Vanbrugh came into this match on the back of a heavy defeat to Alcuin the previous week, so this match promised to deliver a physical encounter to repent for the shortcomings of their last game. The omens seemed to be in Vanbrugh’s favour from the kick-off, with the Halifax team short of two men for the first twenty minutes of the game. Yet despite the advantage in numbers, the Vanbrugh team could not capitalise in what descended into a scrappy first ten minutes of play, seeing Mark Hendicott having to relieve the constant pressure applied by Halifax from within Vanbrugh’s 22-metre line with a long clearance kick.
Vanbrugh soon composed themselves though, and began to make serious headway into the Halifax half, the possession swinging heavily in their favour, and only the stalwart defence of the Halifax team prevented their line from breaking amidst barging runs from Mark Gibbard and the Vanbrugh left wing. Yet for all the phases of attacking play the Vanbrugh team could not find the try they were so desperate for, and the lack of composure and poor handling resulted in possession being gifted back to Halifax after frequent knock-ons and missed passes. On the other hand, Halifax were clinical whenever they reclaimed the ball, and despite the forward momentum having been with Vanbrugh for the vast majority of the first half, a scything run from Jake Baldwin through the centre of the Vanbrugh line from a phase of play down the left wing saw Halifax 7-0 up at half-time.
The second half saw Halifax continue their attacking form, with Joe Cormack making ground and fending off a tackle with a vicious hand-off. Vanbrugh though, were not to be outdone. Some good phase play saw James Stavrakakis cut deep into the Halifax twenty-two, but once again poor hands saw the effort falter before the line. Halifax, however, managed to find another gear, and a combination of cutting lines and solid ball retention saw the forwards picking and driving on the Vanbrugh try line. The valiant Vanbrugh defence could only hold on for so long, and after some huge collisions from both sides Halifax broke through and scored under the posts. Although 14 points down, the Vanbrugh team did not let their heads drop, and continued to force Halifax back, only for the lack of execution to let them down once again. With ten minutes to go, Halifax piled on the pressure, camping themselves in the opposition twenty-two and falling just short of the try-line, their only reward a penalty 30 metres out which narrowly missed the target.
The final whistle saw Halifax celebrating a 14-0 win forged from fantastic counter-attacking rugby, and Vanbrugh ruing the chances missed from so many handling errors.