Sat 20 Sep 2025
The National Cup has been revamped this year; fixtures dispersed throughout the league season rather than confined to the end of the campaign. This has not been without issue. Fortunately, both Rolls Royce & the Vikings were able to field sides, meaningful that the match didn’t succumb like so many others to being a walkover.
That being said, it was a limited squad that travelled to Derby. Small in size but great in quality, the Vikings raced into an early 14-0 lead thanks to two excellent finishes from Winger Harry Greenbury and touch line conversions from debutant Zak Loveridge. Soon after it was 19-0, a strong carry in the midfield by Hooker Kian Wright allowing Centres Nathan Thornton and Dave Maguire to combine in the far corner, the latter eventually touching down. It wasn’t however all one way traffic, some poor defence and difficult handling conditions in the rain meaning that Rolls Royce had plenty of possession and territory. However, the final score of the first half would belong to the away side. A returning James Thompson featured in a pack which won a penalty try against the head, the opposition scrum disintegrating under relentless pressure. 26-0 at the half.
Two more tries for the Vikings followed early in the second half, both going to Full Back Loveridge. The first was a well-executed first phase score, Loveridge well timed run allowing him to break the would-be defenders attempting tackle and race away. Soon after Sawbridge would steal a Rolls Royce line out on their 22 to create an attacking platform. Some nice interplay between Rideout and Collison created the momentum for Thornton to put Loveridge into space. 10 points for the Full Back and the Vikings in the second half – 36-0. The rest of the scoring would belong to the opposition. Sadly for the Vikings much of this was self-inflicted. High tackles, offsides and back chat giving the opposition the field position and possession needed to threaten. This combined with a series of yellow cards and injuries meant that the eventual 11 man Vikings had the near impossible task of holding the line against a full complement. Inevitably the home score scored, and then did so again.
36-12 the final score. A place in the next round secured.
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