All Blacks take on higher level opposition

The All Blacks visited Scunthorpe IV, and were only beaten 15-13.

The home pitch was not playable, therefore the game took place at the Heslam Park ground in Scunthorpe and the All Blacks had the opportunity to play in front of a good, but partisan Scunthorpe crowd.

The All Blacks team included Kyle Dean, making a rare appearance, and Tristan Adams who is learning the game on the wing.

The Nathan and Tom Parkinson partnership carried on at half back and the All Blacks went on to give a very good account of themselves.

In typical Gainsborough style they did not start playing until the opposition had scored but they then settled down and matched all the home side could throw at them in the forwards.

The second half saw both sides have the advantage at different times, Gainsborough came back into the game to score a penalty through Tom Parkinson to make it 5-3.

Gainsboorugh then stretched into the lead through a try from Dean, following a break from Chadwick who drew the full-back and passed to put Dean in.

Parkinson converted and Gainsborough were 10-5 up.

Scunthorpe came back through a penalty awarded for a forward infringement, but Gainsborough converted another penalty to stay 13-8 ahead.

But the win was to escape the All Blacks as Scunthorpe came back with five minutes to go, scoring a try under the posts after their centre had crashed through.

Man of the Match was Elliot Humphrey but there were a number of good performances, especially Chadwick, Taylor, Parkinson and Turner.

Adams had another successful game.

Next the week the club have both the All Blacks and the Maori sides in action, and both will be looking to improve their merit table points total.