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Orrell
were somewhat flattered by the scoreline, as Lions held their own for 35
minutes then conceded 5 tries just either side of half time as they tired
against the full time professionals in the Wigan sunshine.
The main difference between the sides was Orrell’s fly half, Phil
Jones, who tormented Lions with lightening breaks and deft passes that
opened up the gaps for his speedy, hard running three-quarters.
Lions
kicked off in an eerie atmosphere with about 700 spectators in the
magnificent JJB stadium that will seat 25,000 people.
Have you ever felt like a pea in a barrel?
Well you should keep your disgusting habits to yourself.
Lions
started confidently with a good line out take by Rob Hurrell leading to
Orrell being caught offside, and Jacques Steyne stroking over the penalty
from 30 metres to register Lions’ first points of this season’s
campaign. ( 0 - 3 ).
Lions
were soon on the attack again as a poor pass from Phil Jones (sadly for
Lions the only mistake he made all afternoon!!) almost lead to an
interception. A thumping tackle
by James Baker and good work by Stuart Potter kept Orrell on the back foot,
but a penalty for holding on in the tackle allowed Orrell to clear their
lines.
Orrell
were on level terms within minutes as a sweeping move by the backs should
have resulted in a try, but wing Wade Kelly dropped the ball with the line
at his mercy. However, the
referee brought play back for a previous infringement, and Phil Jones
converted the penalty. The
b****** kicks goals as well!!!! (
3 – 3).
Lions
again took good line-out possession from Rob Hurrell, but the ball was lost
in the tackle, and it was that man Phil Jones who gave a taste of what was
to come with a half break that was carried on by centre Scott Barrow. Good Lions tackling halted the move, but a grubber kick to the
corner by Phil Jones saw Lions scramble the ball into touch.
From the resultant line out a beautifully weighted pass from that man
Phil Jones put full back Wec Davies under the posts.
Phil Jones (who else!!), also added the conversion.
( 10 – 3 ).
Lions
drove in hard from the restart, and when Orrell were penalised, Jacques
Steyne again made no mistake from 35 metres.
( 10 – 6 ).
Another
piece of Phil Jones’ magic extended Orrell’s lead, as his blistering
pace took him clear on the short side of a scrum, and he waited for flanker
Drew Hickey to catch up and take the inside pass to cross by the posts. Phil Jones added the conversion.
( 17 – 6 ).
Lions
did not buckle, and when a Jacques Steyne drilled a penalty to the corner, a
Tristan Prosser-Shaw take at the lineout saw Lions driving in.
A Phil Reid chip through very nearly paid dividends as the clearance
kick was almost charged down by Rob Hurrell……who had an excellent game
in the loose as well as the line-out. Back
came Lions, and an astute kick to the corner by Jacques Steyne saw 3 Orrell
defenders conspire to lose the ball over their line for the onrushing Phil
Reid to drop on it for an easy score. Jacques
Steyne missed the touchline conversion.
( 17 - 11 ).
Lions
were enjoying a dominant spell as Phil Jones took a breather, and a reverse
pass by Jacques Steyne put Jason Critchley through the gap, but he slipped
at the crucial moment and the momentum was lost.
However, Jacques Steyne caught the eye again (and the ball) as he
broke into the Orrell 22, and as the ball was moved wide on the left, Matt
Vines put in a grubber to the corner. The
ball looked to be covered, but James Baker had other ideas as he appeared
from nowhere to scoop the ball up brilliantly and dive over for a
well-deserved try. Again,
Jacques Steyne missed the difficult conversion.
( 17 – 16 ).
5
minutes to go to half time, and Lions were playing well and were right back
in the game. Unfortunately the
thought of the half time cuppa and a quick rub down with the Radio Times
seemed to affect Lions’ concentration as they let in two quick tries.
First Phil (this is getting boring) Jones set up the position with
another superb break, and the ball was eventually moved wide for a scrambled
try to be scored in the corner. Phil
Jones’ touchline conversion slid just by the post. ( 22 – 16 ).
A big
forward drive by Orrell gave Phil (not him again) Jones the room to break
into Lions’ 22. Despite being
held by desperate Lions’ tackling, he still managed to slip the ball to
wing Wade Kelly for him to stroll over for the try.
Phil (thank goodness it’s half time) Jones proved himself to be
human as he missed the simple conversion.
( 27 – 16 ).
Half
time
Orrell
27
Lions
16
Lions
had shown some good touches in the first half, and looked to make up ground
from the kick off. However,
they soon found themselves in possession on their own line in retrieving a
probing Orrell kick. Lions
ignored the easy way out, and decided to move the ball along the line.
“Oh no” was the cry. “Oh
yes” was the response as James Baker took his man on the outside but was
half stopped. The ball was
flicked inside, and good support play saw Sam Tovo (or his Spanish
counterpart, Sam “the bull” Toro, according to the flashy JJB
scoreboard) driving on. Unfortunately the ball was lost in the tackle, and when Lions
were penalised, up stepped Phil Jones to strike an excellent penalty from 45
metres. ( 30 – 16 ).
That
effort seemed to take it out of Lions as the rot set in for 10 minutes as
Orrell ran in 3 quick tries. First
another long break by you know who and a perfectly timed pass to the full
back David Giles cutting inside saw him break through some weak tackling to
touch down. Phil (I don’t
bloody believe it) Jones, decided enough was enough and let Wes Davies add
the conversion, before leaving the field to a standing ovation.
( 37 – 16 ).
However,
any thoughts Lions had of cashing in on Phil (thank goodness he’s gone)
Jones’ absence were quickly dashed as a powerful forward drive by Orrell
sucked the Lions’ defence in. When
the ball was moved wide, flanker Drew Hickey popped up on the wing to score
despite Jason Critchley’s tackle. Wes
Davies missed the conversion. (
42 – 16 ).
Again
Lions stormed back, and Orrell were playing on the fringes of offside, which
they did well all afternoon. When
the referee did spot the offence, a penalty to the corner saw Rob
Hurrell’s legs taken from under him as he took more good lineout ball.
This earned Orrell number 8n Paul Newton a yellow card.
Another penalty and another Rob Hurrell take saw Lions driving in,
but a poor kick to the corner allowed Orrell to relieve the pressure.
Unfortunately the ball was moved quickly up to the other end of the
field and full back David Giles hit the line at pace to score under the
posts. Wes Davies added the
conversion. ( 49 – 16).
Lions
were physically wilting in the heat as several replacements were made, but
this did not stop the onslaught. Excellent
ball retention by the Orrell forwards, and straight, hard running by the
backs, set up the position for flanker Drew Hickey to crash over for his
third try. Wes Davies again
added the conversion. ( 56 –
16 ).
It was
that man Drew Hickey who quickly added another score from the back of an
impressive forward drive, and again Wes Davies struck the conversion. ( 63 – 16 ).
Lions
refused to lie down, and when Orrell were penalised, quick thinking Phil
Reid took a quick tap, and a dummy opened the gap for him to ghost under the
posts from 25 metres. Matt
Vines added the conversion. (
63 – 23 ).
Unfortunately
it was Orrell who had the last word as again Lions tried to run the ball
clear from their own line. A
quick turnover as the man in possession was isolated saw the ball moved wide
at pace for wing Wade (I know his brother Ned) Kelly to race over in the
corner. Wes Davies added an
excellent conversion to bring an absorbing game to a close.
( 70 – 23 ).
Final
result:
Orrell
70
Lions
23
Despite
the score line, Lions should not be too despondent by this result. Bankrolled by the Wigan RL connection, Orrell have an
excellent full time squad, with powerful forwards and very fast, skilful
backs. With Phil Jones
orchestrating proceedings from fly half, they will take some beating.
It will be interesting to see how they get on at Worcester next week.
There
were many positives in the Lions’ performance, and given a few weeks to
get a few things sorted out, they have the potential to more than hold there
own against most teams in the Division.
The
acid test is on Saturday with the visit of Otley.
If Lions reproduce the form shown in patches in this game, a positive
result should ensue.
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