Hartlepool Rovers punished for poor show by Ponteland

Rovers took a try-scoring bonus point – as did their hosts with five tries apiece - but it was the kicking of home stand-off Michael Searle that was to prove the difference with a full house of conversions and two penalties.

‘New Year – new you’ the saying goes, but Rovers hadn’t subscribed to this resolution and an abject first half saw them trail 27-0 at the break, coincidentally the highest number of points Ponteland had managed in a full 80 minutes so far this season.

Teetering over the precipice at the interval, Rovers emerged for the second period a side transformed and could count themselves unlucky not to have gone the whole way and pick-pocketed Ponteland. But they had left themselves too much to do and this result keeps Rovers deep in relegation trouble.

On this display and result, Ponteland will fancy their chances of catching the Whites, Medicals and Ryton who are the sides most in danger of being dragged into a scrap with the Tynesiders who still have basement boys Darlington to play both home and away.

The match was played on Druid Park’s 4G pitch which had a covering of snow on half of the playing area as well as a disconcerting long strip like a speed hump behind one of the trylines.

Callum Whitehead and Lee Maddison stood out in the pack with some good work in the loose but the biggest plus that Rovers could take from the match was the return to his old self of skipper Andrew Dring.

The Rovers’ captain has had an injury-plagued last couple of years but he drove his players forward after half time and scored a hat-trick of trademark number eight tries.

Rovers were ten points down in as many minutes with Chris Searle crossing from a catch and drive close to the away line, Michael Searle converting and adding a penalty after going wide with a three-pointer in the first minute.

The Friaragemen were struggling to get out of their 22 and after a brief visit to the home half leaked another seven points on 14 minutes when Luke Chick chased an upfield kick to ground the ball on his second attempt, Michael Searle adding the extra points for a 17-0 lead.

Ponteland all of a sudden were supremely confident and spurned a kickable penalty for an attacking lineout. Rovers held out with some great defence but conceded a front-on penalty and Michael Searle put the easy 13-metre kick over.

Rovers put together a promising passage of play but were penalised for the eighth time in 20 minutes to allow Ponteland to clear and then head back into Rovers’ territory to extend their lead to 27-0 after 28 minutes.

A Jon Livingston-Evans’ lineout take saw his pack drive to the line where Peter Newbigin looked to have crawled, rather than dived over, the line, Michael Searle converting.

Ian Coulson, Liam Austwicke, David Grand and Whitehead then combined to take play into the home 22 but a crooked throw at a lineout halted the move.

Whatever was said at half-time worked as Rovers, who had been staring down the barrel, came out for the second half re-energised and pulled ten points back in the first five minutes.

Dring started the move for the first score with less than a minute played and when the ball was spread some good handling saw Ian Flounders pop up on the right wing to cross by the corner flag.

Rovers swept straight back onto the attack and went from a turnover on their own 10 metre line to the home line where Austwicke used an advantage being played to chip the cover with Kevin Maguire there to touchdown.

The White Shirts were back on the attack on 58 minutes only to concede a breakaway score.

Michael Searle charged down an Austwicke kick and gathered to streak 70 metres to the line and he then added the touchline conversion for good measure and Ponteland led 34-10.

A quickly-taken tap penalty after 64 minutes gave Dring his first try and Michael Barnfield’s wide-out conversion went over off the left hand upright and Rovers were back in it at 34-17.

There was a hint of controversy to Ponteland’s next try when, with play having broken down, Mr McDermott allowed a home lineout to be retaken and Chris Searle dived over for his second try with Michael Searle’s 100% kicking record continuing for a 41-17 lead.

Rovers refused to give in and Dring picked up from scrums on 76 and 80 minutes to complete his hat-trick, Barnfield kicking one conversion.

“It was a disappointing first half,” said coach Carl Robinson afterwards. “We were lacklustre, lacking ideas, never had much ball and made a poor side look good.

“The second half was a lot better and we showed a bit of urgency and desire, played basic rugby and showed how bad Ponteland really are.

“The positives we need to take are the last 20 minutes, build on that, and having Dringy back and who I thought played really well.”

Ponteland: Chick, Walton, Probert, Marcus, Murphy, M Searle, Newbigin, Coulthard, Bell, Grant, Livingstone-Evans, Freer, Bettison, C Searle, Muller (c). Subs used: Suppan, Leiserach, Grieve

Tries: C Searle 1, 70; Chick 14; Newbigin 28; M Searle 58; conversions: M Searle 1, 14, 28, 58, 70; penalties: M Searle 10, 18

Penalties awarded 16, kicked 2, missed 1; scrums won 8; lineouts 13

Rovers: Rochester, Gunn, Grand, Coulson, A Smith, Austwicke, M Stephenson, I Flounders, Maguire, Pinchen, Ryan, Whitehead, J Little, Maddison, Dring (c). Subs used: M Barnfield, Church, Dakers

Tries: Dring 64, 76, 80; Flounders 41; Maguire 45; conversions: Barnfield 64, 76

Penalties awarded 10, kicked 0, missed 0; scrums won 9; lineouts won 3

Referee: Frazer McDermott (Northumberland)

Sent off: none; sin bin: none

Other results: Durham City 55 Medicals 7; Gateshead P Acklam P; Gosforth P Darlington P; Novocastrians P Middlesbrough P; Ryton P Horden P; Stockton 13 Consett 7