Manchester Metropolitan University advance as University Rugby League post-season begins

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Manchester Metropolitan University Men's 1st brushed aside an injury-ravaged Northumbria University Men’s 3rd to clinch a Northern Conference semi-final berth as the BUCS Rugby League national championships began in dramatic style.

MMU showed no mercy to the injury woes of their visitors from Northumbria, and Jack Humphreys’ tenth-minute try, aided by a beautiful chip over the Northumbria defence from his half-back partner Reece Schofield, was just the start of a ruthless attacking display from the ‘Bloranges’ at Platt Lane Sports Complex.

This sparked Humphreys into life and the scrum-half produced a similar chip over the top just minutes later. A huddle of players from both teams converged on the ball with the referee adjudging that the last touch was an MMU one, knocking on in the process.

As well as facing an offensive barrage from their opponents, Northumbria were architects of their own downfall. A lapse in concentration from full-back Olly Egan produced a knock-on 20 metres from his own line, but Northumbria were spared once more as MMU’s Finn Gamble knocked on in his attempt to reach out for the score.

It was merely a brief reprieve as the dancing MMU full-back Lucas Wilkes received the ball in his own half and jinked past the entire Northumbria defence to dot down underneath the posts.

Schofield was not to be outdone by his maverick teammates as he danced through weak tackling to score unopposed under the sticks.

In a rare shift of play to the flanks, centre Aidan Doran flirted with the left touchline and bulldozed his way over the line to add his name to a rapidly-growing scoresheet, despite the visitors’ protests that there was a forward pass in the build up.

Schofield sliced the conversion attempt for his first miss with the boot, a miss that wouldn’t have looked out of place at the nearby Withington Golf Club.

HT: Manchester Metropolitan University 1st 22-0 Northumbria University 3rd

Mistakes proved costly in the second-half for Northumbria as MMU continued to punish them. Nick Taylor failed to deal with a high kick from the hosts, allowing Humphreys to gather the ball and double his tally for the afternoon.

With the game becoming stretched and Northumbria energy levels running low, Wilkes opened his legs and strode across the face of the Northumbria defence, leaving the despairing defenders in his wake to race 40 metres to get his second try of the afternoon. He soon added a third and bagged his hattrick, this time from close range as he pounced on a mistake to power over the try line.

Schofield had the final say in a productive afternoon for the ‘Bloranges’, injecting a late burst of pace to pierce the Northumbria defence and race to the line for the final try, which he nonchalantly converted on the full-time whistle.

The impressive rout of their visitors sets up an exciting trip to South Yorkshire to face Sheffield Hallam University 1st, and with an attacking trio of Wilkes, Schofield and Humphreys, MMU will have their sights set on the final in March.

Full-time: Manchester Metropolitan University 1st 40-0 Northumbria University 3rd

Manchester Metropolitan University 1st:

1. Lucas Wilkes 2. Tom Balkwill-Simmons 3. Aidan Doran 4. Aidan Tolen 5. Lewis Naisbitt 6. Reece Schofield 7. Jack Humphreys 8. Nathanael Sakyi 9. Finn Gamble 10. Cairan Scott 11. Scott Davies 12. Chayse Quigley 13. Harvey Mitton

14. Aryan Gaikwad 15. Tom Eastwell 16. Aron Belle

Tries: Lucas Wilkes (x3), Jack Humphreys (x2), Reece Schofield (x2), Aidan Doran

Goals: Reece Schofield (x4)

Northumbria University 3rd:

1. Olly Egan 2. Kian Maloney 3. Matt Balantyne 4. Dylan Englesman 5. Alfie Owen 6. Nick Taylor 7. Ciaran Noon 8. Corbin Vasquez-Chapman 9. Tom Good 10. Rob Mensah 11. Max Freeman 12. Mike Imadiyi 13. Harry Hufton

14. Jacob Bullers 15. Sam Bratby 16. Mustafa Hassan 17. Dan Thorpe

In the tie of the round, in the National Championship, Aron Smith was the hero for University of Leeds 1st, scoring a try in Golden Point Extra Time to clinch the 32-28 win over University of Exeter 1st, which set up a mouthwatering semi-final against local rivals, Leeds Beckett University 1st.

In the other semi-final, Loughborough University 1st will face Northumbria University 1st, courtesy of their 50-4 win over Newcastle University 1st.

In the National Trophy, Swansea University 1st and Loughborough University 2nd received walkover victories against St. Mary’s University 1st and University of Gloucestershire 1st, respectively, and will face each other in next week’s quarter-final.

Much like their counterparts in Leeds, Nottingham Trent University 1st’s 44-4 victory against University of Exeter 2nd earned them a quarter-final against nearest and dearest rivals, University of Nottingham 1st.

Elsewhere, University of Central Lancashire 1st will travel to Liverpool John Moores University 1st, and Northumbria University 2nd will be hoping to fare better than the 3rds as they welcome University of Hull 1st.

Joining MMU 1st and Sheffield Hallam 1st in the Northern Conference semi-finals is Lancaster University 1st. The Lynx defeated York St. John 1st 38-24 to set up a rematch with University of Liverpool 1st, their second visit to Wyncote Sports Ground in a month.

With University of Warwick 1st receiving a walkover win over University of Oxford 1st, setting up a clash with Oxford Brookes University 1st, the only action to take place in the Southern Conference was University of Cambridge 1st’s 34-16 win over University of Leicester 1st. Cambridge will face University of Cardiff 1st in the semi-final.

By Patrick Bratin