Rugby special

Somebody once described 80 minutes of rugby league as the equivalent of running a half marathon while being run over by a truck 10 times. It’s an uncompromisingly physical sport, full of juddering full-body collisions and the kind of tackles that would earn you an assault charge anywhere off the field of play.

Yet, for its devotees, it’s a true passion – and never more so than on Challenge Cup weekend. This competition is one for romantics. The country’s amateur teams start out on a journey that could, at least in theory, lead all the way to the Wembley final in June. More realistically, there’s a chance of a shot at a Super League giant from round three onwards this season. The draw ensures that the pro teams are away from home when the enter the competition (with the proviso that venues can be switched, or neutral fields adopted to accommodate the likely crowds). But in round two, it’s a day for the community clubs to shine.

Saturday afternoon took me to York Acorn. Last season, they battled through to round five before losing to Halifax Panthers. This time, in a streamlined format that gets the bigger teams in earlier, they were up against Leeds-based Oulton Raiders for the right to face Hull FC at the next stage.

This is a long way from the Super League. Spectators are well catered before and after the game with a large, comfortable clubhouse. But, during the 80 minutes of action, there’s not much else. A small grass bank down one side of the pitch is about all you get for spectator amenities. It’s a long way from the impressive 25,000-seater MKM Stadium where Hull play their home games.

But this isn’t about swanky facilities. These are the grassiest of roots, a place where most in attendance are fiercely partisan. Loyalties usually date back to playing days: unlike even non-league football, there’s a strong sense that most of those watching either played themselves for one of the two teams, or are currently somewhere in the extensive junior or veteran ranks. It makes for a different atmosphere around the ground and, at least on occasion, more nuanced commentary from the sidelines.

Except, of course, where the referee is concerned. Offside, a contentious rule in most team sports, is a regular bone of contention. To the uninitiated, it seems that the definition of an offside position boils down to “wherever the opposition happens to be standing”. The flattened vowels of the M62 corridor lend themselves nicely to laments of “Ger’um onside, referee” at every play-the-ball. It’s unclear whether an on-field official has ever paid much heed to the dozens of helpful assistants on the touchlines.

Saturday’s second-round clash saw Oulton, fresh from victory at London Chargers two weeks earlier, looking for something of a giant-killing. Acorn are one level higher in the National Conference, and eased into this round with an arresting performance against GB Police. On paper, a straightforward home success seemed likely; in practice it proved a bit tougher.

From the first kick-off, when a York player spilled the ball close to his own try line, inviting Oulton to start the game with six tackles deep in enemy territory, the visitor made things hard in the first half. Yes, Acorn looked more incisive with ball in hand; only some last-ditch defence held up a forward as he crashed over the line midway through the session. But the home team needed a try-saving tackle at the other end. Raiders fought hard and scored the only points of the half with a penalty kick not long before the interval.

All too often, though, the difference between would-be Davids and their opposing Goliaths comes down to fitness, and the ability to play a full 80-minute game. And so it proved here. York tied the game early in the second half with a penalty of their own. Then a poor kick-off and some weak tackling allowed the home team to run the play back down the field for Ryan Gallacher to score the first try of the day.

After that, there was no way back for Oulton. Man-of-the-match Nathan Conroy capped a fine performance with a third try in a 22-2 win, and kicked two penalties and three conversions for a personal tally of 14 of those points. It should be a different story against the professionals of Hull. But for a couple of weeks, York can dream of mighty deeds that might grow from a little acorn.