Hull u20s v Saints u20s (June 6, 2010)

Hull FC U20s 4 v 64 St Helens U20s

The U20s proved that a week is a long time in Rugby League as well as politics with a 12 try demolition of the League leaders. The performance, in swelteringly humid heat, stunned the large home crowd still baying for blood after watching the U15s derby with Rovers into silence.

After two disappointing displays in their last two games Coach Ian Talbot asked the players for a response and he got it in spades.

The Saints were under pressure early on but were first to score. Karl Ashall darted blind and shot a wide ball out to debutant winger Josh Jones who stretched out to score in the corner.

Jack Bradbury scored the first of his brace after Gareth Frodsham and Carl Forster had driven to the sticks. From the play the ball the ball was moved right and the stand off stepped off his right to score.

Straight from the kick off he scored his second finishing off Ashall's break down the middle by rounding the full back to cross under the posts.

The only sloppy piece of play all afternoon saw the restart taken dead in goal giving the home side possession and they put themselves on the board scoring wide on the left.

The coaching staff knew that this was the acid test of the players resolve as in previous weeks the team has subsided from similar winning positions. Well not this week as the players responded with four more tries in the second quarter to take the game away from the home side.

Tommy Makinson set the tone. Picking up a difficult grubber on his own line he weaved his way 60 metres down field not only relieving pressure but setting up the next score. Ashall and Andy Yates, back to his long striding best, took it on but when Captain Warren Thompson was stopped short it was fitting that Makinson finished off what he started diving over from close range.

Makinson scored his second when Lee Gaskell got up off the floor to go 40 metres to the full back before feeding it inside to his centre for the try.

Bradbury's break and offload to the supporting Ben Karalius saw Josh Cullen stopped on the 20 metre line. But from the play the ball good vision from Gaskell moved the ball left where Jamie Foster committed his opposite number giving Martin Waring an easy try in the corner.

Another break down the middle from Thompson took on by Bradbury finished with Gaskell dummying his way over at the line for the seventh try of a fabulous half.

Normal service was resumed from the start of the second half as the home side put the ball out on the full. Two tackle later and Gaskell's wide miss pass put Waring in for his second.

As is always the case it's difficult to reach the same heights after the break as before, as much because the opposition raise their game. It was no different on Saturday. The home came at the U20's but solid defence kept them at bay and a great carry off his own line from sub Liam Gilchrist produced a relieving penalty. Three tackles later and the mercurial Gaskell was rounding the increasingly bewildered full back to finish his 60 metre break.

One of the most encouraging aspects of the performance was the willingness of the team to defend. When the completion rate dipped slightly the team knuckled down and defended with a vigour which has been lacking of late.

This work was rewarded with three tries in the final ten minutes which put the gloss on the performance. Gilchrist and Gaskell had taken the ball close and from the play the ball Ashall dove over for a deserved try.

Jack Bradbury's 40/20 put the Saints back on the attack and from the scrum Nathan Ashe ran the line committed the winger and fed Waring who did well to step along the touchline to score in the corner.

The last word was left to Gaskell as a wide ball from debutant sub Danny Jones on his own 10 put Jamie Foster away. He fed it inside to Ashe who put Gaskell through to win the foot race to the posts for his hat-trick score.

Few people looking at recent results will have given the U20s a chance of winning on Saturday, except themselves. They were relentless in a 17 man display which should rightly send shock waves through the rest of the league. The challenge for the rest of the season is to repeat that intensity week in week out but this was a performance to savour.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Hull
• Tries
• 20s