Rugby League Coaching Manuals

Warrington Wizards 44 Nottingham Outlaws 16 - Wilderspool
Nottingham's first taste of Friday night floodlit rugby ended in defeat as the impressive, expansive Wizards laid down a play off marker. Warrington produced their best performance of the season to outclass the in-form Outlaws, whose second half revival was ended by two late tries in five minutes by rampaging prop Gareth Barron.

The home side were quick out of the blocks and played some breathtaking rugby as they turned on the style, registering three early touchdowns.

They opened the scoring in the fifth minute when ever-alert stand off Billy Sheen switched play and found Chris Campbell who combined with Matt Wilson to put Dave Yii over in the right corner.

Straight from the restart winger Scott Lyon made a forty metre break that stretched the Outlaws defence and, in quick succession, the ball whizzed through six sets of hands for Wilson to score in the right corner.

Warrington increased their advantage on fifteen minutes with a stunning touchdown that began on their own line and saw ten different players touch the ball and keep it alive.

A quick play the ball on the Nottingham twenty metre line allowed Warren Ayres and Scott Davidson to combine and put Troy Alison over, Ayres adding the conversion.

Nottingham opened their account just after the half hour mark when very clever play by stand off Greg Moore saw him shape to go one way and then step the other to give hard-running Adam Millward a try between the posts, Moore adding the extras.

Three minutes before the break, Ayres landed a forty metre penalty after Nottingham were caught offside to give his side a deserved 16-6 interval lead.

Wizards stretched their lead five minutes into the second half when Sheen spun out of a tackle on the half way line and raced forty metres before finding substitute Hayden James in support to cross.

Six minutes later, the outstanding Sheen was again the provider as he put James over at the side of the posts, Alan Reddecliff adding the goal.

Nottingham hit back four minutes later when good play by Moore and Simon Perry put their side close to the Wizards line and slick passing the width of the field saw Ben Radford squeeze in at the left corner.

With the scent of a revival, just after the hour a strong run from excellent loose forward Simon Morton put his side on the Wizards line and a quick play the ball saw Perry power over at the side of the posts, Moore goaling to reduce the gap to ten points.

Warrington refused to buckle though and came storming back when a long pass from Ayres found substitute Barron close to the line to go over and he repeated the play soon after to secure the spoils.

Wizards rounded off a superb win two minutes from time when a chip ahead on the last tackle by star man Sheen was fumbled and hooker Liam Duffy collected the loose ball and put Sheen over.

Outlaws will have to find a cure for any midweek travel sickness as their next game is on Wednesday night in Blackburn against East Lancashire.

CARLISLE CENTURIONS 0 HUDDERSFIELD UNDERBANK RANGERS 50 - Gillford Park - Huddersfield are starting to look in ominous form, this victory sending them second and, with a game in hand, potentially three points off the top on the run in.

At sun-drenched Gillford Park, they were part of an entertaining clash between that was not as one-sided as the score suggests.

The match was won and lost after a Centurions sin binning in the first half, with the score going from 0-6 to 0-28 during their one man absence.

The visitors kept the Centurions under sustained early pressure but took until 15 minutes into the match to open their account through second row Chris Keegan. Centre Chris Johnson goaled from the touchline for a 6-0 lead.

Carlisle hooker Troy Armstrong saved a certain try a couple of minutes later when Johnson intercepted and raced away but it just delayed the inevitable as Centurions indiscipline saw the saviour then sin-binned.

Underbank second rower Tom Senior cross between the posts straight after and Johnson add the extras.

Within five minutes Senior added a third try, again successfully converted by Johnson, to stretch the score to 0-18.

With the hosts unable to get their hands on the ball, Johnson added the fourth try on 23 minutes, converting to take the score and added to his tally to minutes later with a further six points.

At 28 points down, Centurions could have been forgiven for throwing the towel in but as Armstrong returned to the pitch they dug in and stemmed the tide until half-time.

It took until 20 minutes in to the second half to get the scoreboard rolling again, Rangers winger Richard Aka getting the ball near his own line following a Carlisle fumble to outpace the cover and score, Johnson added the extras.

It took a similar effort from Underbank scrum half Neil Barrett to extend the lead, desperation from the hosts to get on the scoreboard seeing the ball spilled and Barrett capitalised by sweeping up and racing clear.

He repeated the feat from closer range and Lee St Hilaire added a final try on 75 minutes, goaled by Johnson to bring up the half century.

Underbank can reflect on a superb defensive performance to nil their opponents combined with some scintillating speed to capitalise on any half-chance.

Carlisle lacked nothing at all in perspiration but were outgunned in attack and outpaced in defence by their well-drilled visitors.

GATESHEAD STORM 24 DEWSBURY CELTIC 33 - Bullocksteads
Gateshead Storm returned to their Bullocksteads home after five games on the road, keen to pick up points having been on the receiving end of some heavy defeats in recent weeks.

Storm player-coach John Coutts returned to the side and was also able to welcome back speedy pairing Gavin Houston and Andy Morris and skipper Chris Burnett.

Storm, looking to avenge a narrow defeat at Celtic, started positively, John Coutts' kick off hanging high and Michael Lassen gathering the ball to mount an immediate assault on the Dewsbury line.

Repeat infringements sustained the early home pressure but desperate Celtic defence saw them defend six consecutive sets on their own line.

They were finally unlocked on the quarter hour thanks to a moment of individual skill from John Coutts.

Receiving the ball from his half back partner, younger brother Steven, he showed a dummy and neat footwork which took him clear and ghosted past last line Pat Foulstone.

Steven Coutts was unable to add the extras from out wide into a swirling wind.

Two minutes later, on the back of more Gateshead pressure, repeat offences by the visitors saw Andy Gibson sent to the sin bin after repeated warnings for holding down in the tackle.

Storm kept pressure on the Celtic line before the visitors scored against the run of play.

An infringement by the hosts, just after the return of Gibson, gifted Celtic a penalty and from the resulting set man of the match Foulstone crossed for the visitors, the elusive custodian breaking one and spinning out of another tackle before showing a turn of pace to cross out wide.

He followed that up by landing the conversion to put the visitors in front just on the half hour mark.

In an eventful period just before half time, Storm were again awarded a penalty in Celtic territory which Chris Burnett tapped to himself and powered over from.

Dewsbury were again reduced to 12 men when Danny Crabtree ignored repeated warnings for high tackles and was sent to cool off.

Strong running Lassen, a thorn in Celtic's side all day, made a break brushing aside defenders and dummying through a gap, before being hauled down just short of the line.

Replacement Mark Bentham needed no second invitation and he burrowed over from close range, this time Steven Coutts finding his mark to add the goal.

Dewsbury, turning round 14-6 behind, started the second period strongly and good approach play from Danny Samuels saw them come close before Paul Heaton found Alex Walmsley at full pace, the rangy prop crashing over between the posts allowing Foulstone to tag on the extras.

Storm then edged further ahead again thanks to the vision from John Coutts, Andrew Morris outpacing Foulstone to get on the end of his perfectly weighted, early chip kick and flicking it back for Gavin Houston to touch down.

Celtic hit back immediately, the outstanding Foulstone diffusing a high bomb in goal, taking a quick 20 metre restart and finding the retreating Storm defence flat footed to race the length of the field to bring the scores level.

Again the home side edged out in front when Karl Brandt crossed, Lassen's break from deep seeing him set Morris clear before he stepped back inside to find the supporting Brandt.

Player-coach Heaton drew Dewsbury level again with quarter of an hour left to play, scooting over from close range then wrestling free to get the ball down.

With the scores tied at 24-all, both sides scrambled well in defence until Dewsbury broke the deadlock with five minutes to play.

Samuels' strong running gave them good field position for Scott Dyson to hang back and land a crucial drop goal, the stand off's kick striking a Storm defender but just easing over the bar.

Storm gave away a penalty for the ball not travelling ten metres from the kick off and Celtic capitalised, another strong run from Samuels seeing him offload inside to William Brooke who was in support and raced clear.

The visitors wrapped up the scoring just before time when frustrated Storm gave away a further penalty, Dyson's grubber on the last weighted perfectly for Josh West to pounce.

Again Brooke's simple conversion failed to find its mark which at least meant that Storm could claim a deserved bonus point.

FEATHERSTONE LIONS 46 EAST LANCASHIRE LIONS 10 - Millpond
Featherstone maintained their impressive recent form to beat their namesakes but it took five tries in the final quarter to give the score line a rather flattering margin.

Improving Easts put up a very good show and were ultimately scuppered by injuries, not least to barnstorming prop Ben Coombes who had been a dominant force.

Danny Huby was the home side's best, with Nathan Pincher and Chris Bingham going well, while strong running and always dangerous Steve Lawrie scored four tries, three of them after the interval.

James Muir for Easts did not deserve to be on the losing side, Coombes, Carl Cheetham and Adam Hesketh also standing out.

Although Featherstone were always in control, bad handling and poor option taking were their undoing in the first half.

Mark Spears was their spearhead but a lot of his work went unrewarded although tries by Lawrie and Pincher in the 11th and 19th minutes gave the hosts an early lead.

Muir hit back to close it to 10-4 at the break and although Lawrie's second touchdown four minutes after the re-start seemed to have put Featherstone in the driving seat, scrum half Hesketh's try and a Muir goal pulled it back to one score approaching the final quarter.

With their ranks depleted, Easts conceded just before the hour to Lawrie and from then on it was one way traffic.

Pincher, outstanding Huby and Lawrie all went over in a ten minute purple patch, Huby converting all three to finish with 16 points, Paul Watson completing the scoring a minute from time.

Featherstone's top three charge continues but Easts can take away a great deal of credit as, whatever the score board or injury situation, they still played some excellent rugby.

BRAMLEY BUFFALOES 36 LIVERPOOL BUCCANEERS 26 - Stanningley, Sunday
Bramley did not have it all their own way as they moved nine points clear at the top, the Buccaneers finishing strongly to ensure a bonus point.

Buffaloes avenged their only defeat of the season to date last week at Nottingham but it took them until John Elliker's 54th minute try to breathe easily.

Coach Mark Butterill took the opportunity to rest some players although two-try Matt Mullholland made a very welcome return to the home ranks after a two month lay-off through injury.

Buccaneers welcomed back powerful prop Kev Howells and Jon Chamberlain returned at loose forward.

Bramley started the stronger and good handling saw highly mobile second rower Simon Speight cross on six minutes for the opening try.

From the re-start the Buffaloes again made good progress down their right and Mullholland crossed for a in the corner, Matthew Booth converting both.

Robin Wilkes, Richard Hulme and Speight were getting through a lot of hard work in attack and defence for the Buffaloes but on 15 minutes Liverpool started to test the Bramley rearguard and kept up the pressure for the next 20 minutes, with Sean Forber and Ryan Cunningham constantly asking questions of the hosts.

The Liverpool forwards made good metres and, just into the second quarter, Simon Holden scored an excellent individual try as he collected his own delicate chip kick and crossed by the posts, Sean Forber converting.

Bramley came back strongly at the end of the first, with tries ruled out for both Elliker and Shaun Flynn, however, on the stroke of half time following a scrum, Booth kicked through and Flynn won the race for the ball.

Within four minutes of the second period, an excellent sweeping move from the Buccaneers saw Sean Forber in for a very good try and reduce the deficit to 18-12.

Bramley responded immediately, Aidy Manley was just held up short and Jon Nicholls squeezed a pass to Mullholland who again got over in the corner.

The Buffaloes, as they so often do, scored again within three minutes when Flynn crossed in the opposite corner after more good play from the Bramley forwards. Liverpool's re-start went out on the full and they paid the price when Elliker proved unstoppable from 10 metres to score the Buffaloes third try in six blistering minutes.

Buccaneers, to their credit, never gave up and Mark Webster got over in the right hand corner, Sean Forber adding an excellent touchline conversion.

The game ebbed and flowed before Andy McGann made the points safe with a trademark run into the line which saw him go over with ease.

Liverpool came back to clinch a valuable bonus point when Mike Forber scored a deserved try on 75 minutes and Sean Forber added a penalty on the stroke of full-time.

Next week the Buffaloes can all but ensure the minor premiership if they win at Huddersfield while Liverpool face a crucial derby of their own against Warrington in the chase for sixth and a play off spot.

RESULTS
Friday 10th July
Warrington Wizards 44 Nottingham Outlaws 16

Saturday 11th July
Carlisle Centurions 0 Huddersfield Underbank Rangers 50
Gateshead Storm 24 Dewsbury Celtic 33
Featherstone Lions 46 East Lancashire Lions 10

Sunday 12th July
Bramley Buffaloes 36 Liverpool Buccaneers 26

FIXTURES - Round 16
Wednesday 15th July
East Lancashire Lions v Nottingham Outlaws

Saturday 18th July
East Lancashire Lions v Carlisle Centurions
Huddersfield Underbank Rangers v Bramley Buffaloes
Dewsbury Celtic v Featherstone Lions
Liverpool Buccaneers v Warrington Wizards

Sunday 19th July
Hemel Stags v Gateshead Storm