Wakey wakey!

LIAM Gilchrist looks for a way through the Crusaders’ defence.

Crusaders 48, Oldham 12

WELL, that was a wake-up call if ever there was one.

Few saw it coming after Roughyeds victories in each of their two warm-up games, yet they fell way short in this one of the required standard for success in either the Northern Rail Cup or, more importantly, the Kingston Press Championship One.

All but 18 of the Crusaders 48 points were scored in 11 manic minutes either side of half-time, but they were the better, stronger, faster and more accomplished team from start to finish.

In attack, they were sharper, more creative and infinitely more convincing.

Defending, they were tougher, more determined and far more committed to proving who was boss.

Hard to believe, maybe, when you look at the score, but Roughyeds overall saw more of the ball and enjoyed a distinct territorial advantage, mainly due to the home side’s inability to satisfy the demands of referee Clint Sharrad in and around the rucks.

He awarded Scott Naylor’s men 12 penalties — six of them in the second half when the Welshmen didn’t get a solitary one.

Oldham would thus do most of the attacking while Crusaders repelled everything that was thrown at them before hitting Roughyeds for six on the counter-attack.

They scored some cracking tries, but at least three of their eight were made to look easy because of rank bad tackling by an Oldham defence which looked vulnerable all game to strong breaks up the middle or pacy thrusts by the backs out wide.

A big and experienced Crusaders pack won the arm wrestle up front with the result that Oldham halves Lewis Palfrey and Jamie Dallimore had to settle for second best to Andy Moulsdale and Jamie Durbin.

Moreover, the normally reliable Dallimore failed with each of his three conversion attempts — two of them difficult ones, it must be said — while his opposite number Tommy Johnson kicked eight from eight.

Naylor shuffled his side, including four dual- registered players from Salford in Niall Evalds at full-back, Jon Ford at left centre and forwards Will Hope and Jordan Walne on the bench.

It was fully 15 minutes before Crusaders got a foothold in Oldham’s half, but the first time they did Danny Samuel flew out of the defensive line and left winger Rob Massam, who got over in the corner only to be recalled for a forward pass.

LEAD

Oldham opened the scoring when Dallimore’s wide ball to the left sent Ford in at the corner, but the lead didn’t last long because powerful Crusaders forward Jono Smith soon crashed in for the first of his two tries.

The visitors looked more constructive from dummy half when Adam Files came off the bench, and it was he who restored the Oldham lead with a trademark try from close in.

That was to be the last Roughyeds score, however, until quarter of an hour from the end, by which time Crusaders had rattled in five unanswered tries and 30 points.

In the run-up to half-time Durbin went in after Michael Ward lost possession when clearing his line and then Massam capitalised in the corner after a similar handling error by Samuel.

Within a minute of the restart. Palfrey’s kick went straight out on the full and from the scrum home centre Christiaan Roets showed the Oldham backs a clean pair of heels on an outside break which took him over from long range without a finger laid upon him.

Durbin’s 40-20 immediately afterwards again had Oldham in trouble and Smith made them pay by pushing off several weak tackles to score his side's fifth try.

Gary Middlehurst then finished off a sweeping, five-man attack to score the best team try of the game and further Crusaders touchdowns followed from centre Leon Brennan (this the direct result of appalling right-flank defence) and winger Stuart Reardon.

Oldham went close several times, notably when Danny Langtree, Josh Crowley and Dallimore were all held up over the line, but their only consolation came when Evalds scored in the corner on Samuel’s clever offload.