No way back for Field after first-half damage
HUDDERSFIELD were unfortunate on the road as they suffered a 33-18 defeat at the hands of Tynedale.
Despite dominating the play for much of the second half a damaging first 40 in which the visitors conceded 26 points proved to be decisive in tipping the game’s result.
Field came into this one on the back of two disappointing results at Lockwood Park against Wharfedale and Sheffield Tigers, and this trip on the road to a side they did the double over last season looked a promising place to get back on track.
Tynedale however had romped to victory against Preston in their most recent game at Tynedale Park, and try scorer from that day Jake Rodgers didn’t take long to get his account up and running in this one, skipping away from a challenge to pounce over early on.
He soon got back to his feet to add the conversion, Field responding well by charging up the pitch shortly after and winning a penalty inside the final 22 which was dispatched between the posts by Will Milner.
The points kept coming for both sides, each going on great team moves to score tries right by the touchline, first Guy Pike for the hosts and then Ross Whitmore for Field on his first senior start for the club.
That was as good as it got for Field in the first half, as a Tynedale siege of the visitors’ try line began and it was breached twice, first by Callum Pascoe and then Pike grabbing his second of the afternoon, Rodgers adding the conversions to both to leave Field licking their wounds as they trudged to the dressing rooms with the halftime score at 26-8.
For all of the points the hosts had put on the board, Field hadn’t actually put in a poor display but found themselves their own worst enemy as sloppy errors had allowed Tynedale to romp into their 18 point advantage.
Therefore it was vital these were removed from their second half performance, and it couldn’t have got off to a better start as a lineout on the near side was well worked into a maul which skipper Dickie Piper drove over the try line to get Field on the front foot straight away.
Another dramatic away comeback seemed on the cards after the scenes at Preston three weeks ago, but a defensive slip on a muddy surface gave Pike the opening he needed to complete his hat-trick of tries for Tynedale underneath the sticks, giving Rodgers the easy task of sending it between them for the conversion.
Field could’ve easily let their heads drop but continued to play some easy-on-the-eye rugby, their only downside coming up against a resolute Tynedale front row which withstood wave after wave of attacks from the visitors to protect their advantage.
Eventually the relentless pressure told and Kian Stewart received the ball out wide and skipped past the covering defenders challenge to give Field a route back into the game.
It wasn’t meant to be and Field couldn’t add any more points onto the scoreboard, more than able to feel hard done by to not be leaving with any bonus points in hand.
Afterwards Head Coach Gareth Lewis commented “We were always up against it conceding four tries in the first half but there were plenty of encouraging signs from the way we performed in the second half. I thought we controlled the ball well, played with energy and attacked with width.”
It’s back to Lockwood Park next time out for Field as Stourbridge come to visit West Yorkshire in a game where Lewis says his team “must take confidence from our second half performance and build on this in preparation for Stourbridge at home next week”.