If ever a team was so little deserving of the final score chalked up against them, that team was last Sunday’s Salford Red Devils, in their penultimate fixture of the season, away at Huddersfield, where for around seventy percent of the game, they were by far the better side, controlling both the conditions and opposition with a command that belied their lowly league status, and the makeshift nature of the side.
Not that the opening set, which lasted just one tackle, heralded such, with the mistiming of either the pass or the attacking run losing them possession within the first fifteen seconds. So many teams would have got, at least, slightly rattled, at such an opening, but far from that, the Giants were repelled in their first assault on the Salford line, and the Reds were able to take control and build counter attacks.
One of these, in the fifth minute, was aided by the successful challenge of a refereeing decision, which consequently enabled a Reds’ attack on the Huddersfield line, culminating with the, of late, magnificent Justin Sangare wrestling his way to grounding the ball, despite the attention of at least three defenders. The cool, unflappable, accuracy of Rowan Milnes’s kicking from the tee, saw him slot over the conversion, which, sixteen minutes later, he extended to an eight-point lead, courtesy a penalty goal, while he commanded the game with his general kicking game.
That the Salford players were to hang onto that lead for the following fifty-five minutes, seems now, incredible, particularly against a side the size of Huddersfield; not for nothing are they known as the Giants. What was needed more than anything was another Salford score to see them off, and it was in this area, that the Red Devils were found wanting, with sundry attacks on the home line, failing to extend further, that lead of eight points.
It was the only area however, with the visitors going head-to-head in numerous protracted arm-wrestles with their hosts, throughout the length of the intervening time, while their defence, in every part of the field – but on their own line in particular – was absolutely outstanding. So dominant and secure was it, and so pressuring was it that the Huddersfield players became more and more frustrated as the match wore on, with handling errors in the 13th, 16th, and 28th minutes, not only losing them possession but at least one of them – that in the 13th minute – costing them a potential try, while, either side of the half hour, four back-to-back sets on the Salford line were defended tenaciously.
A tenth minute cross-field kick to Swift’s wing was denied by Nathan Connell’s conceding a goal-line drop-out, in so doing. But then, however, said goal-line drop-out was caught by left-winger, Neil Tchamambe, who had so excelled in this on his Salford debut, at Leigh, three weeks before and the Red Devils were able to turn defence into attack.
If only they could have held out to half-time – and every sign was that they really would do – the Giants having to retire to the changing-rooms pointless would have been a somewhat demoralising experience for them, but sadly it was not to be. A second high kick to Swift’s wing saw him, this time, outjump Connell to take possession and combine with Greenwood to put Golding over for an unconverted try, which will have given them some element of positivity, ahead of the interval.
It was the Red Devils, however, who started the second half by far the more positively, with a 45th minute set, attacking the Huddersfield line, and Harvey Wilson coming so close to scoring between the posts, but prevented from grounding the ball by the defence. The end-of-set kick to Tchamambe’s wing was unfortunately judged to be in touch, as Jack Darbyshire valiantly endeavoured to keep it in play.
In comparison, the home-side were having a torrid time of it, scotching try-scoring chances of their own, on 56 and 58 minutes and yet another dropped ball in attack in the 59th.
The momentum of the game, by the start of the final quarter, though, was slowly changing, as the slippery conditions both underfoot and with the ball, started catching out one or two Salford players, and, uncharacteristically, possession, in a number of sets, was ended very early in the tackle count, and this continued for around a fifteen minute period, sapping more and more energy out of the rapidly tiring players, who had used up so much of it coping with the sheer size and physicality of their opponents.
A warning shot was fired on 63 mins, with a No Try verdict from the video-referee, on the Giants’ first crossing the Salford line for the first time. This all culminated six minutes later, however with another loss of possession on the first tackle of a set, which then gave the Yorkshire side another chance of a score, which Swift finally took by grounding in the corner.
Flanagan’s touch-line conversion putting the Giants in the lead for the first time, as much as anything to the foot-weary, energy sapped Red Devils, broke the resilience of their efforts thereon, and Huddersfield tries by Gagai on 72, and Rush on 79 mins, combined to give them the win which for so long had seemed beyond them.
MATCH FACTS:
Salford line-up: Jack Walker, Neil Tchamambe, Louix Gorman, Jack Darbyshire, Nathan Connell, Esan Marsters, Rowan Milnes, Justin Sangaré, Joe Mellor, Tiaki Chan, Dan Russell, Leon Ruan, Harvey Wilson
Interchanges: Toby Warren, Isaac Shaw, SamDavis, Nene Macdonald, Declan Murphy
Tries: Justin Sangaré
Conversions: Rowan Milnes (2/2)
Huddersfield line-up: George Flanagan, Adam Swift, Jake Bibby, Jacob Gagai, Sam Halsall, Kieran Rush, Oliver Russell, Tom Burgess, Zac Woolford, Leroy Cudjoe, Jack Billington, Joe Greenwood, Harry Rushton
Interchanges: Ashton Golding, George King, Tristan Powell, Fenton Rogers, Taane Milne
Tries: Ashton Golding, Adam Swift, Jacob Gagai, Kieran Rush
Conversions: George Flanagan (2/3) Leroy Cudjoe (1/1)
HT: 4-8
Photo credit: Steve McCormick
