It was a weekend where two top heavyweights clashed and the technician overcame the battering ram. Like Lewis against Tyson, Hornets soaked up the best that Featherstone could offer, rode the punches and comprehesively outboxed them, Warren Ayres effectively dealing the knockout blow on the hour.

But Fev left their corner the keenest. Good early pressure was turned into points after just ten minutes as Bastow dealt a sucker blow round the back of a scrum 20 metres out, jinking through to score. Rooney - as he was to do all afternoon - missed the goal.

Against the run of play, the ball and a stream of penalties, Hornets eventually workd the ball into Fev's 10 metre zone after 15 minutes, Martin Bunce crashing through bodies, twisting and turning to ground the ball under very close attention. Woody made no mistake.

Back in the fight, Hornets again let their defence slip as Spurr just evaded Sean Cooper's lunging tackle to score wide-out after 23 minutes. Rooney kicked it vaguely in the direction of the Sandy Lane end.

Hornets then repeated the combination that was successful eight minutes earlier. Good yards made by the forwards, capitalisation on a Fev mistake, the ball worked close to the line and, this time, Stevo finding space to score. Woody good with the boot again.

With the clock ticking down to half time, Matt Calland stabbed a grubber through a static defence on the last tackle. Nathan 'it's up there somewhere' Graham was poorly positioned, Chris Spurr - unlike the ball - was caught in two minds and Matty Calland saved him the trouble of dropping it by diving in to score. Woody kicked an excellent touchline conversion courtesy of both posts.
Right on the hooter, Woody landed penalty to leave Featherstone reeling at 20-8.

Featherstone started the second half with serious intent. Just two minutes in second row Neil Lowe made a mug out of Paul Davidson, strolling through a weak non-tackle to score wide out.
Rooney missed - again.

At 22-12, both teams stood toe to toe and slugged it out in search of an opening. Hornets made good inroads courtesy of Matt Long and Paul Davidson, Fev blew two or three good chances, dropping last passes with the line begging. On 60 minutes, Hornets wound up for the punch that would leave Featherstone down and pretty much out. Smith took advantage of a dropped pass that would have seen Jamie Stokes stroll in, running 30 metres up the right touchline and finding cooper with a perfectly timed pass. Cooper shrugged off his opposite number and carried the ball deep into Featherstone territory, drawing tacklers as he went. At the last moment he offloaded an immaculate short ball to the supporting Ayres who sprinted to within five yards of the Fev line before using the wet conditions to his advantage, diving and sliding in to avoid the covering defender. Quite scintillating stuff. With Woody off the field nursing a leg injury, Ayresey slotted the conversion to his own try. 28-12 - Hornets' suporters sang 'there's only two Warren Ayreses' and the Fev fans started checking the location of the exits.

Credit to Rovers, they found the wherewithal to make the most of a fluke rebound off the back of Davidson's head from a nothing kick to score after 66 minutes (Rooney haplessly short and wide with the kick).

But it was the last flailing swing of a beaten opponent and Hornets merely carted the ball back up the other end where Ayres delivered a micrometer accurate 30 yard cut-out pass for Higgins to dive in at the corner unopposed. Quality.

Right on the hooter, Lathanm Tawhai slammed home a drop goal via the crossbar to seal a comprensive victory.

Despite poor respect for possession (the ball was dropped on the first or second tackle three of four times) and playing large tracts of the game on defence in their own half, Hornets looked more like the side that we know they are. Undoubtedly, the emergence of Warren Ayres as our first choice 6 is at the heart of our revival in form. He gives Tawhai more space to be creative, Smith More room to run and Higgins some great service with passes that rip defences open.

But don't discount the contribution made by Buncey, Stevo and Matty Long yesterday - hard yards made against an uncompromising pack.

Credit too to the enigma that is Paul Davidson. Awful one minute, but brilliant the next, he's got the ability to outplay any forward in this division if he really wants to. Against Rovers, he came good in the second half, forcing their defence back time and again with some blockbusting runs.

BIggest disappointment of the afternoon was the antics of Featherstone hooker Richard Chapman. Realising a downtown kick was going nowhere particularly troublesome, he took a dive that Rivaldo would have been proud of. Stevo had jumped to block the kick and couldn't simply evaporate, Chapman went down rolling and whining like he's been shot and - as soon as the ref had given the penalty - he jumped up and carried on, obviously no worse for wear. Ungentlemanly conduct or just plain cheating? You decide.

It's fitting then, that he ended up in a side well beaten.