Ripon RUFC's poor run on the road continues with defeat at Roundhegians RFC
Ripon RUFC's troubles on the road continued on Saturday as they went down 36-25 at Roundhegians.
The Blues have been very good at home so far this season, but have failed to win any of their away fixtures, with this latest loss their seventh in as many Yorkshire Two matches.
The men from Mallorie Park looked to be on course to end that poor sequence of results on their travels after a positive start to the contest saw them take a narrow lead into the interval.
But, Roundhegians had the better of the second period, and finished strongly, running in four tries to take the game away from their visitors.
Although it was Ripon who began the brighter of the teams, the home side broke the deadlock when they kicked a 10th-minute penalty.
The Blues responded strongly. A well-executed line-out maul provided the platform for number eight Davies-Taylor to power over for the first try of the afternoon, handing the visitors a 5-3 lead.
Minutes later, solid midfield work from Lewis Simpkin and Tom Graham created space for winger Alex Riley to sprint away for Ripon’s second touchdown, converted by Morgan Clark for 12-3.
Roundhegians managed to hit back with their opening try to trim the deficit to two points at half-time, but the Blues went over again early in the second half after a yellow card saw the home team reduced to 14 men.
From another efficient line-out drive, Davies-Taylor powered his way across the whitewash for a second time to make the score 17-10.
But, Ripon themselves were soon down to 14 due to the sin-binning of Jacob Drane, and Roundhegians capitalised with a converted try that saw parity restored.
A midfield fumble then gifted the hosts an overlap, leading to a converted try and a 24–17 lead.
The Blues remained composed, and some good pressure earned them a penalty which Clark kicked to make it 24–20 with 12 minutes remaining.
Roundhegians would however go on to end the game as a contest with two tries in quick succession that saw them seize a commanding 36-20 lead.
Ripon did have the final say when prop Keith Anderson went over from close range to secure the four-try bonus point, but the final whistle sounded soon afterwards.
The Blues remain seventh in Yorkshire Two despite their loss, with a home clash with struggling Halifax to come this Saturday.