LONGTON warmed up for leaders Nuneaton next week by scoring four tries in the first 30 minutes of their 33-22 win at Newport in National League Three Midlands.
Victory saw them leapfrog Newport into eighth place on the back of some of their best rugby of the season in the first half.
A re-jigging of their back line, with Scott Rawlings among those missing because of a cracked knee cap, certainly did nothing to disrupt Longton’s fluency behind the scrum as they motored into a 30-3 lead after the first 29 minutes.
Grant Hallam, Francis Nock and skipper Luke Fowles were especially outstanding in their various facets of the game, but it was Fiji newcomer Taz Wara stealing the early headlines.
There were just two minutes on the watch when the Fowles brothers Luke and Josh combined to send Wara sprinting into the corner for Longton’s first.
Luke Fowles, pictured, then claimed their second under the posts after Hallam had shifted the ball wide for Liam Price to execute a beautifully-timed pass to the try scorer.
Shell-shocked Newport were actually on the attack ahead of Longton’s third, but Wara mopped up inside his own half before jetting off down the left and holding off two would-be tacklers on his way to the corner.
Hendry Vaka, not in the mood to remain a bystander while all this try scoring was going on, inevitably got in on the act himself by swallow-diving for a magnificent score after Max Smith had caught a kick-off before feeding Josh Fowles in support.
Newport made inroads into Longton’s 30-3 after the break with a couple of tries, while the sight of Josh Fowles limping off gave them added encouragement.
But Hallam underlined his excellent kicking duties by landing a simple penalty, while another Longton try was in the offing until Jack Coor was tap-tackled just three metres from the line.
NEWCASTLE paid for the loss of seven players through injuries and non-availability as they went down 29-19 at Burntwood in Midlands Two West (North).
Three Ronan Evans penalties and a typical Kev Edwards try in the corner left Newcastle leading 16-14 at the break.
Evans added a fourth penalty after the restart, but a couple of yellow cards weakened Newcastle’s hand as they conceded vital points to end up well beaten in the end.
TRIES from Angus Lennon and Nick Oxley couldn’t prevent STAFFORD slipping to a 24-20 defeat at fellow strugglers Wolverhampton in Midlands Two West (North).
Stafford’s superior possession and territory went unrewarded as they couldn’t translate their play into points.
Indeed, their early pressure bore no dividend and proved costly as Wolverhampton twice broke free to score tries.
A Rich Martin penalty opened Stafford’s account before a bruising foray from their forwards left Lennon falling on the ball for a converted try and a 17-10 half-time deficit.
Another Martin penalty cut the arrears to four points – only for Wolverhampton to nose further in front from a third try.
Stafford’s resilience was evident as they launched another onslaught that left Oxley forcing his way over and Martin converting, but time ran out on their efforts to win the game.
UTTOXETER’S Paul Milward scored and converted his own try to send his side on their way to a 19-13 win at Wednesbury in Midlands Three West (North).
Fine harassment from Bruce Mustard and James Gill won a tap penalty from which the ball was spun wide for Lewis Bain to go over for their second try.
Uttoxeter’s decisive third came after James Williams punched holes in the opposition defence before offloading for Gill to sprint home superbly from inside his own half.
But 34-year-old Williams, one of Uttoxeter’s most experienced backs, later damaged a shoulder and now faces six to eight weeks on the sidelines.
Article source: http://www.espnscrum.com/heineken-cup-2013-14/rugby/story/206925.html
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