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3 weeks ago
07 August 2022
IAN RIGG Heywood Road, Sunday
In possibly the best game of League One Rugby of the season Keighley Cougars fought back from being behind at the break to show their championship credentials to take the victory against a Lions side who fought from the off to try to win the game.
Cougars started the game brightly and took the first attack to the Lions, but Kyle Trout lost the ball in a good position, but they did take the lead on six minutes when the Lions were penalised in their own thirty and Jack Miller converted. They could have added more points on nine minutes but a Dane Chisholm stab kick over the line ran dead and the chance went. Louis Brogan was held up for the Lions but from the next tackle the ball moved right, and Rhodri Lloyd went close and from the play the ball Dan Abram fed the supporting Jordan Case and he dived in to put the Lions in front with Dan Abram adding the conversion. Charlie Graham almost added the first cougars try on fifteen minutes, but it was the Lions that increased their lead when they launched a high kick towards the line, but Lewis Young fumbled it and Max Kirkbright collected it to score in the left corner, but Abram was unable to convert. Nathan Roebuck and Jack Hansen then each had chances but lost the ball and then the Lions lost centre Max Roberts to a head injury on the half hour never to return. Deane Meadows thought he had scored a couple minutes later but was pulled back for a forward pass but try of the game came on thirty-three minutes when George Roby took on the Cougars defence to dummy his way to the line on the left and Abram missed the conversion from wide out. Lewis Else then scored the next try when again a kick through was fumbled by Young and he trapped the ball on his foot and picked it up to score under the posts and Abram converted again. Cougars hit back to open their try account in the dying seconds of the half when Graham went in at the left corner and Miller converted from the touchline.
Whatever Rhys Lovegrove said to his team during the break certainly was still ringing in their ears when they scored next following a Lions error in goal and from the goal line drop out Toby Everett found a gap by the posts to score, and Miller converted to bring them within six points, but Abram landed a penalty goal on fifty-one minutes to give them an extra cushion. From this point onwards it was Cougars to took control with Junior Sa’u scoring in the left corner after some pressure from a penalty and Miller converted from the touchline. Three minutes later they were in again when a super passage of passing saw Kyle Trout cut inside to score and again Miller converted. The Lions then tried to hit back, and Roby was firstly held up and in the next tackle they forced a goal line drop out and from this Nick Gregson lost the ball in the Cougars twenty and the chance went. Abram then made a mistake which could have lost the Lions a score when he fielded a ball near the touchline and tried to take on the winger but was tackled into touch. Cougars then had a chance with seven minutes left but lost the ball near the line and then Lions substitute Jordan Brown was held up with five minutes left and in the dying seconds Hansen tried to kick through near the line, but a Cougars player dropped on it as the hooter sounded.
MATCHFACTS
LIONS
1 Dan Abram
32 Max Kirkbright
31 Max Roberts
12 Mitch Cox
5 Richard Lepori
6 Lewis Else
7 Jack Hansen
16 Louis Brogan
30 George Roby
23 Jordan Case
13 Nick Gregson
11 Rhodri Lloyd
17 Jack Spencer
Subs (all used)
14 Matty Wilkinson
20 Deane Meadows
18 Paddy Jones
24 Jordan Brown
Tries: Case (11), Kirkbright (17), Roby (33), Else (37)
Goals: Abram 3/5
COUGARS
30 Lewis Young
5 Mo Agoro
27 Nathan Roebuck
2 Charlie Graham
23 Junior Sa’u
20 Dane Chisholm
7 Jack Miller
17 Eddie Pettybourne
36 James Feather
11 Dan Parker
38 Kyle Trout
12 Aaron Levy
9 Kyle Kesik
Subs (all used)
8 Brenden Santi
13 Scott Murrell
14 Billy Gaylor
35 Toby Everett
Trie: Graham (40), Everett (44), Sa’u (55), Trout (58)
Goals: Miller 5/5
Penalties: 7-8 Half-time: 20-8
Referee: Michael Mannifield Attendance: 1090
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-2,6-2,10-2,14-2,20-2,20-8,20-14,22-14,22-20,22-26
