Bees half-backs forming key link (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Bees half-backs forming key link

5:23pm Sunday 4th November 2007 in Sport By Sports Desk

Bradford & Bingley 40 Darlington Mowden Park 20

Bradford & Bingley put together their most impressive performance of the season in National League Three North to brush aside their visitors from the North East.

There is still plenty for the Bees coaching team to work on, but there was a level of coherence between backs and forwards and a real snap into each tackle when it came to defensive duties that has possibly not been quite so evident over the past few weeks.

The architects of the Bees' improved performance in attack were half-backs Joe Bartlett and Tom Rhodes. Their partnership looks to have really clicked after a couple of games getting their bearings.

Bartlett was rewarded with the man of the match award, but his service throughout the game from the breakdown gave his fly half Rhodes that extra second to launch the next Bees attack.

With that extra split second, the Bees No 10 was able to mix the kicking and passing options intelligently throughout.

Bradford & Bingley have real pace in their back line and knowing that he has attacking options outside him like Richard Tafa and Mark Kirkby, Rhodes got the ball out wide whenever possible.

The Bees' attacking spirit was rewarded on nine minutes with a score from wingman Alisdair Chalmers.

As the Mowden Park defensive line sprinted out in a rush, Rhodes picked out his right winger with a superbly placed kick to the corner. Chalmers gathered the ball on the second bounce and dotted down inches from the dead-ball line.

The visitors then enjoyed somethinmg of a purple patch and first took the lead with two penalties and then a try in the left-hand corner from Lawrence Oliver on 28 minutes.

The Bees regrouped and gradually fought their way back into the game. After a booming penalty from near the halfway line from Rhodes had narrowed the scores to 13-8, the Bees finally got their noses in front right on half-time.

The Bees were camped just short of the Mowden Park line and seemed intent on battering their way over.

Then, just as the visitors' defence thought they had held out, Richard Tafa slipped over to the right of the posts. Rhodes' conversion meant the sides turned round at 15-13.

The second half opened with both sides enjoying periods in the opposition half, but with ten minutes played the Bees improved their lead.

Richard Tafa again was the catalyst as he burst through some weak tackling to set up Sione Onesi for the score.

Almost before the scoreboard had been updated, the Mowden Park men were back behind the sticks watching Rhodes convert a try.

This time a poor kick bobbled into the arms of Tafa, who charged through a line of defenders then fed his centre partner Matt Simpson for the score.

The visitors refused to lie down and their pressure on the Bees line was rewarded when scrum half Andrew Foreman pounced on a mistake at the back of a Bees scrum for the score.

The Bees did not particularly comfortable with their nine-point advantage, but nerves were settled somewhat on 75 minutes as Rhodes slotted another penalty.

As normal time expired, Bartlett got his name on the scoresheet with a cheeky little burst from close range.

The Bees were now 17 points clear and, just to compound the visitors' misery, Rhodes improved the difference to 20 with a penalty with the last kick of the game.