Three Fine Tries

It would have been understandable if some anxiety about their away form had begun to creep in but not a bit of it! In an entertaining game, they put in an accomplished performance to score three fine tries, create several other opportunities and to finish worthy winners. The final score line probably fairly reflected the overall balance of play but the Wolves were in reality out of sight midway through the second half and it took the home side until time added on to get their second and third scores.

In the absence of Matthew King away on International duty with Cyprus, Ben Day had been recalled to his favourite full back position. He just looks so much happier at No. 15 and he played throughout with a smile on his face. Taff Bartlam was retained in the front row for the unavailable Jack Walmsley and Mike Black, who arrived in the area earlier this season after graduating from Newcastle and playing in the Woloves Developmental side, was introduced in the centre.

The Wolves took control from the outset, the scrum and lineout were solid, there was patience in building their positions, without in any way inhibiting their free running style, and crucially their ball retention was just so much better than it had been in their previous outing. We had worked on controlling the ball in contact during the week, said contented coach Giles Heagerty afterwards, and it showed. Inevitably Leigh were driven back deep into their own half, offended on the ground at the breakdowns and were penalised by the visiting Portuguese referee, Pedro Fonseca. Bob McCallum stepped up to kick three penalties in the first twenty minutes. It took the home side until the half hour to exert any sustained attacking pressure but perversely, it was from deep defensive positions just before the break that the Wolves created their best try scoring opportunities. MacCallum made a fine break and when he offloaded it looked as though scrum half Chris Lee had to score but somehow the Leigh defence got back to haul him down just yards short of the line. Moments later, when they had been reduced to fourteen players for a yellow card offence by Danny Kennedy, powerful running from Elliot Brierley and Ben Day gave Chris Lillie a chance. The final pass went awry but Lillie still had time to turn and scoop up the loose ball on his way to scoring by the posts. It had been a good forty minutes of rugby by the Wolves.

Leigh had to raise their game in the second half and within five minutes they used the width of the pitch, from left to right, to put their right winger Adam Dyson in for their opening score. They still had a lot to do and in trying to get back on terms, they spilt a pass on the Wolves right, which Jordan Kennedy hacked on and chased. When a ruck was formed just ten yards out from the Leigh line, the ball was pilfered for Elliot Brierley to score his third try in three outings for the Wolves. The definitive score soon followed when No. 8 Ryan Parkinson, who had been causing the Leigh defence problems all afternoon took an unpromising looking pass in a crowded midfield but still found the space and pace to charge down the field and to deliver a perfectly timed pass for MacCallum to scamper away under the posts.

At 30 - 5 with twenty minutes still to go, the Wolves foot then started to slip off the pedal, they started to lose control of the ball at ruck and maul after being so effective for the first hour, thus allowing the Leigh side to build up some attacking momentum. Injuries, none of them serious, forced Giles Heagerty to make precautionary substitutions and positional changes. Bartlam was replaced by Liam MacRae in the front row and Ricky Chadwick and Alex Taylor both came on as the Wolves were reduced to fourteen players in the last minutes. The home side continued to press and finally got some reward for their persistence when left wing Jason Carson went over. They then scored moments later when, in the last play of the game, the Wilmslow hoof to put the ball out of play and to bring proceedings to an end was scuffed for Leigh centre Gareth Jones to pick up and run in for a late late score.

Nevertheless, it was a satisfying result. Leigh are always difficult to break down on their own turf and as Giles Heagerty said later, they may be going through a rebuilding phase but they have the makings of a young side which will get progressively stronger. A word of appreciation too for the referee, former Portuguese Internationalist Senor Fonseca, whose sympathetic decision making was clearly appreciated by both sets of players. This weekend, the Wolves take on Liverpool St. Helens at The Memorial Ground. Kick Off 2.15pm.

Elsewhere in the University of Salford Intermediate Leagues, the Vikings squandered a twenty point advantage in the last quarter of their derby game against Macclesfield to be edged out by two points but the Wolves Developmental XV won 39-33 against Whitchurch with four tries from the old master Danny Jones and one each from John Shaw and seventeen year old newcomer to senior rugby Ben Jones. The Ravens got back to winning ways with a 73 point haul against Broughton.