Dale are on the up after Macc victory
THERE might have been an element of luck in it but in rugby as the old saying goes you make your own and that was the case as far as Rossendale were concerned as they beat
Macclesfield, never giving up and showing the resilience that is beginning to re-appear under head coach James Bramhall.
The mantra ‘no game is over until the final whistle’ proved as true as ever as a try under the posts in the final minute from an interception on half way turned the game in the east Lancashire side’s favour.
Macclesfield might have believed that Marl Pits was going to be ‘easy pickings’ but a penalty count of five to two in the home team’s favour, three in the second half, clearly emphasised that the would be promotion contenders were under some pressure.
Rossendale opened with a penalty from Lewis Allen but with the visitors dominating the opening half, a converted try and two penalties afforded what looked like a comfortable lead of 6-13, the second home penalty again from Allen.
Even with a second converted try after the interval to take the score to 6-20 Rossendale refused to concede and with with the vistors beginning to feel the pressure and a certain amount of anxiety creeping into their ranks that pressure told in the final minute as Damon Hall intercepted a would be attack to go half the length of the field to draw the score at 20-20, the conversion by Allen a mere formality to seal the win.
The result unfortunately has done nothing to change Rossendale’s position in the table but just a point behind Wirral in tenth they are set to move more into mid-table.
This coming Saturday they finish off the first half of the season before the Christmas break with a visit to newly promoted Blackburn. This will be a tough test as they gave top of the table and unbeaten Billingham a fright by taking a ten point lead into the final fifteen minutes before two tries and a conversion from the north east side managed to salvage a win.