Castleford Tigers 50 Featherstone Rovers 10 After two pre-season games against Championship opposition Rovers final chance to practise and learn was against Super League Castleford Tigers and one look at the team sheet saw that the home team were taking the game seriously as their starting line up was very close to the team that would be expected to start their first SL game in a fortnight. Featherstone were also fielding their first choice line up so on a bitter February afternoon both sets of fans were looking to see what their team could do. In the end the spoils went to the home team although the final score was a bit The game started terribly as the first thing I found was that the batteries were flat in my dictaphone so this will be a truncated report. It started terribly for Rovers too as Stuart Kain and Stuart Dickens collided going to take the catch from the kick off and managed to give Cas a scrum only 10m fom the line. From the base of the scrum the ball went right and found Dixon coming at pace to step through the defence and score a try that he himself converted. Only 2 minutes played and Rovers were 6 down. From the kick off Castleford also managed to knock on so Featherstone had their first chance of posting points. They turned down the chance of two points twice when Cas were penalised in front of the posts but the Tigers' defence held firm and moved back down the field. Rovers survived six tackles in their own twenty until Rovers narrowed the gap on the 13th minute when good hands across the field gave Waine Pryce just enough room to squeeze in at the corner. No conversion but at least points on the board. As the end of the first quarter approached it looked like Rovers had weathered the storm but a good move from Castleford where Ryan McGoldrick looped round to pass and then receive the ball before going over to score a try once again converted by Kirk Dixon. Castleford were to post two more converted tries before half time. On 27 minutes after Rovers were penalised for not standing square at the play the ball, Cas used the territory to good advantage as Brett Ferres dummied his way through Rovers right side defence and managed to twist and stretch to score. Bret Ferres was to get the next try as well. A poor pass across the line looked as if it was going to ground and as often Rovers were holding the Tigers well in the crowded midfield but out wide missed tackles and incomplete tackles were giving the home team far too much ground. Featherstone also seemed to find difficulty as the Cas dummy runners came close to shepherding, as is common in the modern game, and blocked the defenders off from the ball carrier. Rovers completed the scoring for the first half and their scoring for the game as a whole five minutes from half time when a bomb to the corner by Iestyn was knocked forward by Dixon. Matty Dale swooped on the loose ball to score and Iestyn stepped forward to add the conversion. The second half went 26-0 to Cas which didn't reflect the effort or the field position of Rovers. It did relect though the difference in the teams' ability to break the defensive line. The score was extended when Rangi Chase went from the base of the scrum on Rovers came close when they decided to run the ball on the last and fast hands found Jon Steel on the left but he was tackled just short of the line. 10 minutes into the second half as Rovers ran the ball off their line a poor pass gifted the ball and the territory to the home team and Kirk Netherton stepped through to score a try which once again was not improved. The next try came when the ball struck Jon Steel and Mr Merrick decided that there had been a play for the ball. The second set was enough for Cas as Craig Huby came powerfully onto a short ball to score close to the sticks. The conversion made the score 38 - 10 and this would have been a fair reflection of the game; but this was not to be. Featherstone had a brief resurgence when they forced back to back sets and Joe McLocklan was held inches short, but A poor pass behind the Rovers line left Waine to turn and drop on the ball but his opposition winger stole itl. Cas worked well down field until finally a long miss pass found Michael Wainwright unmarked on the left wing. His try was easy, the kick wasn't but Kirrk Dixon made it look so as he bisected the posts from the touch line. The final score came in the final minute. Good hands across the field beat the sliding defence and with a two to one advantage, Joe Westerman used his winger as a feint, dummied the pass and strolled in for a try which once again brought an excellent kick from Dixon. Daryll commented that "We must learn from the defeat" but as far as the fans leaving the ground were concerned, a good display against Leigh next week will soon relegate thoughts of this game to the recesses of the mind.
Half Time 24-10 Referee Mr D Merrick Scoring sequence 6-0, 6-4, 12-4, 18-4, 24-4, 24-10, 28-10, 32-10, 38-10, 44-10, 50-10 Crowd 2583 © 2008 Stuart Lonsdale |
harsh as it was boosted by two tries in the last four minutes. It had to be said though that with possible exception of the front row, the SL team were superior right across the park.
Tony Tonks got the ball and made good ground upfield.
happenss in such circumstances the defence relaxed. Michael Shenton didn't relax though and as he broke through he was ably supported by Ferres on his inside.
a lateral run to the left and when he eventually straightened the tackler missed him and he strode through to score. This time Dixon missed the conversion.
Castleford were to add twelve more points before the final whistle.
