Roughyeds turn up heat on Crusaders

Photo: PICTURES: MAX FLEGO

OLDHAM’S Phil Joy is caught in a headlock as he attempts to make ground.

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SKOLARS 24, OLDHAM 44

RICHARD Lepori’s brilliant hat-trick caned the Skolars as Oldham tightened their grip on a thrilling Championship One title race.

Top-two placings remain the same with Crusaders still two games in hand - but recent results suggest the Welshmen are getting twitchy. After their comprehensive licking by Oldham, they needed a try and goal six minutes from time to snatch an unconvincing win at Gateshead.

And news of Roughyeds’ 44-24 triumph at a venue where visitors are always tested did nothing to steady their nerves. It’s a race that looks like going to a photo finish with automatic promotion the prize.

After Skolars lost 30-22 at Whitebank in June, they won five league games in a row and went into this one looking to make it a super six.

But they were powerless to prevent Scott Naylor’s men becoming only the second side all year to pick up three points at the New River Stadium.

The visitors raced into an 18-0 lead with a near-perfect performance over the first 25 minutes or so.

In that opening spell they were ruthless in defence, razor sharp in attack, error-free and looking like a team of potential champions.

Skolars hardly got a sniff until Roughyeds full-back Lepori fumbled a last-tackle Dylan Skee bomb — a mistake that let the home side into the game to such an extent that by half-time they had reduced Oldham to 20-12.

But how Lepori made amends! He had already scored the first of his three tries on Danny Langtree’s smart inside pass as early as the seventh minute.

Nifty footwork, pace and a natural ability to glide wide of defenders earned him a second try, again from Langtree’s break, early in the second half. He grabbed a third try, arguably the most important of the game, when he followed the impressive Josh Crowley to take his sweet offload and race away to the posts for the try that broke London’s resistance, 12 minutes from the end.

For the second time in the game, they had reduced Roughyeds’ lead to six points before Lepori’s third try sparked the now customary rush of late points by this super-fit side which always finishes strongly.

It was no coincidence that Langtree and Crowley were the men who pointed him in the right direction. Not only are they the only ever-presents in a memorable season, but rarely are they substituted and rarely does a game go by without one of them, or both, puts in a strong claim for a best-player award.

There wasn’t much wrong with the defence, though. At times, especially under heavy pressure and with backs to the wall, it was exceptionally strong.

No coach likes to see his side concede four tries, but three of them were questionable, especially the two in the second half from Erjon Dollari and James Anthony.

In terms of one on one tackles there was none better than Lepori’s on the flying Anthony, with Oldham leading only 30-24; and Mo Agoro’s try-saving blockbuster near the end which knocked Gareth Raynor into row Z as he looked certain to score in the corner.

The forwards, as ever, did an excellent job. All 10 — four off the bench — contributed significantly to the team effort, none more than Jason Boults in his first game after two months out through injury.