Roughyeds pay for their errors

Photo: Graham Lynch

WAYNE KERR on the charge.

Hunslet 28, Oldham 14

THE OVERRIDING feeling after this was that it was a match that got away.

Roughyeds, travelling to face a club well-fancied to claim the Co-operative Championship One title this season, competed well with the home team at the South Leeds Stadium without ever really settling into the game.

In a nip-and-tuck Northern Rail Cup pool clash, the game only got away from Tony Benson’s side in the final quarter as the Hawks – a team brimming with playmakers but as lacking in cohesion as the visitors were at times – ran home three tries to seal three points.

Tommy Haughey’s double on debut, the second of which came in the last minute to deny Oldham even a bonus point, was crucial.

But had it not been for a multitude of errors while in possession, Benson’s men could easily have been celebrating a victory.

Too much ball went to ground early in the tackle count and a team which again showed flashes of real quality simply had too much defending to do.

The game also featured a bizarre talking point 14 minutes from the full-time hooter.

Following an Oldham kick-off, Lucas Onyango was one of two men chasing the ball down and he collided with the ball carrier who appeared to fall awkwardly.

Referee Craig Halloran wasted little time in brandishing a red card in front of a stunned Onyango – only to later call him back onto the field on the apparent advice of his touch judge.

The strange incident was then placed on report, to the bafflement of just about everyone.

Roughyeds coach Tony Benson was keen not to point to Halloran’s failings and instead concentrated on those of his own team.

Oldham could barely have started the game in worse fashion. Jason Boults was penalised while in possession direct from the kick-off and though Oldham held out for the first set, Ben Heaton knocked on Paul March’s grubber kick.

From the repeat set, centre Wayne McHugh sliced through on the left to give the home side an early lead after three minutes.

The centre, who broke the Hawks’ points scoring record with 32 against London Skolars the week before, missed the conversion.

Roughyeds then registered a try completely from nothing.

Neil Roden looked for a pass to the left and held the ball until Joe Chandler was in position to receive. The former Leeds Rhinos youngster, excellent throughout, picked a good line and broke the defence, skipping inside the full-back and then finding Marcus St Hilaire outside him.

The ball was eventually worked to Mick Fogerty who strolled home between the posts, Matty Ashe converting on 13 minutes.

The score seemed to give confidence to Tony Benson’s visitors, who started to showcase some attractive running rugby without quite having the cutting edge to turn good field position into tries.

Chandler went close after an excellent kick chase and Oldham bombed what seemed a sure try soon after when Onyango made a break on the short side after clever play by Martin Roden.

The winger’s pass inside to full-back Paul O’Connor wasn’t good enough though and the ball went to ground.

There was always the feeling that Hunslet would eventually make Oldham pay for missed opportunities and so it was that after a spell of excellent defence, the Hawks broke through to take a lead three minutes before half-time.

Paul March burrowed towards the line and was just held up but from acting half, Michael Mark dived over with McHugh missing his second conversion.

The mistakes continued for Oldham after the break with Ashe’s restart sailing straight out of play but the visitors again created a try from nothing.

Fogerty picked up possession three minutes in, broke past a lone defender and sprinted 80 metres down the left, beating a number of chasers for an excellent second try of the afternoon. Ashe converted to put the Roughyeds up by four, but it was the last time Oldham would lead in the game.

Further mistakes left the Hawks in possession and good play from big prop Scott Woodcock created a try for Neil Lowe, converted by McHugh.

Neil Roden then won a penalty after being obstructed with Ashe knocking over the kick to draw level at 14-14, before a little piece of magic from the scampering veteran Richard Chapman, allied to a McHugh conversion, gave Hunslet the advantage once more.

Haughey then wriggled over in the right corner before the strange case of the red card that wasn’t and doubled his tally at the death.


Benson disappointed

ROUGHYEDS coach Tony Benson felt his side were well below par in defeat to Hunslet, a loss which leaves the team with a mountain to climb to reach the next stage of the Northern Rail Cup.

A host of forward passes and knock-ons early in the tackle count left the visitors with too much to do at the South Leeds Stadium and a 24–14 loss left Oldham without even a bonus point.

The high points of the game were two tries for centre Mick Fogerty, but Benson’s men will now need to overcome Sheffield Eagles next week to have a chance of making it into the last eight of the competition.

“We were poor and it wasn’t even a case of them winning as much as us giving the game away,” said Benson, whose side were level at 14-14 at the hour mark.

“Looking for a positive, to play so badly and still be in touch for 70 minutes of the game shows that there is something there and that it isn’t all doom and gloom.

“If we had completed 10 more sets it could have been different. But it is all ‘ifs’ and we didn’t do that. That is why we lost – we can’t win without the ball.”

One thing that did please Benson, whose side have now lost two of the three Northern Rail Cup pool matches played so far, was the players’ attitudes following the defeat.

“It was as frustrating for the players as it was the coaching staff - and no doubt the people in the stand who had paid to be there,” the Roughyeds coach added.

“We had a team meeting afterwards where we said we have to focus on what we need to do right and work hard to do that. The players, to their credit, are as disappointed as anyone else.”