Fast-Growing LJMU And Manchester Sides Set For D2 Northern Final
LJMU Fury And Manchester Tyrants Are Growing Sides With Similar Stories, Going Head-To-Head For A First Ever Title. We Chatted To Fury's Laurent Tshimanga And Tyrant Sam Purkiss About How They Got Here...
6 months, 8 regular season games, and countless hours practicing in the mud, all come down to the final game of the season, and those get underway tomorrow in Division 2, with Portsmouth facing Oxford in the south, and Liverpool John Moores facing Manchester in the north.
For the northern sides, this clash feels like a fitting climax to years of work. The two teams, despite being also-rans, were fierce rivals in the days of the old North West division, and since being separated this year, have both had their strongest seasons ever.
Three years ago, the Manchester Tyrants finished their season 0-7. “It was heart breaking, it really was,” said club president Sam Purkiss. The nose tackle and his team embarked on a four-year plan to turn their fortunes around and beat university sports’ traditional three-year cycle. Increased funding from the university’s Athletic Union has allowed the team to improve its coaching staff and training facilities, transforming themselves from a group of guys practicing in the park to a legitimate football program, and their close relationship with the senior league’s Manchester Titans increased their access to equipment and allowed them to build cohesion and consistency. That has all resulted in this season finishing 8-0, and a convincing victory over Coventry Jets in the semis brings them to the final full of confidence.
LJMU Fury, meanwhile, have also been building on and learning from exploits in the senior league, sharing many players and coaches with Premiership North new boys the Merseyside Nighthawks, including star running back Laurent Tshimanga, currently in his 4th and final season with the Fury. The GB player was part of the Fury team that made its first ever post-season appearance in the old Plate Trophy in 2014 on the back of their first ever winning record (6-2) and lost to Hull Sharks in the dying moments of the R16. He says those painful memories were revived the moment they qualified for this year’s play-offs.
“Losing against Hull was a big downer for the team, and I personally in my head just knew it was an opportunity to do one better than what we did at Hull. It’s like redemption. I was so focused on winning the semi-final because I wanted to help take the team further than it’s ever been.”
LJMU went 7-1 this year, only slipping in a dead-rubber against Bangor, and returned to the post-season in style, romping to a dominating 30-0 win at Edinburgh Napier Knights last week largely thanks to Tshimanga’s stunning touchdown, the third of the game on which he leapt over a Napier defensive back into the end zone from the five-yard line.
“Everyone went crazy!” he enthused, describing the impact the moment had on his team. “The whole momentum of the game just shifted in our favour after that. Everyone was buzzing, and to know the guys have so much love for you, that’s the kind of team we are, everyone really gets behind each other.”
"I Genuinely Want This So Much, Not Just For Me, But For The Team That’s Done So Much For Me" - Laurent Tshimanga, LJMU Fury
Sam admits Manchester had been expecting to face the Knights due to LJMU’s 12-hour round trip, but is excited to face a team he has enjoyed playing against in the past.
“We’ve been in a league with LJMU for a few years before this season, so we know they’re a good side, but we were surprised to see Napier not score on them.
“There’s obviously a lot of beef between our two cities, and with the greatest respect to Manchester Metropolitan, we usually go into that game expecting that it’s going to be a win for us. LJMU was always our derby, and it’s always a very close game and a very physical game. We can’t wait, because we lost to them 14-12 last season, and through some very silly mistakes on our part. For us, it’s about making that right.”
Laurent, though, perhaps because of the fact his side have already played four local derbies in the regular season against University of Liverpool and Edge Hill, is doing his best not to think about the opposition.
“For me personally, it doesn’t matter who’s in front of us, it’s always a grudge match. It doesn’t matter if it’s Liverpool, Edge Hill, it’s not so much who we’re playing but how we play, that’s the most important focus for me.”
With both teams having already secured promotion to Division 1, Sam and Laurent along with their fellow graduating players can rightfully feel that their respective projects have been a success, and their work is done, and the last thing remaining is to try and bow out with their team’s first crown. They are both keen to leave their team with something of a ‘thank you gift’.
“When we won last week, the Coventry Jets boys were in tears, this means so much to everyone. We would have been the same way. A lot of our guys are graduating, and this is our last big hurrah,” said Sam. “Our coaching staff have been fantastic all year, second to none. They all do it for the love of the game, and we can’t thank them enough.”
Laurent added: “It’s been an emotional journey. Me personally, my confidence as a player and a person has gone up so much, to go from being a rookie to a captain and a leader on that field. I genuinely want this so much, not just for me, but for the team that’s done so much for me, because they deserve it.”