Rangers a step closer to safety

RUGBY: SHANE Tupaea’s prophecy came true as his Saddleworth Rangers side beat York Acorn 35-10 in Kingstone Press National Conference League Division One.

The victory lifted Rangers two places above the relegation zone with one round of fixtures remaining.

They can’t sleep easy yet, though, as three of the four teams below them are just two points adrift.

Tupaea stated in Friday’s Chronicle how he expected Rangers to put “20 to 30” points on the board against mid-table Acorn.

And he was proved right, after his men recovered from the shock of going to behind on two occasions.

The first time saw Josh Thompson go in after nine minutes, only for James Whalley’s try, goaled by Ben Whitehead, to put Rangers ahead.

Acorn were back in the ascendancy when Harry Bromwich (try) and Anthony Chilton (conversion) got on the scoresheet.

However, once Ethan Langhorn’s try was goaled by Whitehead to hand Rangers a 12-10 lead two minutes before the break, they never looked back.

Gareth Morgan’s 58th-minute effort, goaled by Whitehead, gave the home side breathing space, while the latter also added a one-pointer.

All the momentum was with Rangers, who surged clear in the last 10 minutes through tries from Jack Connor, Scott Booth and Matty Bottom.

Whitehead kicked two of the three conversion attempts.