Sat 8 Mar 2025
WPRFC v Sandbach
8th March 2025 – Park suffer heavy home defeat
WPRFC 7 - 64 Sandbach
This week Park welcomed Sandbach to Stade de Burrows Hill for the last home game of the season. The conditions were good, but this was going to be a tough outing with Sandbach currently sitting in third in the league.
Sandbach started the game, and Park secured the ball and took some phases into contact and made ground before kicking down field and let Sandbach take a few phases into contact. The first minutes were very cagey but could see the intent of Sandbach to play running rugby but Park had the first opportunity of the game following a great 50:22 from Jack Williams and Sandbach indiscipline on 7 minutes with a yellow card but Sandbach held us up over the line but Park continued to attack and earned a penalty on 10 minutes which was narrowly missed. The first points of the game came on 12 minutes when the Sandbach winger intercepted a pass near the half way line to score an easy try (0-7). Sandbach were in again on 15 minutes when the same winger intercepted a pass through the backs to score another easy try (0-12) which was another early blow for Park. Park regrouped and had a good period of possession and territory but struggled to find the chink in the Sandbach defence and Sandbach worked hard in getting over the ball and winning the breakdown. Park had a breakthrough on 28 minutes after Sandbach indiscipline gave away a penalty which Park kicked for territory and had a lineout just on the Sandbach 22. The lineout was won and Park attacked but again Sandbach indiscipline gave away another penalty and captain Dan Williams took it quickly and was tackled high and Sandbach gave away another penalty and got a yellow card. Park kicked for the corner and won the lineout and set of a driving maul, but Sandbach were again penalised and Elyjah Sa’u took the quick penalty and scored out first try of the game with Cameron Flanagan adding the extras (7-12). The game restarted and Sandbach were immediately on the scoreboard again when Park cleared their lines, but the ball went straight to the winger who broke a few tackles and kicked through into the 22 and the scrum half picked up and scored (7-17). The final points of the half came on 35 minutes when Sandbach were in again to score their bonus point try before half time when their scrum half picked up from a ruck in the Park 22 and scored an easy try (7-24).
Half time score 7 - 24
With the second half underway this was going to be a tough day if Park could not get a toot hold in this game but Sandbach started off the half as they finished the last with a try on 43 minutes with an easy two on one following quick hands through the backs to put the full back through to score (7-31). Sandbach did not let up and were in again on 51 minutes with a close range try from a lineout 5 metres out and scored on the third phase (7-38). Park had a 14 minute period where we defended well but could not get a proper foot hold in the game even though we worked hard in attack with strong carries but Sandbach defended everything we threw at them and when we did get into a good field position we gave up the ball too easy with errors. Sandbach were in again on 65 minutes with carbon copy of the previous try from close range off a 5-metre lineout (7-43). A further three tries in the last 8 minutes on 72, 77 and 79 minutes closed out the game with an impressive win.
Unfortunately for Park the second half was very much a one-sided game and Sandbach inflicted a 6 try 40-point second half display to run away with the win and leave Park with very little to take away from the game. This was an extremely tough day for Park and with only two away games left in the season (Douglas and Altrincham Kersal) we need a good finish to the season.
Final score WPRFC 7 - 64 Sandbach
Team: Chris Twigg, Dan Davenport, Lewis Pickering, Will Du Randt, Alex De Keyzer, Cameron Flanagan, Jack Williams, Dan Williams, Matt Treacy, Phil Lynch, Josh Gledhill, Joe Hickey, Elyjah Sa’u, Tom King, Joel Gaiden, Richard Hart, Tom Wager and Kieran Taylor
