Rugby League Coaching Manuals

Gateshead Storm 16 Bramley 48 – Thunderdome, Gateshead Stadium
Bramley took their points difference to 200 up with another classy display in a match that was a curtain-raiser to Gateshead Thunder’s Carnegie Challenge Cup tie with St Helens.

Storm looking to build on last week’s impressive win over Carlisle were behind in the opening minute and were in danger of being overwhelmed in the first quarter as the Buffaloes, led by second rower John Elliker, relished the bigger stage.

Elliker grabbed his first of three tries when Paul Drake’s kick off into the high swirling wind was recovered by a Bramley player and, following a couple of strong drives, he crashed over an unstoppable charge.

Elliker doubled the lead with less than five minutes on the clock after poor Storm discipline in front of their own posts saw him hit a gap to cross allowing Drake the simple extras from bang in front.

Storm, who had been starved of possession for the opening period, then gained good field position when Dean Jamieson’s 40/20 pinned the visitors deep in their own half but they failed to make the most of the reprieve when they knocked on from the resulting set.

They were then made to suffer further when another swirling Drake bomb was not dealt with by Storm full back Crawford Matthews gifting Nicky Fontaine a simple run in.

Matthew Booth completed a near-perfect opening quarter with Bramley’s fourth try but Gateshead hit back with their opening score on the half hour mark, their best on the day centre Mark Dack running a nice angle out wide on to a short ball from Jamieson, Steven Coutts adding the difficult extras from out wide.

Storm were then were reduced to 12 men just before half time, Neil Emmerson’s professional foul preventing a Buffaloes scoring opportunity, Paul Drake’s penalty goal putting the visitors in 24-6 ahead at the break.

Storm reduced the deficit after the break, starting strongest when Reece Young was quickest to react to Jamieson’s grubber, touching down ahead of the covering Andy McGann.

Coutts was on target again with the goal and Jamieson then crossed for a score of his own, neat footwork beating the sliding defence and leaving them flat footed to bring the hosts to within two scores and raising hopes of a shock upset high going into the final quarter.

Bramley rallied and finished as they had started, Elliker completing his hat trick running onto Drake’s clever inside ball with 15 minutes remaining.

Aidy Manley followed him over the whitewash moments later gathering Drake’s chip kick on the fifth tackle before the influential stand off went over for his own score, crossing from 30 metres out.

Steven Gill completed the scoring four mins from time again gathering Drake’s grubber in the corner with Drake on target with the boot again in his eighth shot out of nine to finish with 20 points.

CARLISLE CENTURIONS 32 FEATHERSTONE LIONS 62 – Gillford Park
A youthful Featherstone Lions outfit put Carlisle to the sword with a highly impressive second half performance at a sun-drenched Gillford Park.

Centurions actually led at the halfway stage but had no answer to the Lions’ pace and enthusiasm in the second forty.

 The visitors established an early four point advantage from the boot of Leigh Joyce after indiscipline by Carlisle gifted the Lions consecutive penalties in front of the posts.

Carlisle responded positively and, following a penalty given for ball stealing, Martin Stalker strolled over unopposed for an unconverted try to level matters.

On the quarter mark a Ben Smith’s touchdown re-established the Lions’ lead after good work down the left but the Centurions countered immediately through centre Tom Armstrong.

First, he pounced on a knock on to power over and then he got on the end of a barn-storming break by prop James Field to put Carlisle in the driving seat.

Armstrong’s third try in the 39th minute looked to have given the home team a handy 14 point interval lead but a mistake from the kick off allowed Mark Richardson to get over for a score improved by Joyce.

The second half totally belonged to the Lions despite Carlisle scoring first through Mike Dodd.

Impressive centre Ben Smith reduced the arrears and then Adam Jones pulled the visitors level, both tries being converted by the accurate Joyce.

Prompted by impressive halves Sam Wilson and Adam Jones the Lions started to cut Carlisle apart in the wilting heat.

A quartet of tries in a dozen minutes from Gareth Jones, Adam Jones, Wilson and Barker brought the half century up by the hour mark.

Adam Jones notched his hat-trick in the 67th minute following good handling by Chris Bingham and then Under 18 international hooker Dean Gamble rounded off the visitor’s scoring.

Dennis Bibby crossed for a consolation try right at the death but the home team were a well beaten side when the final whistle was blown.

Stand outs for Carlisle were Armstrong and teenage full back Ellis Little.

LIVERPOOL BUCCANEERS 40 EAST LANCASHIRE LIONS 30 – Leyfield Road
Liverpool Buccaneers picked up a priceless first win in three to reignite their top six ambitions but they were pushed all the way by a spirited East Lancashire side.

The visitors led 24-10 at half time but ran out of bodies and steam as the game went on.

In boiling temperatures it was Buccaneers who finished the stronger with the punishing drives of Kevin Howells and the pace and footwork of the likes of Mark Webster and Simon Holden ultimately too much for the Lions.

However with Ravi Daniels a rock in defence at right centre and Barry Rothwell ever-inventive as he switched from hooker to scrum-half, the bonus point was the least the Lancastrians merited for their efforts.

Buccaneers, handing debuts to three players, opened ominously and scored after just four minutes.

Rory Hicks had already been called into action producing a try-saving tackle but from the position gained the ball was moved right and Holden had time to gather the pass on the bounce and score out wide.

In recent weeks such an early concession has tended to spark a major collapse by the Lions but they rolled their sleeves up to good effect and with Buccaneers continuing to make the errors that had cost them the points against Huddersfield seven days earlier, the visitors dominated the first half.

They levelled quickly, Rothwell's pass sending Hicks scooting in at the corner and hit the front when Rothwell's kick behind the line was spilled by the defence and Ben Williamson dived to ground the ball, James Muir converting.

The Lions were dominant when Rothwell then juggled an intercept on his own line before scorching the length of the pitch for another six points.

Andy Williams narrowed the gap to four points as he wrestled over on the last tackle for the hosts, Jamie Hammond goaling, but the Lions were on top and almost scored again when Rob Kershaw broke through, a last gasp Williams tackle forcing a handling error.

However, two more tries had the visitors well on top, the first another gifted intercept, Muir the beneficiary on this occasion, and then with four minutes to half time Rothwell's kick early in the set saw Williamson sneak through and score for a 24-10 interval lead.

In the heat, and with just the visitors having just two substitutes to call upon, the fourteen point margin was far from decisive and Buccaneers opened the second half determined to claw a way back into the game.

They made the perfect start, Gareth Simpson driving to the line and managing to stretch out and ground the ball and when Martin Gambles kicked to the corner Ormesher just about had enough pitch to ground the ball on the edge of the in-goal, Hammond with a fine conversion narrowing the gap to two points with only ten minutes of the half gone.

The Lions appeared to be wilting, penned without reprieve in their own half but still tackling like demons and getting the occasional piece of luck, with Gambles losing control as he grounded the ball and then Ormesher correctly adjudged offside from Gambles' kick.

Having somehow absorbed the pressure the Lions delivered the sucker punch to score on their first real attack of the half, a kick to the left wing spilled by the home defence and Williamson, the Lions' longest-serving player, grabbing his hat-trick, Rothwell adding the extras to put his side eight points clear.

Liverpool needed inspiration and found it with the try of the match, Webster weaving his way down the middle and sending the supporting Mike Forber in for the try between the posts.

With eight minutes to go Buccaneers snatched the lead again, some more scintillating rugby cutting Easts to shreds and Forber again finishing off.

The win was sealed when Holden picked off the outcome of a Lions' hospital pass on half-way and showed great pace to make it six tries for the young winger in just two games.

Having led for over three-quarters of the game Lions were left hanging on for the bonus point, with the hosts having a try disallowed at the death for a disputed knock-on.

NOTTINGHAM OUTLAWS 54 DEWSBURY CELTIC 12 – Highfield Ground
Outlaws ran in 11 tries in their first match staged at Nottingham University, their opening 25 minutes, in particular, matching the blistering conditions.

Going 30 points up in that time they moved the ball impressively, frustrating their opponents who tried to be overly-physical as they chased the ball in those early stages.

Dewsbury arrived slightly late and that seemed to affect them as their side, made up largely of their former under-18 team that did so well last year, lacked the physical presence to take on the larger Outlaws forwards.

The mismatch became apparent in the first few sets when George Strachan, Adam Millward and Si Perry all made huge in-roads into the Dewsbury defence.

Within four minutes the Outlaws pack took a stranglehold, rampaging prop Perry bursting through a flailing Dewsbury defence before passing to Paul Calland who released Ben Radford who scorched over to open the scoring.

From the next set Nottingham nearly scored again but winger Roy Yorke just failed to hold a difficult pass that would have put him in at the corner.

Outlaws’ backs had all the time and space  to put on an exhibition of attacking rugby and they began to do just that, prop Millward popping up on the wing to finish off a flowing three quarter line move with a try in the corner.

That was quickly followed by a fine score from Rob Brown as he followed up another break and off load by Perry, Calland adding the extras.

Strachan latched onto a beautiful inside ball from half-back Jimmy Lewis and he was quickly followed over the whitewash by Radford who notched his second after yet more superb handling.

Dewsbury received a yellow card for dissent and were soon under the cosh again, powerful centre Myles Rutherford blasting his way over from short range.

Over-elaboration then became the Outlaws worst enemy, a sloppy pass being intercepted by Celtic's Rob Senior who raced away to open their account but the respite was short lived as, on the very next move, Calland stepped off his right foot and shot through a gap to cross.

The second half began much the way the first had ended with the Nottingham pressing but a break from deep in their own half saw Celtic score their second try when pacy full back Pat Foulstone went the full length of the field for a great solo effort, William Brooke landing his second goal to peg it back to 36-12.

Calland latched on to Radford’s inside pass and sauntered to the posts to bring up the 40 point mark for the Outlaws and substitute Jez Cox added fresh impetus to the home pack as he scored a superb solo effort from 20 metres out.

Celtic fought bravely in the closing stages but as the heat began to take its toll on both sets of players and the pace slowed visibly.

The exception was Outlaws irrepressible centre Tom Tsang who took centre stage and posted two near-identical tries down the left, his second a beauty.

Taking the ball just inside his own half, he out-paced four defenders and squeezed in at the corner.

The victory saw the Outlaws leap-frog Underbank to go back into third place and sets up a mouth watering clash against second placed Hemel Stags next Sunday.

WARRINGTON WIZARDS 16 HEMEL STAGS 36 – Wilderspool
Hemel maintained their pursuit of Bramley at the top, staying four points behind the leaders as they ended Warrington’s of consecutive wins.

There was not much to split the sides in a tough opening half but the Hertfordshire club had much the better of the second half to run out very worthy winners against a Wizards side that had looked as though it was returning to form.

Wizards opened the scoring in the seventh minute when a good interchange of passing between stand off Alan Kilshaw and full back Chris Campbell created room for Scott Davidson to score wide out on left.

Scrum half Warren Ayres converted but six minutes later Hemel replied when a short ball from Brendan Williams found centre Jared Searson and he broke through the line at speed to score in the left corner.

Stags took the lead just after the midway point of the half when the inspirational Williams went on his own from first receiver on the last tackle and stepped round the Wizards defence to score between the posts.

Full back Barry-John Swindells added the conversion but then Hemel knocked on from the re-start and Ayres went on his own down the blind side straight from the scrum to score in the left corner.

He landed a superb touchline conversion to restore the Wizards advantage but the lead changed hands once again on the half hour when a fine pass from Williams put Swindells through a gap and he found prop Dean Campbell in support on his inside to score by the sticks, Swindells’ goal giving his side a four point cushion at half time.

Hemel increased their lead three minutes into the second half when a forty metre break by Campbell split the Wizards defence and centre Chris Pomfret and Swindells moved the Stags to within ten metres of the Wizards line and a quick play the ball saw an overlap for Campbell to go over on the left.

Warrington responded 13 minutes later when a 50 metre break down the middle by loose forward Matt Wilson bust the cover and with the visitors struggling to get back, a long ball from Ayres found Davidson who used his strength to score in the left corner.

The Stags regained the ascendancy just after the hour mark when stand off Scott Clendenning-Fenton combined with his half back partner Williams to put Swindells through a gap to score and then quick hands out wide saw second rower Tim Stevens score in the left corner. Loose forward John Weber took over the kicking duties to land both conversions.

The visitors ensured that the Wizards would not gain a consolation bonus point three minutes from time when straight from a scrum in the Wizards twenty metre area the ball went down the blind side to Searson who scored in the left corner to complete a thoroughly deserved victory in a match played in great spirit, the Wizards only giving away one penalty and Hemel four.

RESULTS
Saturday 30th May
Gateshead Storm 16 Bramley Buffaloes 48
Carlisle Centurions 32 Featherstone Lions 62
Liverpool Buccaneers 40 East Lancashire Lions 30
Nottingham Outlaws 54 Dewsbury Celtic 12

Sunday 31st May
Warrington Wizards 16 Hemel Stags 36

FIXTURES – Round 10
Saturday 6th June
Gateshead Storm v Warrington Wizards
Featherstone Lions v Bramley Buffaloes
East Lancashire Lions v Huddersfield Underbank Rangers
Dewsbury Celtic v Liverpool Buccaneers

Sunday 7th June
Hemel Stags v Nottingham Outlaws