After Toulouse’s shock heavy defeat at Batley Bulldogs yesterday the Toronto Wolfpack came into this afternoons game with the Dewsbury Rams knowing that a win would take them three points clear at the top of the table.
Dewsbury are currently eighth in the Betfred Championship and running out of games to make the all important top four. Neil Kelly knew that his side desperately needed a win but the pundits and bookies couldn’t see past the Wolfpack. For them it was just a matter of how big the margin would be.
Most of the early pressure came from Toronto but decent last ditch defence kept them at bay until the twelfth minute when Reni Maitua hit a crash ball to go five metres off a Ryan Brierley pass. Brierley failed to add the conversion.
Chase Stanley pushed off the tackle breaking down the wing before passing inside to Higson to go the last ten to score on fifteen minutes. Brierley was again unable to kick the extras but it was already becoming one way traffic.
An awful mistake from the Rams, with Moore knocking the ball back into play while trying to avoid a 40-20, saw Toronto pick up the loose ball and Chase Stanley ultimately the beneficiary to walk over the line. Brierley missed his third conversion attempt leaving the Wolfpack 12-0 ahead.
On twenty five Aaron Moore made up for his error when he got a hand on a Dom Speakman grubber, as the ball bounced about in the Wolfpack goal area, to open the account for the Rams. Paul Sykes added the conversion to half the arrears.
When Dewsbury gifted a penalty for an obstruction in their own twenty, Brierley extended the Toronto advantage to 14-6 as the teams headed for the sheds. The Rams were hanging in there, but only just.
On fifty-two Adam Higson got his second of the afternoon off a Gareth O’Brien miss-out pass at the end of a delightful left to right passing move. Brierley again missed the conversion, sliding his kick in front of the uprights.
Gareth Moore came close for the Rams chasing his own grubber kick on sixty-three and three minutes later Rob Worrincy just had to take a pass on the touchline to score Dewsbury’s second but the ball slipped from his grasp.
On seventy-one Brierley took the opportunity of a drop goal from in front of the uprights for 19-6 to put the game beyone the Rams.
Brierley scored a length of the field try three minutes from time after picking up a poor Dewsbury pass inside his own ten metre area. The Wolfpack centre pinned back his ears and went all the way down the right wing, avoiding two tackles, to score. He was unable to add the conversion.
In the dying seconds Dewsbury were obstructed on the line and the referee awarded a penalty try to Sykes, and he added the conversion as O’Brien was sent to the sin-bin. The final hooter sounded a 12-23 loss for the Rams.
All credit to Dewsbury who came with a game plan and stuck to it, denying the Wolfpack a runaway victory thanks to some robust defence preventing the Toronto side from grounding when they got over the line on multiple occasions. Toronto did take the points to stay a point clear of Featherstone Rovers at the top of the table.
Rams: Guzdek, Potts, Glover, Hallett, Worrincy, Sykes (T, 2G), Moore, Everett, Speakman, Reilly, Crowther, Walshaw, Brown (T). Subs: Day, Trout, Teanby, Ward.
Wolfpack: O’Brien (SB on 80), Higson (2T), Stanley (T), Worthington, Kay, McCrone, Brierley (T, G, DG), Sidlow, Ackers, Sims, Maitua (T), Bussey, , Buchanan. Subs: Krasniqi, Hopkins, Whiting, Beswick.
Referee: Rob Hicks.
Half-Time: 6-14.
Full-Time: 12-23.
Attendance: 956.
