Hornets put the skids under Robins
Hornets and Hull KR turned in a remarkable game of Rugby League on a pitch better suited to the skills of Shackleton, Scott and Amundsen. In doubt an hour before kick off, the game took place on a pitch coated all over in a good couple of inches of snow - and it was Hull KR who got their snow shoes in gear first.
Andy Smith broke the ice in the fourteenth minute on the Robins' first real foray into Hornets' territory. 20 minutes in, a dainty last tackle grubber by Murdock was swooped on by sub. John Aston who scored with virtually his first touch. Chris Charles converted and at 10-nil Hornets - like the snow - were in danger of drifting out of the game.
But Hornets dug deep. On 32 minutes Sean Cooper finally made the extensive
Hornets pressure count, sliding in from 5 metres. Two minutes later Cooper
got another Calland smuggling the ball out of a melee of defenders for
'Tommy' to dive in. With no extras from Agar, Hornets were - amazingly -
back in the chase at 10-8, and Hull KR were hanging on for the half time
hooter. But the half still had a killer twist to come - Calland clearing the
lines threw a (snow) blind pass that fell in the no-man's land between
Cooper and Alex Godfrey. Godfrey going forward had the advantage, and
strolled in unopposed for an awful, awful try. Charles converted and at 16-8
Hornets looked dead and buried.
But once again, Martin Hall demonstrated that a few well chosen words can work wonders, as Hornets came out transformed. From the outset, Latham Tawhai tortured and tormented a back pedalling Robins' defence. on 46 minutes a neat chip and chase tied the Robin's Jimmy Walker in all sorts of knots. As Tawhai went to ground in a tangle of arms and legs, the referee ruled that Walker had deliberately felled him. Walker was dispatched to the sin-bin, the penalty dispatched by Agar.
16-10 - Hornets turned the screw. The next score on 53 minutes was sheer class. The hard-working David Larder drove the ball into the Robins defence, off loading to Tawhai. Tawhai created a huge hole in centre field and Larder returned to take the ball back, tearing the Rovers' defence wide open with a blockbusting diagonal run. Casey Mayberry backed up the break, Larder drew the defenders and released him with a perfectly timed pass. Mayberry once again proved that he's no slouch, leaving the desperate Rovers defenders for dead to sprint in from 30 metres and score a try taking that brought the main stand to its feet. The conversion by Agar brought the scores level and Rovers were gone.
Six minutes later James Bunyan burst through for to give Hornets the lead and, on the next visit to the Rovers half, a neat wide pass found Cooper who showed good strength to crash is way in for his hat-trick. 24-16; Hull KR fans silent in disbelief; Hornets fans delirious with disbelief..
With less than a minute to go, Rovers managed a dubious consolation try from
Alex Godfrey who seemed to lose control of the ball in the grounding. Final
score 24-20 and a vital two points for Hornets. And whilst Sean Cooper
celebrated a well taken hat-trick, he shares our man-of-the-match award with
Latham Tawhai who showed us what he's really capable of. Let's hope this
performance gives him the confidence to take teams on more - Hull KR
couldn't live with him. Honourable mentions too for Dave Stevenson who
worked himself to a standstill, Dave Larder who terrified Rovers every time
he touched the ball, and Joe Berry who makes yards out of nothing week after
week.
This was an absolute cracker that made light of the awful conditions. Both sides showed that they'll be there or thereabouts at the end of the season, but it's a Hornets victory that resonates like a statement of intent throughout the NFP. Make no mistake, Hull KR were the form team and this will make one or two coaches sit up and take notice. And it's a warning that you take this Hornets side lightly at your own risk.
Martin Hall has assembled a squad that has the ability to dig deep when the going gets tough . That's more than enough to deliver success at this level - and a fitting end to a great year.
Happy New Year to all our readers!