Bulldogs savaged by 15-try Roughyeds

Photo: Pictures by CHRIS SUNDERLAND.

SO SIMPLE . . . Paul O’Connor is unchallenged as he touches down in the corner.

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OLDHAM 80, BLACKWOOD BULLDOGS 6

OLDHAM scored at a rate of a point a minute as they defeated Welsh amateur side Blackwood Bulldogs 80-6 in the third round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup at Sedgley Park yesterday.

Superb conditions for open rugby saw the Roughyeds provide some marvellous entertainment. Their pack proved far too strong for the Bulldogs and the backs took full advantage.

The result was 15 tries, many of them quite scintillating in conception and execution.

Matty Ashe converted 10 of them for a personal haul of 28 points following his two classy tries late in the second half.

Mark Brocklehurst enjoyed himself down the left flank with a first-half hat-trick, while wide-runner Joe Chandler also went over three times through the same channel.

Dave Ellison and Mick Fogerty were further try-scorers down the left as the brave, but tired Bulldogs defenders capitulated in the final few minutes.

The writing was on the wall early in the contest.

Fogerty made a half break and Marcus St Hilaire linked with him before Chandler finished off the move.

Although Blackwood showed a positive intent with three attacking kicks inside the first five minutes, Oldham quickly cemented their superiority when Neil Roden put Brocklehurst in for his first score.

Paul O’Connor went over on the right after a St Hilaire break and Chandler added his second after a blind-side move direct from a scrum. The lead was 20 points after only 14 minutes and the game was effectively over.

To their credit, the Bulldogs enjoyed a sustained spell of pressure midway through the first half, but Oldham repelled it, and then struck three more times to go into half-time 36-0 ahead.

Brocklehurst got two of the tries, the first off a simple overlap and the second after a long break-out and clever interpassing with St Hilaire. Saqib Murtza went in for the other try off Ashe.

Blackwood’s big moment came at the start of the second half. Their best player, David James, supported a half-break by stand-off Kristian Perry to go under the posts.

But the game became something of a procession as Oldham spread the ball attractively and effectively.

Murtza and Lucas Onyango began their side’s second-half scoring, both off Ashe passes, then O’Connor, off Chandler, and Ashe, off Neil Roden, took the margin to 50 points just after the hour.

Ten minutes of impressive Bulldogs resistance followed, but the floodgates opened in the last eight minutes.

Chandler, Ashe, Ellison and Fogerty were the beneficiaries, each being on the end of passing movements which were a joy to behold.

No doubt there will be bigger challenges ahead, but Tony Benson’s side demonstrated they have the personnel and the approach to provide some fantastic entertainment as the season develops.

There were only 455 people there to see this match, but there will surely be more to come as news of the Roughyeds’ quality gets out.