L I O N S 2 0 1 2

“Lions tame the toothless Panthers”
 
Featherstone Lions 14: Castleford Panthers 4
 
The Panthers of Castleford came with a clear game plan. It didn’t work, Featherstone Lions stood toe to toe with both the aggression and determination. The Lions rugby doing all the talking against what was a `very physical team`.
 
We’ve said it before many times, what this team lack in size, they more than make up for in heart. The bigger they think they are, the harder the Lions boys will knock em down! The more the opposition try to intimidate us, the better we play. Castleford Panthers threw anything and everything they had at us today but the doors were held firmly closed from all those who wished to enter.
 
From the kick off, the Panthers made their intentions clear; this was to stop our play makers playing. What they hadn’t bargained for was that this team has more than one dimension to their game. The forwards can play just as much rugby as the backs. `The big three` Buster Lloyd, Sam Tallent & Bradley Gott gained good yardage up field by playing rugby. Pleasing on the eye and an inspiration to the rest of the team. From one such run by Jack Lloyd, Louis Brown gathered the ball from acting half back and made a half break up centre field. The Panthers tackler again adding the extras in the tackle, which this time had the claret flowing from the attacking player’s nose and for the  defenders discretion, a deserved yellow card and ten minutes in the bin. If Featherstone needed some inspiration, then thanks to the tactics of the Panthers team, we had it `game on`
 
The half backs of Louis Brown and Brad Simpson ably supported by the `back to form` Kieran McQuillan ran the game from that point forward. This meant that the forwards began to get on top at first receiver thus allowing the backs to play from the fourth tackle onwards, opening the gaps in the Panthers defence for man of the match Louis Brown to go in for the first try of the morning. Tom Tavakoli from a difficult position and the weather conditions against him added the conversion. Alex Hopkinson perhaps seeing that the forwards were tiring from their exerts of the first half, came in at first receiver and jinked his way out of his own twenty two to the half way line. From the play the ball Josh Mills and Ryan Dawson linked well and fed down the line to Ryan Lister who was held up just short of the Panthers try line. The half time whistle blew.
 
The second half got under way with both teams now back to full strength. Coach Wayne Simpson asking for more of the same from his side keeping it tight defensively and continue with the game plan in passing it out wide and letting the ball do the work. Again the Panthers came out looking for `the big tackle` and an opportunity to dominate physically the Lions forwards. Ryan Lister punching well above his weight, tackled everything that came at him, never once removing him self from the fore!
Bradley Gott drove at the Panthers defenders continually as did Buster Lloyd and the fantastic Sam Tallent from first receivers. With Tom Tavakoli now regaining his enthusiasm and enjoying his rugby again, it showed, Tom drove like a forward and ran like a back often linking the two sets with Louis Brown with consummate ease.  From thirty meters out and on the third tackle a move was called by the coaches. Brad Simpson jinked his way through three would be tacklers and passed onto the on running Ryan Dawson. From the play the ball Kieran McQuillan fed Tom Tavakoli who powered his way Jonah Lomu style over two Panthers defenders, fantastic try.
 
From the kick off, Castleford enjoyed there best spell of the game. The Panthers forwards asked questions of the Lions defensive line. Perhaps the Lions could feel a little aggrieved that some of the refereeing decisions seemed to favour the aggressors rather than the receiver, retaliation would be understandable in any similar event(s) thirty two consecutive tackles in the Lions twenty two was to prove too much. From a Lions discretion `on the last` two yards out, the power house hooker from Panthers drove over to score the try. Making the score 10 – 4 in the Lions favour with ten minutes to go.
 
Another spell of Castleford pressure resulted in the Lions defended their own try line, then came the `magic moment` which possibly proved the turning point from the Lions view point. After good off loading between the forwards, the huge Panthers Prop forward spotted a gap out wide. With Jack Sweaton to beat, the prop drove straight towards him. What must have been going through Jacks mind only he will know, a brilliant man and ball tackle stopped the Cas forward in his tracks, a copy book tackle to be proud of, the whole team congratulated Jack with `high fives` from the knock on, the Lions gathered from the scrum and drove inroads into the tiring Panthers ranks. Jack Townend although having a quite game by his standards continued to motivate his team mates and push the lads on. With minutes to go, tireless driving by the engine room got the Lions into a good position out to the left of the field. Brad Simpson from second receiver fed Louis Brown on the fifth, the Panthers expecting a kick, left an opportunity in the middle of the field for Louis to exploit and not for the first time this season he did. Striding towards the middle of the posts with no body within ten yards of him to score a great try was just reward for both him and his team mates for continuing to play rugby when it could so easily have been so easy to retaliate. Well done the Lions of Featherstone.
 
Final Thought:
 
“How this team has come on.  Lawrence Dallaglio famously once said `leave nothing on the field` today, the Lions didn’t”
 
Tries;                             Kicks;                          
Louis Brown   2             Tom Tavakoli 1
Tom Tavakoli 1
 
Top Tackler(s);             Man of the Match;     
Bradley Gott   18              Louis Brown for his ball distribution and all round game      
Ryan Lister     14
 
Magic Moment;
Jack Sweaton for his man and ball tackle against a player twice his size
 
Team Player Award;
Brad Simpson for his link play and running from half back