Bradford Salem 45 Wensleydale 12

Bradford Salem stand on the brink of a return to north-east regional rugby after an absence of 25 years.

Their 45-12 home win over Wensleydale, which was in the balance just after half-time, kept them one point ahead of Wetherby, who beat Hullensians 35-12 at home, in Counties One Yorkshire with one game to go.

The Heaton club have 84 league points and Wetherby are still one adrift with just the matches on April 6 to go, with Salem at West Leeds, who have lost four of their last five, and Wetherby at home to Beverley, who beat West Leeds 27-5 on Saturday.

There is only one automatic promotion place, with the second-placed club having to go to a comparison of results with equivalent league runners-up, which tends to go against Yorkshire divisions due to their competitive nature.

Salem scored seven tries, every one of which had something special about it, but the news on the injury front was not so good, with lock Ian Maycock coming off with a calf injury and Jake Green injuring a hamstring when knocking over a fine conversion from the right touchline.

Both are set to miss the West Leeds clash, but Green reckons that Salem have enough quality in reserve to triumph at Blue Hill Lane.

Winger Green, who has now clocked up 102 first-team appearances, said: “We were not nervous before kick-off due to the squad that we have got and the way that Bob (head coach Hood) had prepared us.

“We were confident that would get the win and the four tries for a bonus point and now we have West Leeds.

“When we were only leading 14-12 early in the second half, our skipper Christian Baines pulled us together and reminded us that we are better than that, and we got the ball back from the kick-off and scored three tries in nine minutes.

“Our confidence never dipped and we have a back line where everyone is an athlete and our forward pack are monsters, we have Callum’s (Smith) skill at scrum half and when you put all of that together you get some unbelievable tries.

“We can score from anywhere and we have got over 100 tries this season. I have got 12 this year, Bainesy has got 10 and Josh (Charnock) and Vasu (Adrea Vasuitoga) both got two here.

“Everyone in the team can score from anywhere and that makes us dangerous.

“As a winger playing outside centres Suaia Matagi and Pauli Pauli, and with Callum and Andy Robinson pulling the strings you just know that you are going to get opportunities to score.

“I didn’t score, which I am annoyed about, but the backs or half-backs scored six tries.”

The downside of the win were the injuries, with Maycock and Green both hobbling off, and Green said: “I am pretty sure that I have torn my hamstring. I have done it before so that might be me for the season, but we have people to come in, such as Aaron Magee, who was on the bench here, Logan Simpson, who wasn’t in the squad, Danny Belcher and Ben Whitaker who can all come in or come back so will still have a right squad and I don’t think that we will miss a beat.”

As for the match at West Leeds, Green said: “They are still a dangerous team and they were tipped for the title before the season started, so we won’t be taking them lightly.

“They have good players all across the pitch and if you go there expecting to win and get five points then you are going to be beaten.”

Green added: “With the talent that we have got down here every season that I have rocked up I thought that we would do something.

“The coaching staff (Bob Hood and Andy Robinson) have been excellent, the players have stuck together and it just shows what you can do with a consistent team, That has been the difference, and with that you get good results.”

As for clocking up 100 first XV appearances, Green said: “I am very proud of that, and at the start of the season I was just thinking about winning something and getting 100 appearances.

“I now have 102 appearances and hopefully the boys will get us over the line to get me some silverware.”

On an afternoon when a biting wind was blowing across the pitch, Wensleydale, as they tend to do, got off to a slow start and were 14-0 behind after 12 minutes.

Despite not taking advantage of a Tom Cummins 50-22, Salem went ahead in the sixth minute, prop Conor Wood bursting through the middle to link with Vasuitoga and Smith, who put full back Josh Charnock over, with Green adding the extras.

Six minutes later, lock Dom Bailey threw two sublime dummies to give Smith the chance to score, Green making it 14-0 from the kicking tee.

Then Wensleydale awoke from their slumbers and, just after Baines was treated for an elbow injury, the visitors scored an impressive pushover try in the 29th minute from No 8 Tom Lawson, which was converted by fly half Jack Reynard.

Salem, who lost Maycock to an injured left calf just before half-time, conceded another try five minutes into the second half to flanker Ewan Metcalfe.

However, the hosts were a different side after Baines’ pep talk and put the game to bed with three tries in quick succession.

Firstly a switch by Robinson gave Charnock the chance to showcase his power and pace to go over in the 48th minute before Vasuitoga showed his fleetness of foot to score on the left two minutes later to wrap up the four-try bonus point, Green’s excellent conversion making it 26-12.

Then Vasuitoga put on the afterburners to run in from 55 metres, again down the left.

With 10 minutes remaining, Salem’s pack got their revenge with a pushover try, hooker James Brown getting the final touch, Green landing the conversion at some personal cost to his hamstring.

And there was still time for centre Pauli to show his determination from a bullocking run with Salem’s seventh try in the 78th minute, Robinson popping over the conversion.