You know what you’re going to get with the Sandal Junior Colts.

That can’t be said of everything you come across in life.

I did a guest lecturer spot at a school recently; it was my specialist subject…Religious Studies. I thought I’d find out what the children knew so I asked one lad ‘who knocked down the walls of Jericho?’

He said ‘Well, I didn’t do it’!

I couldn’t believe it, so at break time I told one of the teachers. She said ‘Was it a little lad with glasses and a crew cut?’

I said ‘Yes’

She said ‘Well if he said he didn’t do it, he didn’t do it’!

Unbelievable! I couldn’t leave it there, so I went to see the head teacher. I told him about the lad; I told him about the teacher; I told him that I thought it was a poor reflection on the school. And he said ‘Look, if it’s that important to you…we’ll build you a new wall’.

No, unlike the walls of Jericho, you know where you stand with Sandal Junior Colts. They are becoming the Ronseal of rugby. Their performances in the league this season are beginning to reach a level of consistency which is quite admirable; and even if they don’t quite hit top gear they do at least endeavour to play fast flowing rugby and to keep up the momentum and take the game to their opponents.

Cleckheaton were the latest team to see if they could bring the Sandal walls a-tumbling down. Shall we see if they managed it? Yes? Well then read on, theologians, read on.

Sandal 57 v 3 Cleckheaton
No they didn’t!

Sandal maintained their impressive start to the league campaign with their 4th straight win, and it was another convincing display. Other than a brief period in the second half when Cleckheaton started to move the ball with some purpose, Sandal dominated the proceedings, controlled possession and scored a plethora of excellent tries.

That’s not to say that Cleckheaton were mere bystanders; by jiminy, no! They worked hard defensively, and competed well at the tackles and around the rucks. And in the aforementioned period of prominence in the second half they showed that they can use the ball well given chance.

But from very early on the game belonged to Sandal and they capitalised on the scoring chances they created to take the game away from Cleckheaton, and by half time it was over as a contest.

The scrums were uncontested today, which is understandable for safety reasons but does turn the game a bit ‘rugby league’.

Sandal’s early possession soon paid off when Taylor finished a good move which had started down Sandal’s right and then moved smartly along the back line to the left where Taylor took a super pass inside and ran clear to score.

Cleckheaton’s forays into the Sandal 22 were not numerous, but when they did press forward, on the 10 minute mark, they were awarded a penalty – just one of the quadrillion they got today. OK, it wasn’t a quadrillion, but it was over a million, if my calculations are correct. Oh, hang on a minute, they aren’t correct. Apparently, it wasn’t a million it was 127.

So, anyway, Cleckheaton elected…OK it wasn’t 127, it was ninety…sixty…numerous. Yes, numerous is what it was.

So Cleckheaton kicked this one to make the score 5 – 3.

Now the regular reader will know that I am not a fan of kicking penalties at this stage in the lads’ rugby development, and I’m not sure what it said about Cleckheaton’s game plan. But on the other hand, they scored it and if they hadn’t have done that they would have not registered on the scoreboard at all today.

So, make of it what you will: you’re entitled to your own opinion, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Anyway, Sandal responded immediately and drove the play into the visitor’s 22, with the forwards gaining good ground. A penalty to Sandal – one of just two they were awarded today…OK it was more than two, it was closer to five…alright, they got a few – and Fox took it quickly, fed Garrity and the backrower drove for the line. He was stopped short, but hooker Henshall was tracking the play well and he scooped up the presented ball and dived over. Fox converted.

And for the rest of the half Sandal dominated and ran up a match-winning score.

From a scrum Wilkes made ground and supplied Fox. Cawthrow ran a great line to take Fox’s pass and broke clear of the line to score. Fox added the extras.

Then it was Wilkes’ turn to finish a great team move as Sandal, using the ball well and securing it safely on the tackles, took the ball out left. Taylor made some distance and when he was tackled Wilkes took the little pass inside and left the Cleckheaton defence behind. Fox added 2 points to make it 26 – 3.

Henshall scored his second with another opportunist try, supporting the runs of Fox, Wilkes and Coopey until Sandal were stopped close to the line and Henshall collected the ball and powered over. This lad certainly has the pace to score from 2 or 3 metres. Fox was on target with the conversion.

Fed up with just kicking points, Fox decided to score a try. He took the ball from Tovey (who had retrieved a clearance and made good ground with a smart run) and set off on an amazing run; a mazy run; an amazy run, from the Sandal 10 metre line, refusing to be stopped by any attempted tackle and scored a super try. Ironically, he missed the kick!

And Sandal ended the half with another excellent piece of skill. This time it was Tovey who finished superbly. Feeney retrieved a loose kick and presented it well on the tackle. Coopey took up the ball and made a break on the blind side of the ruck. Finally stopped, he shipped to Tovey who threw a colossal dummy which wrong-footed the entire defence and gave him the sniff of a gap. He darted through it and scored. Contrary as ever, Fox converted this one.

And so at the interval Sandal led by 45 points to 3.

They were not going to lose the game, but would they be able to repeat the scoring frenzy in the second half? Find out after this commercial break, we’ll be right back.

Welcome back.

In fact, Cleackheaton had a better second half. They focussed on using the ball and tested the Sandal defence more. The home side proved up to the test, defending well across the line whenever called upon, but at least Cleckheaton were proving what a good team they can be.

For much of the half the teams cancelled out each other. There were a lot of stoppages, ‘numerous’ penalties and the game lost its fluency.

However, the stalemate was broken a couple of times by Sandal as they added to their substantial first half tally. Firstly, Taylor did well to evade tackles and hold off challenges to break clear and score. Fox converted.

And last, but by no means least, Henshall completed an impressive hat-trick – his first since a glorious treble in an Under 7’s training session – when he was on hand to pounce on a fumbled pass from a Cleckheaton scrum 5 metres out.

All in all, another fine performance from Sandal who played, for much of the game, the way they have been doing all season. Credit to both the players and the coaching team who demand and encourage this style of rugby. Credit too to Cleckheaton who, despite being on the receiving end of a hefty battering in the first half, found the resolve to lift their game after the break and make things much more difficult for Sandal. But Sandal do have inking effectively between the units.

So, next time you pick up a tin of Ronseal, if it says ‘an encouraging balance of skills, with forwards and backs combining to play fast continuous rugby’ on the tin, it will be Sandal in the tin.

More likely it will say creosote.