If it wasn't for the fact that Park were the home side, any bystander would have thought their minds were still on the bus, as Tigers struck inside 2 minutes with a try by Leach. The visitors won good ruck ball inside the Park half and ran the ball wide to score in the corner after some inept tackling.
Park responded from the restart, and for a spell, pressurised the Tigers line, and in fact Rutter was unlucky not to score after a clearance kick from Canadian Chuck Baumberg was charged down. Rutter did get on the score sheet soon afterwards however when the visitors were adjudged offside, and he converted the penalty.
Sheffield Tigers scored their second try when scrum half Pearson made a break giving an inside pass to Baumberg who fed winger Jonathan Cox to score in the corner after more shirt tugging than tackling by the home three quarters. The wind was proving difficult for the kickers and the try remained unconverted.
The Tigers now had their tails up and scored the simplest of tries when scrum half Neil Pearson picked up from the back of a scrum inside the 22 and left the Park back row for dead waltzing through a gap wide enough to drive a coach and horses. Whilst the Percy Park pack were more than coping with their opposite numbers, it was the one on one tackling which let the home side down badly. This was such a different performance from that of 7 days ago away to Driffield.
Sheffield continued the pressure and score 2 more first half tries from Cox and blindside David Price and at half time Park were on the wrong end of a 27 - 3 score line.
Coach Paul Jobson dished out the hairdryer treatment at half time and, with the wind at their backs the home side staged a revival and a much improved second half performance. Liam Blackburn scored Park's opening try with a powerful run breaking through the Sheffield Tigers midfield to score. Unfortunately Rutter missed the conversion, but made up for it soon after with a penalty to take the score to 11 - 27.
Percy Park's forwards were getting the better of the visitors pack and went close on a couple of occasions with driving mauls. It was from one of these mauls that scrum half Chris Dalton sniped over from 5 yards out to score his debut try for the club.
Despite sustained pressure and Sheffield hardly venturing into Park territory for most of the second half, 27 points was always going to prove difficult to overhaul, and the game finished Percy Park 16 - 27 Sheffield Tigers.
Percy Park Ist XV have a friendly game at Preston Avenue this Wednesday evening, ko 7pm against Northumbria University.