Recap
Superleague and Championship fans from all over joined together at the South Leeds Stadium to see if the Hunslet Hawks could come up with the Challenge Cup shock of the round as they faced the French side Catalan Dragons.
The visitors kicked things off as expected with 2 early tries, the speed of the play the ball caught the Hawks completely off guard and William Barthau crossed for an easy 4 points. The next one an interception from pacy winger Damien Blanch who read a Dave March pass to Pryce before sprinting the field and touching down in the corner. Thomas Bosc was next for a try despite the enthusiasm in the defence the stand off sold the dummy expertly and slid over under the sticks. The Hawks did have their moments of success and worked hard for them. Grimshaw and March were linking well and they didn’t look far away from scoring. Hunslet had done well to quieten the Dragons and kept them under control for a while. A terrible off the ball challenge from Ian Henderson on Luke Helliwell saw the hooker sent from the field. The break in play boosted the side and the boys needed to take advantage of the extra man. The underdogs thought they were across on the back of a penalty as Yates barged over from close range and reached over to put it on the line, but the referee called the previous pass forward and wiped the try. The home side recovered well and managed to force a drop out, however their line was breached again following a string of dubious decisions from the officials and the Catalan side exposed the Hawks with a chip over the top straight into the hands of Jean-Phillipe Baile who grounded it, Bosc this time bouncing the ball off the upright with the conversion. The Catalans squeezed in another before half time but the Hawks had stood their ground for the first 40 minutes and would hopefully convert these efforts into points in the second half.
Phillipe Baile and Pelissier both got themselves across the whitewash early doors. The divide between the Superleague and Championship was only apparent in the Dragons speed and the Hawks were hungry for points. Liam Hood having the first attempt but held up over the line, Houston with the next but again the scrambling French defence beat them too it. Yates had led the team this afternoon and went flying across on the receiving end of a great inside ball. William Barthau was standout for the Dragons this afternoon and ripped open the defence in the latter half of the game scoring two tries to complete a hatrick and got Catalans up to the 50 point mark. Showing their resilience the Hunslet boys worked until the final minute. Danny Grimshaw got hold of the ball and danced around the opposition drawing in the line he moved them left and cut inside for an outstanding try. The hooter blew as March slotted the kick through the posts and it was the end of the Challenge Cup road for the Hawks with a 50-12 defeat.
Despite the score the end result was not disappointing to the Hawks who stand 19 league positions below the Catalan Dragons. A physically strong team the Hawks just didn’t have what it took, but the efforts and commitment had been creditable. Back to the league next week a home fixture against the York City Knights.
Well done to Barry and the Boys.
Hunslet RLFC Line up
1. Jimmy Watson
2. Stuart Kain
Sponsored by: Beth Hampshire
3. Aston Wilson
4. Liam Welham
Sponsored by: Adrian Jinks
5. Waine Pryce
Sponsored by: Yorkshire Signs
6. Danny Grimshaw
7. Luke Helliwell
Sponsored by: Jewson, Leeds
8. Michael Haley
9. Luke Haigh
Sponsored by: Elliott & Ewan Green
10. James Houston
Sponsored by: Stephen Bower Bespoke Joinery
11. Tommy Haughey
Sponsored by: Dawn Caley
12. Scott Watson
Sponsored by: Brian Jackson
Painter & Decorator 0780248204
13. David March
Sponsored by: A & R Construction
14. Liam Hood
Sponsored by: Colin & Kath Smith
15. Andrew Yates
Sponsored by: Village Urban Resorts South Leeds
16. Luke Menzies
Sponsored by: Fred & Jane Hopkins
17. David Clayton
Sponsored by: Barry & Norma Harding
Timeline
00:57 Andrew Yates Try
00:58 David March Goal
01:19 Danny Grimshaw Try
01:20 Luke Helliwell Goal