Middlesbrough (September 26 2026) – Middlesbrough fell to a narrow defeat in a closely fought season opener at Sandal this weekend.
The team was without a few key players, including player/coach, Ollie Hodgson, who was sidelined with an injury. The visitors had a slow start, with Sandal quickly going 10-0 up, thanks to a converted try and a penalty.
Middlesbrough eventually started to fight back, with the attacking possession alternating between the two teams. Boro backs, Brendan Hill and Matthew Marsay put in some impressive runs, as did the Sandal fly half, Mihali Joannou. It was a move from Boro scrum half, Sam Gaudie that finally broke the defence, cutting through a gap with pace, and feeding the ball to number eight, Marcus Lang to score the try. Hill converted (10-7).
Sandal was next to score, with a penalty from Joannou taking the half time score to 13-7.
Middlesbrough got off to a better start in the second half, with Boro’s Man of the Match, Gaudie wreaking havoc. Hill nailed a penalty given for a high tackle, and then captain, Jack McPhillips bundled over the line for a deserved Boro try, taking them into the lead for the first time. Hill converted, with a beautiful kick from out wide (13-17).
Sandal bounced back immediately, winning the ball from the kick off and feeding on-rushing support to score a converted try under the posts (20-17).
After another period of back-and-forth possession, a gorgeous inside pass from McPhillips to Harry Bryce saw the winger surge over the line. Hill pulled the conversion wide, to leave the visitors 20-22 up with 15 minutes to go.
Sandal grabbed the lead back with a penalty kick minutes later (23-22), setting the stage for a sizzling finale, with Boro pushing to take back the win, and Sandal hunting down a bonus point for four tries. Neither team wanted to kick the ball out of play when regular time was complete.
In the end, it was heartbreak for Boro when Sandal finally crossed the line to confirm the win and gain the bonus point. Middlesbrough’s consolation was a losing bonus point when Sandal’s conversion attempt failed, leaving the score at 28-22.
Captain McPhillips said, ‘We missed some opportunities in key moments, which ultimately cost us the game. But there are a lot of positives to take away. The debuts of homegrown 19-year-olds, Brook Powner and Jake Pemberton were pleasing. Paddy O’Brien also made his debut at the age of 38, and was impressive off the bench for his first taste of level 5 rugby. We will have some key players returning next week, so selection will be a headache, which is what we want.’
The result leaves Boro in eighth place in Regional 1 North East. Boro will host their first home game of the season at Acklam Park on Saturday October 3, with kick off scheduled for 3pm.
