Saturday 27th. February

North One West

New Brighton 27 – 23 Wilmslow

David Pike writes:

In the end, the Wolves were just not able to summon up sufficient composure in the final few frantic minutes to preserve their four-match winning streak . But in conceding four tries and failing to subdue the limited forward-oriented game of their opponents, they can have few complaints at the outcome.

They will have travelled down the M56 to Leasowe on the Wirral full of confidence.  The pack which had performed so well in recent weeks showed only one change, Jamie Thomas coming in at No. 6 for the influential Tom Noot, injured playing mid week for his university side.

In the backs, though, only Charlie Mulchrone, Josh Longmore and Chris Lee were present in the same positions as last week.  Bob MacCallum, returned from the skiing slopes, was called up at full back, Rick Chadwick was partnered with Lee in the centre, James Conville moved to the right wing and there was a debut for the High School captain, Elliot Brierly on the left wing.

For New Brighton, hovering perilously close to the relegation zone without a win since before Christmas, this was crunch time.  They scored three times in the first quarter with a pick and drive after just five minutes from hooker Philip Buckley and this was followed by second row Keith Mahon finding the space twice to trundle in unopposed from the Wilmslow twenty two.  Before half time, the Fijian second row Teviita Liku had  the ball wrestled from him as he ran round to touch down under the posts and then what looked a perfectly good score from their Fijian captain Kati Tuipuloto was ruled out by referee Mark Jackson.

It wasn’t all one way traffic as MacCallum kicked two penalties and then converted a smart try from Brierly, finishing off a crisp piece of handling.  The first forty, however, was dominated by the abrasive NB forwards.  Rock solid in scrum and lineout, they didn’t have any other strategy than to drive and roll around the fringes and this was so effective that they didn’t need a plan B.  Moving the ball out wide was just not in their repertoire.

Despite their resistance, the Wolves  were just battered backwards and at the break were 22-13 adrift.  It could easily have been so much worse.

The second half saw a different game.  NB were still masters of maintaining possession in the forward drive but they could hardly get out of their own half and in their frustration Loa Tupou and Tuipuloto were in succession yellow carded for persistent ruck and maul offences.  The Wolves increased their tempo and eight minutes into the half, the substantial bulk of prop Jack Walmsley charged down a poor clearing kick and Mike Clifford won the race for the touchdown.  Almost immediately a muddle in Wilmslow’s midfield defence followed and allowed NB their fourth try.

Thereafter, the Wolves dominated territory but only had a further MacCallum penalty to show for it.  Conville was ruled not to have touched down properly, Lee and Chadwick both ran hard, Mulchrone buzzed as he always does but stout uncompromising NB defence closed down several promising moves and half chances.  And then the Wolves lost Ryan Parkinson, who was stretchered off with what transpires to be a torn hamstring.

It was one of those days.  The Wolves clearly possessed far more pace and invention in the backs than their opponents and up front the pack lasted the duration without ever completely mastering Tuipuloto and company.  The side will be kicking its self for letting this one go but in shipping twenty early points, they left themselves with just too much to do.