Super show as Hornets stung

Mar 18 2002 By Chris Roberts, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Within a minute of the restart March finished off a blindside move.

But despite two barnstorming Crabtree breaks, Rochdale's defence somehow held firm until the final quarter.

Roberts, March and Matthew Walker combined to give Turner his second try in the 61st minute and immediately following the sin-binning of Paul Davidson, Roberts set up Cooper for his second.

Four minutes later another professional foul earned Richard Pachniuk a 10-minute breather and Jeff Wittenberg took full advantage by crashing over from the resultant tap penalty.

The Giants' joy and Rochdale misery was complete.

MATCH FACTS

Huddersfield Giants Reilly (Hallas 53mins); O'Hare, Crabtree, Cooper, Whittaker; Gene (Cruckshank 60mins, bb), Thorman (March 23mins); Wittenberg (Molyneux 33mins, Wittenberg 62mins), Turner, Walker (Cruckshank 15mins, rev 54mins), Atkins, Roberts (Reilly 70mins), McNamara (Gene 74mins).

Tries - Turner (2mins & 61mins), Cooper (8mins & 69mins), Roberts (10mins), Gene (15mins), March (25mins & 41mins), Atkins (39mins), Wittenberg (72mins).

Goals - Thorman 1 from 4, McNamara 8 from 8.

Sin-binning - Turner (30mins, fighting).

Rochdale Hornets - Owen; Wood, O'Meara (Stephenson 50mins), Calland, Mayberry; Agar, Tawhai; Long (Larder 72mins), Pachniuk, Stephenson (Berry 22mins, Long 62mins), Davidson, Smith (Bunyan 28mins), Ball.

Try - O'Meara (28mins).

Sin-binnings - Larder (30mins, fighting), Davidson (interference, 68mins, Pachniuk (interference, 72mins).

Half-time - 32-4.

Referee - Robert Connolly (Wigan).

Attendance - 2,938.

Scrums won - Huddersfield 9, Rochdale 8.

Penalties conceded - Huddersfield 6, Rochdale 10.

Top Huddersfield tacklers - Wittenberg 20, Atkins 19, Molyneux 18, March 17, Gene 13.

Next Giants match - Away to Leigh Centurions.