Stacy Mowforth – Prost International [PINT]

Halifax Panthers take the sting out of the Rochdale Hornets to go top

Stacy Mowforth — Tue, 10 May 2022 19:20:54 +0000

The Halifax Panthers Women continued their winning streak at the weekend with a 32-6 win at the Rochdale Hornets.

(Photo credit:Simon Hall)

Tries from Carly Yeaman (x2), Kirsty Hodgson, Becky Goulding and Rochelle Statham-drake (x3) sealed the victory for the Panthers. The victory sees Halifax topping the league 1 table in the early stages of the season.

After a couple of weeks with no games due to Covid illness and a free weekend, the Halifax Panthers Women were keen to build upon their first-round win against Wigan St Patrick’s.

Halifax were without some first-team players, and as such coaches Ant McCarthy and Connor Matheson had to play players out of position to adapt.

Although a relatively new team, Rochdale Hornets did not back down from any challenges they faced from the Panthers and displayed some strong attacking and defensive efforts throughout the 80 minutes.

The Panthers opened the scoring early in the game following some strong running the middle and quick hands from Molly England sending Captain Carly Yeaman over for her first try of the game.

Halifax continued to pile on the pressure with some strong running from oppositions players off the match Beth Greenwood and Stacy Mowforth putting the Panthers in striking range. Some quick thinking from Yeaman created an overlap to send Becky Goulding in for a try in the corner.

(photo credit: Simon Hall)

Rochdale threatened the Panthers’ line on the back of strong attacking plays, but Halifax defended their line strongly and regained possession and kept the pressure on. Rochelle Statham-Drakes solo effort from 40 metres out took the score to 0-14 at half-time.

It was Rochdale who drew first blood in the second half with an impressive 80 metre try under the sticks from the Hornets’ second-row Sam Brazier, who caught the Panthers’ defence napping.

However, it did not take long for Halifax to hit back with a lovely set piece from the scrum. Kirsty Hodgson made strong inroads through the defence and tipped the ball out in the tackle to Statham-Drake sending her over the line for her second try of the game. (Photo credit: Simon Hall)

With a strong lead the Panthers started to play a more expansive style of rugby that seemed to pay off leading upthe next try as the ball flowed from left to right to send Yeaman crashing over the line for her second try.

The Panthers tails were firmly in the air as they showed a fabulous passage of play to draw in the defence before shipping the ball out wide to find the overlap to give Kirsty Hodgson a try in the corner.

Halifax didn’t take their foot off the gas with prop Mowforth finding a way through the defensive line and managed to get the ball free to Statham-Drake despite heavy attention from the hornets defenders, sending her over for the hat-trick and take the final score to 6-32.

Coaches McCarthy and Matheson praised the team for sticking to the game plan and getting the basics right. They also praised their player of the match, Sophie Langley, on her performance and coming out of her comfort zone by switching to a completely new position for her halfway through the game.

A special mention to Kara Colvin who made her return in the game following an 11 month side line due to an Achilles rupture.

The Panthers are back at home on Sunday 15th May in the Semi-final of the league cup against Leigh Miners Community Team.

Follow us on Twitter @ProstRL

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St Helens youngster Eboni Partington looks ahead to her first Challenge Cup Final

Stacy Mowforth — Fri, 06 May 2022 17:20:17 +0000

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The Challenge Cup triple-header at Elland Road on 7th May- The Women’s Challenge Cup Final between the Leeds Rhinos and last year’s champions St Helen’s kicks off the event at 12pm. This is the 10th staging of the women’s Challenge cup competition.

The Rhinos missed out on a final place last season after losing to St Helen’s in the semi-final 20-12, so they will be seeking revenge and hoping to come away with the silverware.

Both teams have had a successful Challenge cup campaign with Leeds securing one of the biggest victories of the competition with a 92-0 victory over Leigh Miners Rangers.

St Helens enter the game without conceding any points throughout the competition, a run that Leeds will be hoping to spoil.

The game promises to be a high scoring game as the teams have scored 560 points between them.

Across both teams, there is a wealth of talent, experience and youth showcasing the best of what the women’s game has to offer. You can look to the likes of Courtney Winfield-Hill, Georgia Roche, Paige Travis and Amy Hardcastle for top performances on the biggest stage, but with plenty of youth in the sides, they’ll be plenty of women hoping to shine in their first final experience.

One of those women playing in their first final is St Helens centre, 19-year-old Eboni Partington.

Photo credit Mks Photography.

Prost spoke to Eboni ahead of the game about her experience so far within the squad.

She began her rugby league career at the age of 17 following a successful spell playing Rugby Union. She saw a Facebook post to join the U19’s development squad, and she hasn’t looked back since. After a few months with the development squad, she was brought in to train with the women’s team and made her debut in 2020.

The chance to train and play with the women she can learn from are some of the best in the women’s game

“I was inspired by watching players like Jodie Cunningham and Amy Hardcastle. Then when I was able to train by them was a good insight for me to learn from the best.”

Partington says that the vibe in the team at the moment feels very good, everyone is excited about the occasion but working very hard and is extremely focused on the job at hand.

Looking ahead to her final debut she is looking forward to embracing the spectacle of the game.

“Personally I’m excited to be a part of the team on such a special occasion. I remember watching last year, supporting the girls and I thought the atmosphere was so exciting. I remember thinking I wish I was playing. Now, I finally have my chance to play and I feel I just need to focus on what I need to do as well as embrace it and not get too nervous.”

The women’s game is progressing more and more every year, and each team has their own following of young girls wanting to be the next generation of Super League players hoping to play in a Challenge Cup final. Last year Eboni was one of the girls and she has a message for the young girls watching.

“To young girls I would say don’t hold back, get involved work hard and believe in yourself.”

Following the women’s final both men’s semi-finals will follow with Wigan vs St Helens KO 14:30 and Huddersfield Giants vs Hull KR KO 17:00.

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Halifax Panthers women kick start their season with a 36-16 victory over Wigan St. Patricks

Stacy Mowforth — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 15:42:57 +0000

The Halifax Panthers women kick started their 2022 season campaign with an impressive victory over Wigan St Patrick’s 36-16.

The hard fought victory was cemented with a hat trick of tries from coaches player of the match, prop Chloe Sykes, with other tries coming from opposition player of the match Rochelle Strantham- Drake, Kirsty Hogdson, Lucy Wood and Beth Greenwood.

The game saw the Panthers facing a strong 11 women squad from Wigan due to injuries and illness. In a show of sportsmanship the ladies dropped down to match their opponents.

It was Halifax that drew first blood with some quick thinking from hooker Statham-Drake getting over the whitewash with her dancing feet.

With the Panthers possibly underestimating their opponents, Wigan quickly hit back with three tries in quick succession.

Following a quick reshuffle from coach Ant McCarthy Halifax hit back with an impressive full length try from Lucy Wood, making her return to the squad from injury.

The women finished the 1st half on a high with prop Sykes going in for her first of 3 tries to take the game to 14-12 at half time in the Panthers favour.

Halifax we’re their own worst enemy at times in the first half but following some strong words from captain Carly Yeaman at the break saw a better start to the second half from the women.

A strong performance from Kirsty Hodgson saw her efforts rewarded as she powered her way through and went over for a well deserved try.

The Panthers seemed to step it up a gear with some impressive plays and set-pieces pleasing coaches McCarthy and Connor Matheson.

Sykes was next on the scoresheet for her second with another another barnstorming run to crash over the line.

Wigan took another hit losing another player through injury with the Panthers dropping down in numbers to accommodate, but this didn’t stop the women’s momentum with Beth Greenwood adding to the score line with a quick thinking show and go to race 25m to score under the sticks.

Wigan hit back with an impressive shift play to the right hand side sending their winger in at the corner.

The celebrations were short lived and Halifax hit straight back with Sykes third try of the game, a carbon copy of her first two, showing her strength to power over the line capping off an well rounded performance from the prop.

Sadly with 14 minutes to go Wigan conceded the match due to an injury to their playmaker.

A solid performance from the Panthers taking their first victory of the season on home soil, the game gave lots of training points for improvement for the coaches and a platform to build from.

In his post match interview coach McCarthy gave kudos to a good captains performance from Yeaman both on and off the field.

He also praised his young players Erin Benson and Aaliyah Tooth for their strong performances again and taking it to some much bigger opposition, playing not only above their size but above their age.

The women now have a couple of weeks break before their next game against local opposition Illingworth women which promises to be a tough and competitive game.

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt

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Panthers on the prowl, hoping for their second win in the 2022 Betfred Championship season

Stacy Mowforth — Sat, 26 Mar 2022 12:00:46 +0000

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Sunday 27th March sees the Halifax Panthers make the long trip to Cumbria to Derwent Park to face Workington Town in the rearranged fixture.

The previous meeting was called off back in February due to the weather and pitch conditions.

This game is a must-win for both teams as Workington town sit on the bottom of the Betfred Championship after losing all five games of the opening season to Newcastle Thunder, Widnes Vikings, Featherstone Rovers, Sheffield Eagles and Barrow Raiders.

Halifax Panthers sit in 11th place after five rounds following defeats against Batley Bulldogs, Widnes Vikings, Featherstone Rovers and Leigh Centurions, their only win of the campaign coming against London broncos in Round Two on February 6th.

Halifax cannot seem to break the run of defeats, and although improvements have been made, the points needs to start coming in.

Panthers coach Simon Grix told Premier Sports

“We’re obviously frustrated. It’s not how anyone wants to start the season, you obviously want more wins. Context is the big thing. But there’s no excuses. We haven’t been good enough to get the points regardless of who the opposition is. At the end of the day, if you were judged on being close and got points for it, that would be great. But you don’t, so we need to turn our attention to Workington, do a good job and start building into this season. We’ve gained a bit of belief that we can swing with the big hitters, we’ve not been quite good enough to take them out. But it’s given us a bit of focus about how we want to play.”

Halifax have scored 82 points going into the games against Workington’s 50, but it’s the points against which point in the Panthers’ favour as Workington have conceded 196 points to Halifax’s 87. Workington needs to tighten up in the defence if they are going to pick up their first win of the 2022 season.

In order to break their run of defeats, the Panthers will need to start the game all guns blazing and put their stamp on the game as soon as the whistle blows, they have been guilty of not starting the game until fifteen to twenty minutes into the game and have been punished by this.

Both coaches will be eager to get the win on Sunday, and due to the recent form, it would appear on paper that Workington’s coach Chris Thorman will see Sunday as his squad’s best chance so far.

On the flip side, the Panthers will also fancy their chances against a team at the bottom of the league, Making for a very important and entertaining 80 minutes of rugby league for both teams.

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Leigh Centurions take the spoils at The Shay

Stacy Mowforth — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 11:25:48 +0000

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Despite a valiant effort from the Panthers, Leigh Centurions continue their winning streak with a 26-16 victory against the Halifax Panthers under the lights, live on Premier Sports. The defeat makes it a fourth successive defeat for the West Yorkshire outfit.

It was the Panthers that drew first blood nine minutes in with Zack McComb getting over the whitewash from a grubber kick by James Saltonstall. The possession was in favour of Leigh after that but Halifax managed to keep them at bay until the 25th Minute when back to back penalties put pressure on the defence, a short ball from James Bell sent Mark Ioane over the line, it looked like the Panthers had done enough to keep the big man out but the referee, in prime position, awarded the try, a Ben Reynolds conversion gave the visitors the lead, a lead in which they would retain for the rest of the game.

The Panthers did themselves no favours as the kick restart went out on the full, giving Leigh the ball back to attack again, and attack they did when just four minutes later, in form Centurion Nene MacDonald crashed over the line for Leigh to extend their lead.

Halifax tried to build the pressure towards half time but a combination of errors and some strong defence from Leigh kept the score at 4-10 going in at half time.

Leigh started the second half with vigour as they extended their lead with some impressive link-up play from Aetkins and MacDonalds to put Keanan Brand over for a try. Penalties and errors for both sides set the tone for the next ten minutes of play, but it was Leigh that took advantage of this and punished the error by the Panthers as Tom Amone crashed through a hole in the defence to get his first-ever try.

The hosts took advantage of some sloppy play from Leigh, following back to back penalties and some quick hands from the Panthers saw Man of the match James Saltonstall dive in at the corner for Halifax’s second try of the game, with 13 minutes to go and 12 points the difference the game seemed to be Leigh’s.
A try in the 73rd minute from Joe Wardle set the win in stone for Leigh. It was Halifax Panthers that had the last say with a try from Lachlan Walmsley on the back of some nice ball movement and a floating pass over the top from Joe Keyes, Final score 16-26.

It was a tough day in the office for the Panthers on their Premier sports debut, despite their best efforts to topple the Centurions, at times they were outmuscled in the middle and couldn’t quite get the measure of MacDonald and Inu. They were glimmers of hope across the field and they were able to be some expansive rugby league.

Leigh put on a performance that got the job done, moments of magic by Mellor, strong running in the middle of the pitch and the kicking game of Reynolds was the difference in this clash.

Halifax Panthers: J.Woodburn-Hall, J.Saltonstall, Z.McComb, J.Arundel, L.Walmsley, C.Aston, J.Keyes, D.Murray, B.Moore, N.Mason, J.Ashworth, M.Garside, A.Tangata. INT: K.Wood, T.Gwaze, W.Calcott, E.barber

Tries:

Z.McComb 9″
J.Salstonstall 66″
L.Walmsley 79″

Leigh Centurions: C.Aekins, K.Inu, E.Chamberlain, N.MacDonald, K.Brand, B.Reynolds, J.Mellor, A.Sidlow, A.Smith, T.Amone, J.Wardle, S.Stone, J.Asiata. INT: M.Ioane, A.Hingano, J.McDonnell, J.Bell

Tries:
M.Ioane 26″
N.MacDonald 29″
K.Brand 47″
T.Amone 59″
J.Wardle 72″

Attendance 2,202

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Saint Helens women begin their challenge cup title defence against Barrow Raiders Ladies

Stacy Mowforth — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 13:38:17 +0000

Saturday 12th March sees the return of women’s rugby league, and kicks off a years which builds to a home world cup later in the year.

St Helens women begin their challenge cup title defences against the newly promoted Barrow Raiders ladies in the first round, a game in which BBC sport will be showing live.

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Barrow, who gained promotion to the women’s super league with an impressive second placed championship finish behind fellow promoted side Leigh Miners, are one of 16 teams drawn into four groups of four teams.

All the sides will be aiming to reach the grand final on Saturday 7th May at Elland road, as part of a triple header including the men’s challenge cup.

St Helens go into the game as favourites following their dominating 2021 treble winning season.

Prost spoke to St Helens, and England international Amy Hardcastle ahead of the first game to get her views on the up coming fixture and season.

“I’m really excited to be getting back out on the field with the girls, it feels like way too long since we last played together. We have had a tough pre-season, focusing a lot on conditioning, pushing our personal boundaries with our fitness levels, so, really excited to see the improvements with the team. This year, our aim is to continue with great defence and focus on completion. We will work even harder to ensure we keep hold of the treble title, we sure don’t want to let go of that now. Barrow will definitely give us a game, especially on home soil. I watched them against Huddersfield and I was really impressed with their forwards, they never went away, you just can not underestimate them.”

The game will be played at the Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium, which will be the first of two games of the weekend as the men take to the pitch and look to continue their unbeaten record on the Sunday against Workington town.

For a second consecutive season, Barrow Raiders Ladies number seven Jodie Litherland has been appointed captain for the season. She spoke on the appointment of her captaincy Lithergard to barrowrlfc:

“I felt strongly about all the new and past/old players gelling, coming together as one and to feel part of this new squad, and create an environment where we can strive together to be the best we can be. It obviously means a lot. Coming in with new coaching staff, it was never an expectation to be captain because new coaches can bring their own ideas. The fact that Amanda has selected me to be her captain is brilliant. I cant wait to improve underneath her and lead this team”

Coverage for the game starts at 2pm on BBC sport, BBC iPlayer and website. It will be a great chance for rugby fans to see the women’s game in all its glory and get behind the ever progressing game.

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Former Teammates Hanley and Wane go head to head in June

Stacy Mowforth — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 17:36:51 +0000

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Saturday 18th June 2022 will see two Wigan rugby league heavyweights go head-to-head as England face the combined All Stars at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Shaun Wane will be looking to pull one back following the teams’ previous meeting that saw the all-stars come away with the 24-26 win under previous coach Tim Sheens.

Rugby league hall of famer and three-time man of steel Ellery Hanley MBE takes the reigns of the all-stars and faces his former teammate Shaun Wane.

Looking back over their time as teammates and friends, the mutual respect is clear. Their knowledge of each other and how they like their teams to play will make for an interesting and competitive game come June.

Wane said “I’m really looking forward to it, I know how competitive he is, and he knows me really well. I did not like losing last year’s game, I want to win this one. So, it’s going to be the making of two really good teams going at it.” He goes on to say “He wants to do the tough stuff. He’s a competitive player, the best player I have ever played with, without a shadow of a doubt. Just his name, walking in a room he is an icon, everyone looks up to him. You respect everything he says, he doesn’t talk rubbish, everything he says makes sense. I’ve got the upmost respect for him as a player, every member of staff in that all-stars camp will be behind him and it’s going to make it tougher for us, which is great for preparation.”

Friendships will be put aside for 80 minutes in June when the teams go head-to-head. Ellery Hanley predicts a battle.

“We know it’s going to be a battle and neither of us are going to step aside whatsoever, but at the end of it we’ll still respect each other.”

Wane, still sore from the last meeting of the teams has highlighted some of the wrongs they will be hoping to put right in June

“It wasn’t the flashy things that let us down, it was some simple basics, the fundamentals. Players in certain positions. Simple things done really well will get you the win, and we didn’t do enough of that in that game”

The all-stars will not get as many chances to get together in camp as the England squad, but Hanley is confident that he knows enough about his players to get the best from them.

“There’s not many games I’ve not missed, so I’m very familiar with all the players. To be quite honest I probably know all the players in terms of their weaknesses and strengths. I know what I’m looking for in a player in terms of the all nations side. There’s no question about that, I know exactly what I want from the players. Probably the fortunate part for sure is they’ve got a few more camps than us, but that’s going to be no excuse whatsoever. As I said, these players are adaptable, and they understand the game.

The fundamental aim is to showcase the top players in both squads ahead of the upcoming World Cup, Hanley believes the talent on show in the Super League will put England in good stead to be victorious.

“I think we’ve got enough personnel in the Super League to trouble any side. I think we’ve got the right man in place in Shaun Wane. He’s brilliant in terms of that his expectation is high, his level, what he wants from his players. The standard he wants from his players. He was the same as a player and he just moved over into the role of having a tracksuit or a suit. I’m exactly the same so I have the upmost respect for him, I love him to bits”

Tickets for the double header are available to buy now from only £20 for Adults and £10 for under 15’s at eticketing.co.uk/rugbyleague.

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt

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Halifax Panthers hope to progress further in the Challenge Cup as they take on Featherstone Rovers in the Fourth Round

Stacy Mowforth — Sat, 26 Feb 2022 10:00:26 +0000

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In-form Featherstone Rovers make the short trip over to The Shay this Sunday as they face their Championship rivals Halifax Panthers in the Fourth Round of the Challenge Cup.

The teams last met on October 2nd 2021 in the Betfred Championship play-off semi-final with Featherstone taking the spoils with a 42-10 win and earning their spot in the 2021-million-pound game to face Toulouse Olympique, which they ultimately lost with the French side getting promoted into the Super League.

Rovers come into the game as favourites on the back of a four-game unbeaten run in the league whilst Halifax Panthers have only won once in the last three games.

Challenge Cup games are always unpredictable and form often goes out of the window.

The Panthers will be looking to better their 2021 efforts as they were knocked out in the First Round at the hands of the Batley Bulldogs.

Last year, Featherstone progressed as far as Round Three where they were knocked out by the Betfred Super League’s Hull FC.

Both teams enter Sunday’s game with injury doubts, but with the depth of the Featherstone squad, Brian McDermott will have the easiest task out of the two coaches when it comes to team selection.

Halifax recruited well in the off-season, but with early injuries to the squad, Simon Grix will likely have a headache when it comes to picking his side for the clash against the Rovers.

Panthers may benefit from a week’s rest as their recent league clash against Workington Town was called off due to health and safety concerns following Storm Eunice.

Can the Panthers cause an upset in the Fourth Round and build some momentum to take into their league games? They have nothing to lose going into the Challenge Cup clash and Simon Grix’s team will not take any chances during the game for granted.

All the fixtures for the Challenge Cup’s Round Four:

Batley Bulldogs vs Royal Navy (27/02/2022 13:00 KO)

Doncaster vs Whitehaven (27/02/2022 14:00 KO)

Hunslet Club Parkside vs Sheffield Eagles (27/02/2022 14:00 KO)

Workington Town vs Dewsbury Rams (27/02/2022 14:00)

North Wales Crusaders vs Hunslet (27/02/2022 14:30 KO)

Halifax Panthers vs Featherstone Rovers (27/02/2022 15:00 KO)

London Broncos vs Bradford Bulls (27/02/2022 15:00 KO)

Rochdale Hornets vs Barrow Raiders (27/02/2022 15:00 KO)

York City Knights vs Newcastle Thunder (27/02/2022 15:00 KO)

Leigh Centurians vs Widnes Vikings (28/02/2022 19:45 KO)

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt

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Wakefield Trinity Ladies look to cause an upset in the Betfred Women’s Super League

Stacy Mowforth — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 22:29:33 +0000

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The Betfred Women’s Super League gets underway in May as pre-season is well underway.

There have been a plethora of signings between the teams and a side that has added bulk to their squad is Wakefield Trinity Ladies.

They have added 14 new signings to the squad which Head Coach Liam Harnell feels has been a testament to the hard work of the backroom staff.

Also, Harnell says the new recruits have boosted morale to the squad and will provide plenty of headaches for the coaching staff when it comes to squad selection.

“Our new signings have come in and complimented our existing squad members and transformed moral. We held trials at the start of October and it was really pleasing to see how much interest we had. This is testament to the backroom staff for all the hard work they do in recruitment.”

The 2021 season was marked as a re-build year for Trinity, but the coaching staff have built a strong squad and are looking forward to 2022. The league splitting into two groups will give them a chance to be a part of more competitive matches and will give the squad the chance to grow and establish themselves.

“With the new two-tier system, we should find more competitive games which will be more enjoyable for the players thus allowing clubs in their infancy stages to develop existing players and aid growth by creating interest in potential new players. This should complement us in the stage we’re at. We have a young squad full of potential and we’re only going to get stronger, it’s exciting”

The team is built upon values and professionalism, and since their promotion to the Women’s Super League in 2018, the team have been striving for big things.

It has not always clicked, but with the new league layout and strength of the current squad, there is certainly a buzz around the team as they enter the 2022 season. This was proved with the interest on trial days and the calibre of players they have recruited, showing that Wakefield is a team that women want to play for.

Harnell also highlighted the main aims for the side this season and what he is planning to achieve in 2022.

“Our main aim is to be competitive every time we step foot on the field and win as a team. As a group we strive to continually develop and be successful in the sport we’re all passionate about.

“What’s also important is we do this by upholding our own team values and professionalism. We aim to create a thriving environment, a buzz around the club that everyone wants to be part of. In which, we’re certainly on the right track as pre-season comes to a close.”

Wakefield kick off their season on May 15th against newly-promoted Leigh Miners Ladies, and with the prospect of facing the unknown entity in the Super League, it can be hard to prepare for.

Trinity’s Head Coach has faith that if they get the fundamentals right and control the variables they will come out with a positive result.

“As a group, all we need to focus on is the variables we can control. The players set our team standards in our first team meeting at the start of the year, and as coaches, we facilitate and help drive those standards.

“Our preparations have been fantastic as we lead up to our first game of the season and this is down to the players and how they have conducted themselves throughout. As a squad we’re ready for the fixture against Leigh and a message I will be giving the players on game day is, don’t underestimate them.

“Leigh are new to Super League and will be eager to make a statement and make history for their club. We will have to be prepared to weather that storm and finish the game with the 2 points.”

Harnell and the squad are looking forward to getting the season underway and showing the results of an arduous pre-season into competitive games.

“We’re eager and really looking forward to getting out there and showcasing the hard graft everyone at the club has put in over a gruelling pre-season. Although, it’s always nice to get the bragging right wins against your neighbouring clubs. The players will welcome the opportunity to put right last season and surprise the league.”

At the end of the 2021 season, you would think that Wakefield would be the underdogs going in this season. This is an opinion that will not be taken lightly by the squad and they are on course to cause some upsets in the Betfred Women’s Super League Group 2.

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt

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Widnes Vikings took the spoils against Halifax Panthers in a closely-fought battle at The Shay

Stacy Mowforth — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 12:59:38 +0000

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Widnes Vikings came out on top in a closely-fought game against Halifax Panthers to retain their place at the top of the Betfred Championship table.

A late Matty Smith drop goal proved to be the difference as Vikings held on for a 9-8 win to claim their first victory at Panthers in a regular season since 2006.

The conditions in Yorkshire were tough for both sides and the pitch had taken the brunt of the heavy rainfall over the past couple of days. This Round 3 contest was always going to be tight, with the sides being restricted from an expansive style of play.

The Panthers were their own worst enemies in the first quarter of the game, giving away penalties and valuable possession to the inform Vikings.

Halifax did well to deal with the pressure for 21 minutes before Widnes were able to penetrate the defence. The try came from a pinpoint chip through from Smith, which left the Panthers defenders in two minds about taking the ball in.

Eribe Duro took advantage to leap above Kevin Larroyer to draw first blood for the visitors, and with the conversion in front of the sticks, Joe Edge added the extras simply.

Widnes were clinical with their sets and kicks on the last tackle, whilst Halifax had the task of starting their attacking sets deep in their own half.

The penalties continued to add up against the Panthers, and they conceded again when Tyler Dupree stole the ball in front of their sticks allowing Edge another easy kick.

With an eight point advantage, Widnes piled on the pressure as they tried to twist the screw into Halifax. The hosts muscled up in defence to keep the Vikings out of a third try before the half-time hooter, but they found themselves 8-0 behind and with all the work to do in the second-half.

After the restart, Widnes continued to pin Halifax in their own half, making it difficult for them to clear their lines. Halifax gained some valuable field possession off the back of three successive penalties, and the Panthers took advantage of the applied pressure with some lovely hands.

Ed Barber linked up with James Saltonstall to send him over in the corner for Halifax’s first points of the game, and Joe Keyes landed a fantastic touchline conversion to bring the game to within two points.

As the Panthers did in the first half, Widnes became their own worst enemies as they penalties mounted up. A head-hight tackle under their own sticks allowed Keyes to level the scores after 54 minutes.

Halifax almost gave Widnes the opportunity to add another two points twenty metres from their line, off the back of another high tackle. However, on this occasion, Edge was unsuccessful with less than 20 minutes to go.

The Panthers were fortunate not to concede a try moments later as a Widnes kick was fumbled through three Halifax players’ hands, but the referee deemed Vikings to be offside from the kick.

Halifax came up with a coach killer when dropping the ball on the first tackle giving Widnes possession 20 metres away from the Halifax line. Smith rubbed salt into the wounds of the Panthers, when he slotted a drop goal to give the Vikings the lead with 13 minutes remaining.

Both sets of players dug deep for the final ten minutes, in which the intensity of the drives and tackles did not falter.

Halifax got themselves into a prime position following some fancy footwork from Zack McComb. However, a drop goal attempt from the Panthers failed to take flight and it ended up skidding along the mud, relieving some of the pressure on Widnes’ defence.

The defence soon turned to attack at the other end of the pitch as Smith’s cross field kick was fumbled by McComb under some heavy pressure from the chasing defenders.

A massive defensive effort from the Panthers on their own line was rewarded as Widnes knocked on at the play the ball. However, the error came too late for Halifax to gain any traction off the back of it.

This was a messy, hard-fought game clouded by penalties and handling errors from both sides. What could have been anyone’s game, went the way of Vikings who came away with a third successive victory to maintain their 100% start.

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