IN what is turning out to be a season of ups and downs, York City Knights enjoyed and endured both on their trip to France for the Tetley’s Challenge Cup fifth round.

Nobody in their right mind gave the injury-hit Championship outfit a hope against Super League tour de force Catalans Dragons, who generally send all-comers to Perpignan packing back to Blighty with little more than a s’il vous plait or a merci beaucoup.

Championship champions Sheffield lost 68-6 here last year, reflecting the difference between full-time and part-time standards in normal circumstances.

These circumstances weren’t normal, though, the Knights travelling with largely an inexperienced reserve team, given the injuries in the ranks and the lack of dual-reg or loan players.

The downside, albeit unsurprisingly, was the result – 92-8 being a record defeat for the Knights (if not York RL as a whole), topping the 74-4 loss to Huddersfield in 2007, also in the cup.

Still, it didn’t come close to the Knights’ own Challenge Cup all-time record score, of 132-0 against Northumbria University.

There were other upsides, too.

The trip for a start was a welcome break for the Knights crew, despite the long journey.

The young lads in the party represented the club, and the city, in fine fashion, and privately Knights chiefs were delighted to return to the hotel after a cheeky pint on Saturday evening to find all 19 players – comprising two young trialists in Ash Haynes and Joe Pickets, three more under-20s players and four reserves – milling around the pool outside their hotel, all together and all in good spirits. Team bonding was part of the exercise, even if half the team weren’t here.

One look at the travelling squad also provided a fillip for the club’s junior system. Of the 19, seven had come through the youth ranks. And that was without teenage hooker Harry Carter, who should have travelled but couldn’t get a passport sorted in time, James Morland taking his place on the plane, if not in the 17. First-team captain and U20s coach James Ford was a proud man back at home.

It was York who took the lead, too, Tom Carr, one of the half-dozen first-team regulars in the line-up, though himself in only his first full season in first-grade, kicking a penalty just four minutes in.

It was no surprise that that was as good as it got, as the Catalans turned on the style, throwing in some quality rugby league too, even if they, likewise, were without a glut of first-teamers, with the likes of Brent Webb, Olivier Elima, Scott Dureau and Aussie legend Steve Menzies among their injured.

It was slightly disappointing how easily they broke some tackles but, hey, it doesn’t really matter.

Try-saving efforts by young Ben Dent and younger Greg Minikin on Damien Blanch, the latter covering across from right to left, and by Dent on Kevin Larroyer, plus a firm hit by Luke Stenchion which cut Thomas Bosc in half, were defensive highlights.

The Dragons, though, were always bigger, stronger and harder in contact and collision, as Pickets will testify, being knocked-out in one hit-up. It was one of the three or four times in which York got into opposition territory in the first half only to cough up possession, knackered out by all their defending.

The visitors’ surprise lead had lasted only two minutes as Larroyer scored the first his four tries. By the time the half-time hooter rang out – sounding more like an air-raid warning siren, ominously enough – it was 46-2.

Leon Pryce, the English representative among the Aussies in the French outfit, had shown his array of skills more than most as tries were created tries for Larroyer (4), rapid full-back Morgan Escare (3), Thomas Bosc, who also ended with nine conversions, and Daryl Millard.

That air-raid siren probably couldn’t come soon enough in the second half, especially when the Catalans restarted with a bang, stretching the visitors this way and that on the big, wide pitch and seemingly scoring at will, so much so the home fans seemed to wish York on more than their own team.

Indeed, even they booed loudly when York had a try ruled out after a rare away attack. Ed Smith surged towards the line after good work by Kriss Brining and Simon Brown, and reached out to touch down – only for referee Thierry Alibert to harshly deem it a double movement.

They did get just reward on their next attack, though, after a similar move saw Smith go close, Brining fighting over from dummy-half for what is becoming a trademark try.

The players’ cheers were audible, and the Brining clan in the stands – Kriss’ mum, dad and two brothers had travelled over from Scarborough – must’ve been chuffed too.

Carr converted, to generous applause, as York at least matched Sheffield’s eight-point tally of last year.

Normal service resumed, though, as Catalans got their side of the scoreboard ticking again, to complete a second-half tally comprising tries for Vincent Duport, Blanch, Jamal Fakir, Zeb Taia, Remi Casty (2) and William Barthau, who added five goals.

Still, when the Knights bust a gut to trap the hosts in-goal to force a dropout late on, it showed they were giving it a go to the end.


Match facts

Dragons: Escare, Blanch, Duport, Millard, Pala, Pryce, Bosc, Simon, Pelissier, Casty, Taia, Larroyer, Mounis. Subs (all used): Barthau, Maria, Fakir, Baile.

Tries: Larroyer 6, 9, 39, 40; Escare 18, 36, 43; Bosc 21; Millard 33; Duport 42; Blanch 47; Fakir 56; Taia 64; Casty 67, 80; Barthau 72.

Conversions: Bosc 6, 9, 18, 21, 36, 39, 40, 42, 43; Barthau 56, 64, 67, 72, 80.

Knights: Carr 7, Elliott 7, Browne 7, Minikin 7, Dent 7, S Brown 7, Presley 7, Potter 7, Iley 7, Aldous 7, Smith 7, Lyons 7, Pickets 7. Subs (all used): Bell 7, Brining 7, A Haynes 7, Stenchion 7.

Try: Brining 60.

Conversions: Carr 60.

Penalty: Carr 4.

Man of the match: Jonny Presley – looked lively again as the Knights always tried to throw the ball around regardless of what was on the scoreboard.

Referee: Thierry Alibert (France) – the ref known as half man, half fish (geddit?) harshly ruled out Ed Smith’s consolation try, a decision which was even booed by home fans.

Penalties: 8-4.

Half-time: 46-2.

Attendance: 3,105.

Weather: sunny but very windy.

Moments of the match: Tom Carr put the Knights ahead, which was just lovely, Kriss Brining got their try, which was deserved, and try-saving tackles by young Ben Dent and younger Greg Minikin were great, even if they only stalled the flow of points.

Gaffe of the weekend: Young Harry Carter couldn’t get a passport sorted out in time so missed the trip.

Gamebreaker: Catalans’ first two tries, after six and 11 minutes, showed the Super League side were in the mood.

Match rating: the scoreline was non bon (to use French parlance) but the Dragons played some very entertaining stuff and the Knights tried to play rugby too.