Rochdale Hornets 30 Hunslet 18
Hunslet lost out in a lively and entertaining Qualifying play-off at The Crown Oil Arena and will now face Midlands Hurricanes next Sunday in an Elimination match at the South Leeds Stadium
The Parksiders will point out they lost three important players to injury (Cam Berry, Josh Jordan-Roberts and Jimmy Watson) and finished the game with only fourteen fit players, but having dominated the opening exchanges Hunslet will be disappointed they didn’t put Hornets to the sword in the first quarter.
Rochdale are the leagues form team, but started out mistake ridden. After a Hornets knock-on the Hunslet forwards drove forward enabling quick hands to the left for Jude Ferreira to score. 0-4 after only 5 minutes.
A Rochdale forward pass invited Hunslet in for more pressure. This time George Flanagan put a neat kick in for Alfie Goddard to follow up and score. Converted by Matty Beharrell. 0-10 after only 8 minutes.
Eventually Rochdale completed a set of tackles, and after the Ref waved ‘6 again’ Lameck Juma cut inside to score under the posts. Mackenzie Harman converting. 6-10 on only 13 minutes.
Defences were not on top, and with the rain coming down hard the handling was difficult but both teams were putting on a good show.
Jack Render has been brilliant this year taking high kicks to score and on 17 minutes he produced another special, leaping high to stretch Hunslets lead to 6-14
As Hunslet lost Cam Berry to a head injury, Rochdale started to get a grip of the game. George Flanagan saved an impressive Rochdale effort as Luke Forber tried to flick the ball inside. But repeated sets soon told as Lewis Else finished an Aiden Roden break to make it 10-14 on 29 minutes.
4 minutes later former Hunslet man Jordan Andrade looked to be tackled short, but the Ref changed his mind and awarded the try that edged Hornets in front. 16-14
Hunslet needed half time to re-assess, but Rochdale finished the half strongly as good play down the left enabled Luke Forber to stride over for a try. 20-14 at the break.
Losing Josh Jordan-Roberts at the break meant Hunslet had to re-shuffle. But they came out on the attack as Mackenzie Turner tried to kick on a loose ball (Mc Nally clearing up for Rochdale).
Although the home side missed a Penalty, they scored the next try on 44 minutes as again quick hands on the last tackle enabled Myles Harrop to sneak in the left corner. 26-14
With a 12 point gap Hunslet had to up their game. Both Matty Beharrell and George Flanagan were a constant threat and Ross Whitmore was sharp around the ruck. On 58 minutes they found a way back into the match as George Flanagan sent a pass to Jack Render who finished superbly in the corner. 26-18
The Parksiders had now also lost Jimmy Watson to injury and Jordan Paga had joined the fray, but it was Matty Beharrell that set up a try scoring opportunity for Jude Ferreira with a smart kick behind the Rochdale defence. Ferreira looked all on to score but the ball took a strange bounce before he could ground the ball and the chance was gone.
A try at this point would have made Hunslet favourites, but Rochdale’s stand out player Lewis Else wrapped it up for the Hornets on 72 minutes with a try in the corner after Hunslet had knocked-on. 30-18
Although Rochdale’s Mackenzie Harman missed a penalty and drop-goal attempt in the dying stages on an off-key day for both kickers the game was won for Hornets.
With Hunslet trying to score a last try after the hooter had gone Luke Nelmes put a shoulder charge tackle in on Ross Whitmore and the game erupted into a brawl. Nelmes saw red and Hunslet’s George Flanagan was sin-binned, upping the ante if these two meet again.
Rochdale now travel to Keighley in the play-off semi-final. The loser will host either Hunslet or Midlands in the other semi-final.
It’s last chance saloon next week for Hunslet who need to beat Midlands Hurricanes. With a few bumps and bruises it’s not going to be an easy task. But at times the Parksiders played some good Rugby. If Hunslet are to meet Rochdale again though they need to cut out the ‘6 agains’ that killed them late in the first half.
Jude Ferreira and Jack Render were constant threats, whilst Matty Fletcher drove in hard in the forwards.
ROCHDALE HORNETS – Mc Nally, Juma, Taulapapa, Harrop, Forber, Harman, Else, Spencer-Tonks, Roden, Nelmes, Forster, Straugheir, Whittel, Ratchford, Roberts, Andrade, Killan, Meadows.
HUNSLET – Watson, Turner, Goddard, Ferreira, Render, Flanagan, Beharrell, Hallas, Whitmore, Fletcher, Jordan-Roberts, Syme, Knowles, Berry, Wray, O’Hanlon, Paga, Carr.
