ROYAL NAVY 46 OUTLAWS 6
Report by Richard Johnson
Nottingham Outlaws dreams of Challenge Cup glory and a money-spinning appearance in the third round, were cruelly dashed when they tumbled to a comprehensive 46-6 defeat against a powerful Royal Navy outfit in Portsmouth on Sunday. Despite the scoreline, the gallant Outlaws matched up well against a physically-intimidating Navy outfit before a late scoring flourish saw the home team pull away from the out-gunned Outlaws.
For the second week running, the Outlaws were forced to make sweeping changes to their line up, with no fewer than 8 new faces coming in to the side from the team that did the business in last weeks cup match in West London. The enforced changes saw the Outlaws give debuts to Loughborough duo Hywel Lloyd and Josh Harris and there was a welcome return to action for stand off Oliver Crick who returned to the side after an 18-month lay-off with a serious back injury.
The match started well for the Outlaws who made light of the long journey down to the south coast and they tackled resolutely in the opening exchanges repelling a series of strong Navy attacks with some resolute defending on their own line.
Having steadied the ship in the opening exchanges, the Outlaws cut free on half way. Oliver Crick showed that he had lost none of his match awareness despite a long lay off, picking up the ball at acting half and cleverly switching play down the blind side to release Tom Tsang. With half a gap in sight, the fleet-footed full back burst through the flailing Naval defences and as his opposite number closed in he flicked a lovely-weighted pass to Crick in support and the returning Outlaw celebrated his appearance back into the side with a superb score under the posts. Paul Calland calmly added the extras and with 5 minutes gone the Outlaws had crept into an unlikely 6-0 lead.
Stung by this reversal, the Navy piled forward but again, scrambling Outlaws defence repelled all boarders as they held the home team at bay forcing the larger, more-physical home forwards back on their heels when a score looked likely on several occasions.
As the first stanza reached the mid-way stage, play began to focus more and more in the Outlaws 20 metre zone as the home team began to take a strangle hold on possession and it came as no surprise when the Navy levelled matters on 20 minutes after 4 consecutive sets in the Outlaws red zone saw the Navy cross the Outlaws try line to make it 6-6. Disaster then struck for the Outlaws as Tom Tsang, their most potent attacking weapon, went down in a heavy tackle and had to leave the field with a partially dislocated shoulder. It was a cruel end to the afternoon's play for Outlaws full back who had looked threatening every time he took the ball and it caused a major re-shuffle in the Outlaws ranks as Martin Edwards was hastilly switched from centre into the emergency full-back role.
The loss of Tsang seemed to disrupt the Outlaws concentration and they soon fell behind when back-to-back sets again invited the home team into the Outlaws red zone. Once again they succumbed to a short range effort as the heavy defensive stint began to take its toll and the Navy hit the front at 12-6, a lead that they were destined to keep for the remainder of the match.
As the first half drew to a close, it seemed likely that the Outlaws might reach the break just one score behind. However, with the first half drifting into injury time, disaster struck when the Navy moved the ball quickly out to the wing and they squeezed over for a try in the corner. Despite the corner flag being uprooted in the process and the indignation of the home defenders the try stood and the disgruntled Outlaws trudged from the field with the home side 2 scores ahead at 18-6.
Half time saw the Outlaws with little room to manouvre on the interchanges. Tom Tsang was in no condition to return to the fray and with James Sadler also struggling with a knee injury, there was little scope to change things around other than hand debuts to the eager Lloyd and Harris who slotted straight into the second row.
The second half started pretty much as the first had finished, with the Navy forwards maintaining a stranglehold on possession and field position. Indeed in the opening 20 minutes of the second half the Outlaws managed to cross the halfway line on only two occasions. The Outlaws were led in their forays by outstanding loose-forward George Strachan, putting in a man-of-the-match performance against an uncompromising and physically superior Navy pack of forwards. However, even the industrious Strachan found it hard to make much headway against such odds!
With the Navy continuing to hold territorial advantage and a glut of possession the Outlaws were well and truly under the cosh and it was only a series of superb tackles and brave catches by full back Martin Edwards that kept the home side at bay as the screw turned ever tighter. However, despite their best efforts they couldn't hold out forever and the Navy crossed the Outlaws line again on the 50th minute when they swept up the field and stretched the lead to 24-6 with a well worked try in the corner.
As the Navy continued to press the Outlaws foray's into the opposition's half became fewer and fewer. It was therefore not surprising that their defence started to tire under the constant barrage of their physically larger opponents and eventually the flood gates opened. Indeed, in the remaining 15 minutes of the game the Outlaws were put to the sword as the home team ran in 4 unanswered tries to give the Navy a deserved, if some what lop-sided, 46-4 winning margin as the referee mercifully drew proceedings to a close.
As the defeated Outlaws trudged from the field, their achievements in reaching the second round of rugby league's most famous trophy seemed long forgotten. However, their Chairman Richard Johnson was quick to pay tribute to his team's efforts adding "Whilst we are dissapointed at going out of the competition, we we musn't lose sight of what we have achieved in this competition. Winning 2 matches in the Challenge Cup is the best-ever return by a Nottingham team in the history of the competition. We have also handed first team debuts to no fewer than 10 players in the last 5 weeks and that can surely do us no harm whatsoever with the new season is now less than 8 weeks away"
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