Every man had to pull his weight — Naylor

NOWHERE TO GO . . . Oldham RL’s Tom Whitehead is stopped in his tracks.

ON a day when the Valleys of South Wales were lashed by torrential rain and battered by icy winds, Scott Naylor was relieved to get out of Maesteg with his squad more or less in one piece - and on the right side of an 18-4 scoreline.

Shortly after referee Adam Gill called a halt with eight minutes still to go, the Oldham boss suggested the game was controlled by the unrelenting weather.

He added: “Nobody could play rugby in this. It was just a matter of absolute basics.

“The side which made the fewer mistakes and completed the most sets was always going to win.

“The Scorpions’ attitude and effort were nothing short of outstanding. If they can keep it up consistently they will trouble a few sides.

“We were able to score more tries because we got into the right areas of the field better than they did, but this was never going to be a day for the fans or for those who like to see fast-flowing and open rugby.”