Rugby Union: More woe for Halifax as Kendal coast it
Published Date:
20 October 2008
Kendal 62 - Halifax 7
ANY hopes that a good run in the National Trophy would deflect attention away from a miserable league campaign were ruthlessly dashed by a Kendal side who gave Halifax a lesson in the art of team playing.
While Halifax continue to make themselves look second best with the same old basic errors and a lack of conviction, the home side defended as 15 and attacked in the same controlled and hungry manner, putting their ragged visitors to the sword.
There are not many places to hide on a rugby pitch, but it would appear that too many Halifax players are trying to do just that.
And while they do possess the talent on board to succeed at this level, there are too many individuals who are waiting for others to make things happen and it is continuing to kill them.
The brutal truth is that Kendal, who had former Ovenden Park favourite Craig Wilson installed in the No 8 shirt, were worthy of their crushing success.
And by the time Halifax did wake up to the fact that they were supposed to be in a game, that game was so far out of their reach as to be invisible.
The hosts made use of Halifax knocking on from the kick off to keep the ball alive and with just three minutes gone fly half Daniel Stephens dipped his shoulder and cruised through the middle before tagging on the conversion.
It was a sign of things to come and Halifax's fragile confidence took a further knock just three minutes later when lock Liam Hayton was able to carve a way through the defence for a 12-0 lead, Stephens drifting his conversion attempt wide.
There was less than a quarter of an hour gone when Kendal breached Halifax's backline again and a rout was on the cards. Sustained pressure led to Josh Cammiss infringing and when the penalty was kicked into the corner, the hosts produced a perfect drive for hooker Duncan Green to plunge over, Stephens tagging on the two points.
Halifax hooker Rob Townend made a difficult task even harder when referee Andrew Vertigan flashed him the yellow card after losing patience with the visitors for persistent offending around the ruck.
Kendal needed no further invitation as flanker Garry Holmes waltzed in, Stephens converting, after which winger Zane Butler profited from a missed tackle to chip ahead and then win the foot race, Stephens again converting.
Halifax had been restored to their full complement but were still powerless to prevent another break, instigated by Butler and finished by Matthew Gracie via centre partner Ian Voortman, as Kendal turned round 40-0 to the good, Stephen's boot adding the half's final conversion.
Just why it took such a pounding and an insurmountable deficit to kick start Halifax into some kind of response is anybody's guess, but at least they came out for the second half showing a bit of fight and some semblance of cohesion.
It was because of decent pressure when the players appeared to be working in tandem that the hard-working scrum half Dom Castle was, at last, able to spot a gap and exploit it.
Iain Gordon added a conversion that looked to be heading wide but, in what is becoming his trademark style, somehow drifted back inside the uprights.
That sparked a little flurry which saw Gordon's penalty land near the corner and after the drive was held up, Halifax looked to have worked an opening only for Paul Turner to knock on.
That pressure also led to Stephens overstepping the mark in his defensive duties and the referee at least showed some consistency by also despatching him to the bin.
Another good break saw emergency winger James Endersby receive the ball in a good position but he was unable to capitalise.
That signalled the end of Halifax's hopes of salvaging some pride, however, as Kendal wrestled the initiative back courtesy of another flowing score, speedy winger Lewis Boyd outstripping both Gareth Brear and Craig Emmerson to cross in the corner for a 45-7 lead.
Halifax heads dropped and nobody was alert to a kick forward which saw Boyd ship the ball out to Daniel Murray who raced in wide out.
Another all too brief salvo saw Endersby bundled into touch after which it was business as usual.
Great hands again opened up the Halifax defence for prop Richard Harriman to dive over, and the same player could not believe his luck when the visiting defence was torn apart again leaving him with a simple try that Stephens was happy to convert.
STARMAN
Dominic Castle has got a good rugby brain, yet he must feel that his talents are being wasted.
Time after time the eager scrum half gets himself into a position from which Halifax should be able to launch an attack. But, time after time those attacks come to nothing either through errors or wrong options.
However, as he has done throughout the opening weeks of the season, he is still there, trying to organise and cajole in equal measure and his commitment to the cause deserves better rewards.
Craig Emmerson will never take a backward step whether that be in attack of defence.
And he was another player who desperately tried to inspire those around him to better things but was all too often a lost voice.
Emmerson and Oli Marns are proud characters, and while Marns was missing through injury, it was Emmerson who attempted to lift everybody by example.
Adam Blades was cast into the role of skipper through Danny McGee's absence and he certainly tried to inject some purpose into the forward effort.
Blades does the hard work that often goes unnoticed, and this was an occasion when he did catch the eye by throwing himself into every situation like his, and the team's, lives depended on it.
Castle picks up three points, Emmerson two and Blades one.
MATCH FACTS
Kendal: Park, Butler, Gracie, Voortman, Boyd, Gough, Stevens, M Wilson, C Wilson, Holmes, Hayton, Gore, Coxon, Green, Harryman. Replacements: Martindale (Coxon 62), Ross (Harriman 73), Quarry, Coulter (Gough 73), Murray (Voortman 340).
Tries: Harriman (2), Stephens, Hayton, Green, Holmes, Butler, Gracie, Boyd, Murray
Conversions: Stephens (6)
Penalties: None
Drop Goals: None
Yellow Cards: Stephens (technical 53)
Red Cards: None
Halifax: Gordon, Brear, Emmerson, Moon, Endersby, Castle, Barker, Hall, Brown, Whitehead, Cammiss, Corrigan, Blades, Townend, Turner. Replacements: Mennell (Corrigan 69), Worsley, Maycock, Goodwin (Blades 65).
Tries: Castle
Conversions: Gordon
Penalties: None
Drop Goals: None
Yellow Cards: Townend (technical 21)
Red Cards: None.
Referee: Andrew Vertigan (RFU)
PLAYER POINTS
WORKOUT WAREHOUSE PLAYER OF THE SEASON: 9 Oli Marns; 8 Dom Castle; 5 Craig Emmerson; 4 Ian Spence; 3 Danny McGee, Gareth Brear, Richard Brown; 2 Dominic Moon; 1 Paul Turner, Josh Cammiss, Steve Worsley, Craig Barker, Adam Blades.
The full article contains 1152 words and appears in Evening Courier newspaper.
-
Last Updated:
20 October 2008 9:37 AM
-
Source:
Evening Courier
-
Location:
Halifax