Saturday, February 20th, 2010
North One West
WILMSLOW 30 BURNAGE 8
IF victory a week earlier turned on 10 minutes of running rugby, this pulsating win turned on another 10 minutes of brute force and valiant defence.
It was honours even at the break, even if Wilmslow were slightly ahead 6-0 with a drop goal and penalty to their credit. On 48 minutes, centre Nigel Burge-Jones had crossed to edge the Wolves into a tenuous 11-3 lead and there was still everything to play for.
Then the rejuvenated lock forward Rob Cowley found himself entering a ruck from the side and his considerable bulk was given 10 minutes in the bin.
Burnage scented blood, kicked for the corner and launched an all-out assault on the Wolves’ lair. For seven solid minutes, they threw everything, including the kitchen sink, at the Wilmslow line and came away with nothing.
The seven-man pack was magnificent; their efforts summed up perfectly by a titanic tackle from flanker Ryan Parkinson on a No.8 pick-up from yet another scrum five metres out. He didn’t hit his man, he obliterated him. If this hadn’t been a field of play, the Cheshire constabulary would have investigated.
The ball spun wildly out of control, the Wolves pounced, hacked upfield and turned entrenched defence into attack to prepare for ‘Big Unit’ Cowley’s return. Job done.
It was the signal for Wilmslow to produce what was arguably its finest rugby this season, flinging the ball wide to stretch Burnage and closing down their every move.
Enter Josh Longmore, mercurial back, as comfortable in the centre, on the wing, at full back, or in the No.10 shirt, where he has deputised ably for the unavailable Bob MacCallum. On 70 minutes he charged down a Burnage clearance kick outside the 22, swooped to execute a breathtaking one-handed pick-up, stepped a flailing defender, touched down and converted his try.
It’s saying something when his 15-point contribution to Wilmslow’s fine win was not enough to earn him man of the match. For pulling all this together again, binding the forwards’ efforts up front with the free-running backs was flanker Tom Noott. Powerful in defence, electric in attack, he commanded the back row trio and cleaned up behind the threequarters.
Longmore’s try opened the floodgates for a final 10 minutes of champagne rugby from Wilmslow, marred only by a lapse of concentration in the eighth minute of extra time when they let Burnage fly half Sam Jennings cross for an unconverted consolation try.
Before that, full back James Conville, improving with every appearance, rounded off a free-flowing move launched by centre Burge-Jones in the Wilmslow half. Cowley, enjoying his new lease of life, surged foward, linking with scrum half Charlie Mulchrone  and others for Conville to finish.
With full time looming, Mulchrone made a trademark move off the back of a scrum, linked with winger James Watts and flanker Noot crowned his, and Wilmslow’s performance, with a well-worked try.
The Wolves’ fourth consecutve win consolidates their thoroughly deserved sixth place in North One West. On Saturday they travel to New Brighton for a weather-delayed return fixture, hoping to avenge last Septembers narrow 16-17 defeat at Pownall Park.
Coach Giles Heagerty was a very content man in the clubhouse and did not underestimate his side’s achievment against hard opposition: “They were a well-organised, well-drilled side who were one of the few sides to use the rolling maul effectively against us this season. It was one of the best packs we have faced and we put ourselves under pressure in the first half, not following up a kick which hit the crossbar and launched a Burnage counter-attack. And if we had managed to hold onto the ball, we would have scored a couple of times early on.
“At half time I told them to be patient, hold onto the ball and it will come – and look what happened.
“The pack was magnificent, especially in Rob Cowley’s absence. Their defence turned the match and produced probably our best performance all season.”
The Vikings match at Penrith was weathered off. The Hawks development side hammered Ashton on Mersey 76-0, which included tries by skipper Matt Hamilton, Amandeep Sandhu, Liam Docherty, Nigel Brierley and Rob Jones. The 4th XV (Raptors) were disappointed by Widnes’ late decision to cry off.