly dirty match, some of the off-the-ball tactics of the visitors left a sour taste in the mouth and did not earn themselves the respect of the home supporters.

Rugby pressured the visitor’s try line and following darting runs from Nash and Handley, James Wadey crashed over for a try. At the same time, Sam Overton was flattened by a punch from Tynedale’s Grahame Smith which was unseen by most of the crowd. Toby reacted strongly but the referee had seen the incident and promptly showed Smith the red card. Presumably he deems punching to be more of a serious offence than stamping on someone’s head.

A deft chip from Handley was collected by Goode who returned the ball to him. Handley chipped again but was just beaten to the touch-down for a 22 drop-out. Replacement Michael Rust put in a couple of strong runs down the left touch-line and looked likely to score in the corner from one of them, but was just barged into touch-in-goal before he could ground the ball. Rugby were applying all the pressure at this stage with Tynedale down to 14 men, but a couple more knock-ons surrendered possession and position. The visitors knew they needed the extra bonus point and were desperate to claim their fourth try but Rugby defended stoutly to keep them out and deny them the automatic promotion spot.