Bees crack in second-half let-down (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Bees crack in second-half let-down

10:11pm Sunday 20th April 2008 in

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Rugby Lions 41, Bradford & Bingley 29

This was superb end of season fare for Rugby Lions supporters and neutrals in the Webb Ellis Road crowd.

But for the Bees contingent, it was the worst kind of game of two halves - a first period played with a mixture of good old fashioned grunt and fair bit of individual flair, followed by a woeful second half when the Bees appeared to abandon all notions of defending their lead.

No matter that their hosts upped their game by a scale of magnitude after the break, to concede 29 unanswered points in the final 25 minutes of a game was inexcusable from the Wagon Lane men.

The Bees took the lead on eight minutes through Mark Kirkby. Steve Brimacombe burgled a ball in midfield and fed birthday boy Richard Hughes to set up Kirkby, whose pace and strength saw him cross in the corner from 35 metres out. Tom Rhodes added the extras.

The visitors' upper hand in the rucks and mauls was underlined as Rob Wilson was driven over but the home pack showed a bit of muscle themselves as the half wore on.

Prop Tristan Wati was first to benefit, driving over on 27 minutes.

As the half closed out, that man Kirkby showed all his experience to pick a superb arcing line off his wing into midfield to latch on to a popped pass and burst through under the posts to give Bees a 19-7 lead at the interval.

This was increased five minutes into the second half when Marcus Dracup wrestled the ball off a Lions player and a combination of quick drives and astute handling saw Dave Moore scuttle over to the right of the posts.

With Tom Rhodes by now on his way to hospital with a fractured cheekbone, Brima-combe added the extras.

The first signs of cracks appearing in the Bees defence now started to materialise as the home back three of James Hawken, Adrian Hales and Michael Rust were increasingly allowed the freedom of the park.

Bradford failed to keep hold of the ball and chipped several kicks into the grateful arms of the onrushing Hawken, who was able to set up excellent field position.

Tries from Rust, Hales and second rower Justin Parker all came as a result and now the home side were uttterly rampant in every phase of the game.

The Bees' misery was compounded when Richard Tafa was sin-binned but that can be no excuse for some simply awful defending that saw Hales add a second and hooker Sam Overton fling himself over the whitewash.