LONGTON were guilty of a hat-trick of errors which gifted leaders Nuneaton three of their four tries in a 25-8 home defeat in National League Three Midlands.
And that simply intensified Longton’s task against their well-organised, disciplined and clinical visitors.
Longton were also undone by a generous interpretation of the offside law, which allowed Nuneaton to get into opposition faces before the ball had left the scrum-half’s hands.
Longton missed two tackles in midfield to give Nuneaton a huge helping hand for their first two tries, while the loss of possession early in the second half was enough to pave the way for their third.
Nuneaton’s fourth try sealed the deal at 25-3 after a well-executed catch and drive from a line-out bore rich dividends.
Longton’s task intensified when Francis Nock was then yellow-carded for tackling the receiver when he was still in the air.
But that didn’t prevent them notching their one and only try after Grant Hallam, who had scored their only points with a penalty earlier in the afternoon, kicked another penalty into touch just a few metres from the try line.
A perfect catch and drive ensued to leave hooker Craig Wilson claiming the touchdown and a healthier-looking scoreline.
SANDBACH lost Will Stockdale with a shoulder injury that could sideline him for six weeks during their 45-19 defeat at Broadstreet in National League Three Midlands.
Not that his injury was the only blow sustained against opposition running in seven tries during an exhibition of power and accuracy.
Sandbach were 26-0 down by the interval and had conceded another try at the start of the second half before finally opening their own account.
Sam Morris gathered Mark Bird’s crossfield kick before stepping inside his man and feeding John Smith for the try.
Their second came when veteran Simon Verbickas rolled back the years by charging under the posts, while their third saw Benny Elliot chip a defender before winning the resulting chase for the ball in the corner.
STOKE were the victims of two controversial tries in going down 19-17 at Berkswell and Balsall in Midlands One West.
Both sides were non-plussed in the first half when the referee gave no reason for awarding Berkswell a penalty try as a maul was being formed from a line-out some 12 metres out.
And there were complaints surrounding Berkswell’s match-winning score in the second half after the ball was knocked on when being picked up just short of the try line.
The first of Stoke’s two tries arrived after Berkswell had opened the scoring with a rather more legitimate try.
Stoke’s opener owed everything to Will Sant after he caught a clearance kick and beat the cover for a try converted by Andy Marsh.
Stoke’s second try came on 22 minutes when the backs spun the ball through phases to send Tom Hughes over.
Marsh converted and added a penalty in the second half for a 17-12 lead, but the second of those controversial tries left the visitors empty-handed.
Article source: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/other-sport/rugby-league/rugby-league-victory--south-4752419
Rugby Union: Longton errors prove costly against league leaders Nuneaton
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