Moseley 20 - Leeds 29

[gary]

This was the sort of game (if it had been soccer) where the home supporters would have been leaving in droves by half-time. Leeds scored 4 tries in the first 15 minutes when they moved the ball beautifully, ran fast and straight from deep, and made our defence (which has been really good recently) look really bad. During this half we chose not to kick our penalties but to kick for touch and unfortunately our line out (again a good point recently) failed. By half time it looked as though they would win by the proverbial barrow load.

Remarkable turn around in the second half. We played some lovely rugby, clawed our way back in to the game and at 26-20 down I thought we might sneak it. Ollie had a chance to make it 23-26 but just missed a penalty (no blame there, how many times has he saved us this and many other seasons).

It is obvious to say it but you cannot give a team a 23 point lead after 20 minutes and expect much. If only we could put in an 80 minute performance.

Some really good performances (from about the 20th minute, not before). I thought Waller was outstanding again up front as was Robinson and Simon Hunt got into the game at last and showed us glimpses of what he can do.

If only we could forget about that first 15 minutes.

I hope no one left at half time!

[philhall]

You must be getting soft oddsox. I didn't think it was cold.

As for the game. Brief summary.

First 20 mins lesson by Leeds in speed of delivery, straight lines, good support play, clinical finishing.

Leeds in full control.

Second 20 mins stubborn Moseley resilience, line out non existent, lots of pressure in Leeds 22 but no score.

Moseley were slightly better than par with Leeds for the second 20 mins.

Half time 3 - 26.

Second half. A different Moseley. Same players but now with nowt to lose - played brilliant.

Believed in themselves, swarmed all over Leeds and ran at them from everywhere, kept the ball in hand - how often have we shouted to the team KEEP THE BALL IN HAND AND RUN WITH IT - and broke the gain line time after time.

Line out still poor though but much better than first half.

Billy Robinson had some cracking runs but why wait till the end of the season to give him - and Simon Hunter - the ball.

Carter had a storming game at centre in both defence and attack .

Moseley forward had Leeds in all sorts of trouble making them concede 2 yellow send offs.

With about 5 mins to go and Moseley already in bonus territory Dickinson made a lovely break and should have gone for it himself to potentially take the lead. Not to be.

Leeds got a penalty back and took the win possibility and, more important at the time, the losing bonus off us.

Ollie then just failed to win back the losing bonus.

In the end although Leeds deserved to win - if only for the first 20 mins - they were lucky not to have lost at the death.

Well done Moseley but, unfortunately no points.

[robheap]

Why oh why do we not Start playing until the 20th minute?
by this time leeds had scored four tries and we were outclassed.
after that we picked up and in the second half we outgunned them all round.
Although I did feel Leeds maybe thought they had won it by half time and eased off,
I think we worried them at 26-20 and they just turned their power back on to secure the win,
Ollie missed the bonus point pen but cannot be blamed, we should have started playing from the first whistle
And might even have won it if we had done.
Look forward to Roth next Saturday, our annual away day.

[philhall]

Good morning troops. It is a beautiful sunny morning, a morning which, fittingly, signals the dawn and the emergence of a revitalised and rejuvenated Moseley Championship League Rugby Club.

In the second half of the Leeds home game last night Moseley were, in essence, as cool and calm, as controlled and calculated, as assured and competent, as inventive and confident, as thrilling and entertaining, as they were abjectly inept in the first 20 minutes.

The signs of revival were there after the first awful 20 minutes, when they shipped 4 effortless tries, one penalty and 26 points in return for a solitary an early and paltry 3 points. Slowly, but surely, they began to claw themselves back into the game. They ran their all penalties. As I have said earlier there was nowt to lose. At that point, in all but sense and purpose the game was well and truly lost. OK, a Leeds player sin binned in helped them but, never-the-less, respond they did; in spite of a dreadful line out; in spite of a couple of penalties conceding huge territorial advantage; in spite of a resilient Leeds defence of their line; and in spite of all the odds against them.

And what I feel was as significantly important as the claw back was that it started, on the field of play, with the players themselves - not a bollocking from the coach at half time.

The second half was scintillating to a delight to watch as a totally different Moseley team came out to play. Even the claw back looked mediocre as Mosley tore into Leeds at every opportunity and from every conceivable angle. The handling and the link play Moseley forward and backs was sublime to say the least and was a joy to behold. They took Leeds on at their own game and boy oh boy did they play well. Oh for more of that these past few nail-biting months; and for the next two games.

Words of sufficient superlative eloquence are incapable of describing the transition from expected losers to potential winners; so I will not try to find them but, just as with the wonderful EDF cup final performance at Twickenham, it was a performance I will remember for ever.

Come on Mooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooose

[grooveavenue]

I feel totally deflated. All that superb effort in the second half for (can I say this).... NOWT!

Mose don't have 4 tries in them............and Leeds knew it. Mr Edwards message to the team even after 20 mins - and in light of upcoming fixtures to secure top four placing - no injuries, no reds. And so it was. Leeds just had to maintain composure and their victory was sealed. Yes, they had a scare but they could afford it.

Moseley's pre-match warm up seemed intense and focused so I really was expecting a much better start than happened.

Mose can well do without my comments at the precarious position they find themselves in. Titans will want to go out with a bang at home and Bedford may still have to qualify. Moseley have to ask themselves can they repeat last nights second half performance against teams with something to prove?

Moseley made last night a great match to watch but the hidden issues of performance remain for Kevin and David.

[gary]

Blimey Phil. You must have had a good night's sleep or you got someone else to write that for you!

That post was almost poetic particularly the sublime use of the English language. I didn't know you had it in you!

[Rich]

I missed my first home game in many years last night as, despite my best efforts to get there, a shock absorber collapsed on my car just off the M42 and a tyre blew out on the suspension spring at the same time - nobody hurt except my bank balance and a very late night after an AA tow back to Rugby.

My wife told me the score at 20 minutes (after much internet coaching via mobile) and for a while I thought I was having a better night where I was! Gutted to have missed the fight back but has there been a worse start to a match at Billesley?

[gav1978]

Well, nobody can say they didn't get their £17 worth of entertainment last night.

First 20 minutes Leeds completely outclassed us. I've accused us of being slow starters in the past but credit where credit is due - that 20 minute display from Leeds was some of the best running rugby I've seen at Billesley. In fact it was the best. They looked a class apart and I thought a cricket score was in the offing. No criticism of our lads at all - they just didn't have any answers to that display of pace and power.

After that, maybe Leeds did ease off a little with the bonus point secured. But, I'm not so sure. Maybe for the remainder of the first half, where Moseley could and should have narrowed the gap just before half time. But certainly not in the second where they were restricted to a meagre 3 points and seemed unable to raise their game as the points differential narrowed. Moseley really turned it around and on any other night would have come away with at least the bonus point they merited. The silence that descended on the sidelines when the touch judges failed to lift their flags, signalling a rare Ollie penalty miss from what was for him a routine position, was devastating.

Onwards and upwards to Rotherham next week. C'mon on Mose!!!!

[kingsheathlad]

I don't think any championship side would have lived with Leeds for those first twenty minutes.
To come back from that and go so close shows the spirit and character of the team.If they sho that at Rotherham we have every chance of coming away with something.

[kingsheathlad]

Just noticed Rotherham are playing Pirates on Wednesday this week,so they will have two games in four days.That might help us a bit on Saturday.

[Gerald the Fish]

Bedford and Donny both have Weds fixtures as well against each other. So I can't see Donny having the depth of squad to go and beat Bedford and then Plymouth 4 days later and still able to gain enough points to catch us. Donny and Jersey still have to play each other. And Bedford may want to protect it's better players for the promotions so could well put out a below par team. If we play like we did against Leeds in the second half we'll beat Rotherham. Leeds beat Roth 24 7 so we gave a better account of ourselves. It's looking like this could play out very excitingly indeed. Come on Mose.

[shaky]

Don't forget that our best finish was the year we had fixture pile-ups all over the place. Team seemed to be fired up by two games a week. Take nothing for granted lads!

[Gerald the Fish]

Well said Shaky, Nothing for granted is the key phrase. We need to go out and exploit a decent second half performance against Leeds and believe in ourselves that we can play excellent rugby. We are capable of scoring tries against the best teams. We can't RELY on the other results but we can take confidence from our position and have the bottle to go out and play an aggressive game. If we do that from the outset I'm sure we will beat Rotherham, who are coming of a two games in seven days stretch, and may have injuries/weaknesses etc. Next weekend is ours. If you're not going to the away game there may still be space on the MSA coach. Let's get up there with a big support base and show the lads we're behind them. If we do we will win and we'll be safe. Come on MOSE........LEY.

[studleyken]

Only 1 seat left on the Rotherham Coach. 1st come 1st served then. Don't miss the opportunity to see us beat Roth. and give us a celebration game against Bedford. It will be a fun day out whatever the result. If the team play like they did for 60 mins last Friday, they can beat anyone.
Come on you Mooooose and Mose fans.