South Shields produce best piece of controlled rugby in years

South Shields dominated from the off, with the start being described by head coach Tom Brooks as the best 30 minutes of controlled rugby, that he has seen from the side since he started coaching them over four years ago.

He said: “I was absolutely delighted with the effort from the team and the way they worked hard to pull our structure together.”

Matty Thornton scored from a pick and go on three minutes, followed by Mark Walker from a quick tap penalty on 12 minutes.

Thornton again scored on 20 minutes after a number of good carriers from back row forwards Clayton Fox, Martin Bengston and Daniel McKay, as good field position was repeatedly achieved as a result of good communication and decision making.

Chester scored on the 27 minute mark which seemed to interrupt Shields’ flow for a period, however they re-grouped in the last quarter and scored two good tries through Michael Nicholson and Marcus Colborne, both the result of sustained pressure and great footwork, vision and speed.

Man of the match was awarded to Daniel Whitelaw who put in some game-changing tackles which seemed to refocus the Hedworth Hall-sponsored side as they claimed another bonus point victory.

The club’s second string travelled to the Riverside to face Chester-le-Street 2nds and cane away with a 47-7 victory as Graeme Atkinson captained the aide in the absence of Graham Erickson.