RUGBY LEAGUE

Ironmen denied win by Stags’ late, late show

HEMEL HEMPSTEAD STAGS ........................... 25 SOUTH WALES IRONMEN .................... 18

A TRY with 80 seconds remaining from Brett Whitehead sealed Hemel Stags’ first win of the season as they defeated a South Wales Ironmen side who were missing a number of key players,

However, the Stags are still at the foot of the table on the same points as the Ironmen, and it’s likely that the two sides will meet again in Merthyr Tydfil in the League 1 Shield.

Influential Ironmen skipper Christiaan Roets was unable to make the journey, and they could also have done with top points scorer Paul Emanuelli, one a few South Wales players out in Australia representing Wales in the Student World Cup.

On the 78-minute mark, the Stags were 19-18 up and it was anyone’s game. Ironmen had just had an attack thwarted at the other end in one of those sliding doors moments that could have changed the game.

The game was full of missed opportunities on both sides as the visitors could have had a twotry advantage within the first quarter of an hour through Samuel Hodge and Ben Jones breaking through the defence.

Ironmen’s Morgan Evans was the first to buck the pendulum trend of the game, as he crashed over the line just after the 20-minute mark with the boot of Ben Jones proving successful.

Hemel on the other hand weren’t going to leave it there, with Jonathan Burns diving over under the sticks to bring the scores level when they were awarded a penalty after the restart.

The home side took the advantage of Vincent’s kicking talents as he aimed the ball towards the sticks for a drop goal to give them advantage going into the interval.

The Stags picked up the pace following the break with Munashe Fumhande going over, having threatened all game thus far.

Vincent wasn’t successful with the kick but did add a penalty goal.

Ironmen then took it to a point. Barrie Phillips ended a fine move of play near the sticks following a penalty just 10 metres from the line. Jones converted.

Then Will Colcott grounded the visitors’ final try of the afternoon with Jones kicking well again, but he did miss a penalty seven minutes from the end which would have taken the Ironmen back into the lead.

However Hemel ended the Ironmen’s hopes of a second win of their League 1 campaign as Whitehead dived over the line.