Winning Ugly

Wilmslow’s Bob MacCallum, one of the few players not to exhibit a seasonal hangover, was successful though with three kicks out of three attempts, all from the edge of his range and that, it transpired, would be enough for the Wolves to steal the game and take the points.

Unlike professional football which crams in four or five games over the holiday period, the players of rugby’s N1W league had been in hibernation since 15th. December and it showed. Wilmslow’s president Jon Hitch lamented in his match notes the absence of the traditional Christmas and New Year derby games against the likes of Manchester and Sale, which used to bring in the crowds and much needed revenue but back in those days, there weren’t precious league points at stake and it didn’t matter much if the side was filled with homecoming students and any other itinerant who fancied a run out.

Unsurprisingly the players of Wilmslow and Rochdale had both lost their edge and were probably still carrying a surfeit of plum pudding, turkey and stuffing, especially stuffing. It didn’t help, of course, that the pitch after the recent rains possessed all the characteristics of a sponge cake but it was still a pleasantly mild January afternoon. For forty minutes the players then produced a horrible mishmash of shapeless error strewn rugby. Frequently receiving man and ball at the same time, they took their eye off the ball as dropped and wayward passing predominated. They regularly got in to each other’s way as confusion ruled. Neither side were able to mount any period of cohesive play. It says a lot for the paucity of the fare being served up that the highlights of a soon forgotten period were the two penalty goals shared by Rochdale’s Richard West after twenty five minutes and MacCallum’s riposte ten minutes later.

Rochdale’s penalty came when a poor pass from the lineout to MacCallum arrived at the same time as the marauding Rochdale back row. Some would say that they were moving faster than the pass. MacCallum had no chance and as the Wolves forwards streamed back to tidy up the mess, they were almost inevitably caught offside for joining the ruck from the side door. Still the visitors came again, kicking over the heads of the Wilmslow back three, who were caught out of position, and when that was repulsed, a scoring pass to Wilmslow’s Sam Cutts on the left wing flew two feet over his head. The Rochdale pack then took a ball against the head and when they earned a penalty at the ensuing scrum, the Wolves were fortunate that West was unable to extend their lead. Moments later, Rochdale offended in their own twenty two out on the Wolves’ left for MacCallum to open his account.

In the second period, it was the visitors who seemed to shake off the general lethargy first as they dominated possession and position. Their play though was decidedly one dimensional as their chunky forwards would regularly pick and drive three times before releasing to their backs, who more than once nearly carved an opening but ultimately they just didn’t have the guile and sharpness to make it count in the face of an obdurate and tenacious Wolves’ defence. The penalty count against the Wilmslow pack was mounting though as they fiddled illegally on the floor for turnover ball. Prop Jack Walmsley got himself yellow carded with fifteen minutes left and West kicked the goal to restore Rochdale’s advantage. Immediately from the restart, this was squandered to allow MacCallum to step forward and tie things up again. The Wolves then fouled up the restart with a dropped pass and the Rochdale pack sensing that this would be their moment opted for several attacking scrums against the short handed Wolves but instead of using their substantial weight advantage to drive over the line, they kept on picking in the back row, allowing the Wilmslow defence to keep them out. It was daft because whatever were the Wolves’ faults on the day, a lack of desire in the tackle wasn’t one of them. Moments later referee Nick Taylor must have been within a blink of an eyelid in awarding Rochdale a penalty try when the Wolves collapsed the scrum to halt an ominous looking drive. He didn’t though and at the next scrum as Rochdale again powered forward, they got themselves penalised and the danger passed.

Substitute prop Andy Vassell was now moved into hooker in the final minutes to replace the injured Johnny Newsom and distinguished himself to loud cheers from the partisan home spectators by taking one against the head as clean as a whistle to set up a rare Wolves’ attack from which Rochdale blatantly offended, when the Wolves tried to recycle quick ball. MacCallum kicked his third goal to even louder acclaim from the home support. He then had the wit to play down the clock by thumping the ball twice far into Rochdale territory, forcing them to start their attacks from deep and when Rohan Longmore finally booted the ball out of play, the Wolves had against the run of play ground out a win.

New head coach Rick Jones recognised his side’s shortcomings afterwards, especially the lack of any continuity in their play but he was full of praise for the way they had defended and stuck to the task. Earlier in the season, he said, that was a game we would have lost as he singled out MacCallum, not only for his goal kicking but also his tackling and all round tactical nous. He could also have added Mike Clifford and Alex Taylor, who both put in commanding shifts up front.