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Castleford Vs Widnes 1989


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At least we know, from the moment the Widnes team take the field, there'll be no "pooer" tries scored in that match.

With Halloween coming up I decided to go to my local fancy dress shop to see if I could get a Dracula costume. After a few minutes the assistant handed me a Hull KR shirt asking "Is this suitable?", I replied "I think you may have misheard me, I said I wanted to look like a count."
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I actually went to this game as Hull didn't have a game that weekend. 

 

The story goes like this.....

 

My mate Dukey rang me and asked if I fancied going to see Cas v Widnes, I agreed and he said he'd sort the tickets out if I drove. On the day of the game, when I picked him up I asked him if he'd remembered the tickets. He mumbled something about "This is a bit embarrassing". When I asked him what he meant, he explained that on the day he wrote to Cas sending a cheque for the tickets for the game, he also wrote to Leeds University sending a cheque for tickets to a Motorhead concert they were hosting.

 

A few days after he received his two cheques back through the post, one from Leeds University with a note saying they hadn't been asked to host any professional RL matches and one from Castleford RL club saying they had no immediate plans to stage a Motorhead concert.

 

The useless bleeder had got the envelopes mixed up.

 

If memory serves we ended up buying our tickets from Cliff Wallace who was connected to the Cas club at the time, I think.

With Halloween coming up I decided to go to my local fancy dress shop to see if I could get a Dracula costume. After a few minutes the assistant handed me a Hull KR shirt asking "Is this suitable?", I replied "I think you may have misheard me, I said I wanted to look like a count."
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Widnes were wonderful during this era. Great team, great style of play and great strip too. How good was Kevin Ward also?

 

Another thing which this game shows is the misconception regarding the 5m rule. Look at the attacking team, they just stand 5-10 metres deeper than they do today. If it was 5m metres today with the fitness players have they would be on the defence before the pass was away.

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Widnes were wonderful during this era. Great team, great style of play and great strip too. How good was Kevin Ward also?

Another thing which this game shows is the misconception regarding the 5m rule. Look at the attacking team, they just stand 5-10 metres deeper than they do today. If it was 5m metres today with the fitness players have they would be on the defence before the pass was away.

This wasn't by choice both attack and defence had to start 5m from the PTB.

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Great game. The sport in both GB and Australia was fantastic to watch back then.

 

There's a good example of shambolic scrums at around 6:50 - just before a great try where Emosi Koloto (2nd row) dummies to Derek Pyke (prop) who is stood out on the wing and then goes over himself.

 

It's not the 5m rule that is the big difference, or the fact that the attackers all run from deep, or that the players weren't as big. It's the lack of wrestling at the play the ball. Winning the collision and dominating the ptb is the most important part of RL now, it was hardly a factor 25 years ago.

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This wasn't by choice both attack and defence had to start 5m from the PTB.

 

That is still the case I think. Some of the passages of play they were 20m back. Watch the hookers they never deliver a flat ball it always goes back. Loved the last tackle options too back the the full back. Remember Lydon was Wigan's main last tackle option in their own half.

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Downloaded for later viewing - thanks for the link!

 

The Widnes team of that era was special. If they were going to be in a televised cup tie, I'd always get excited.

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Thanks for that, BJ. Really enjoyed it. I know nostalgia is always rose-tinted, but that was the sort of rugby I fell in love with 40 years ago.

Rethymno Rugby League Appreciation Society

Founder (and, so far, only) member.

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I've got some other Widnes matches that i'll get around to doing eventually....

The Widnes/Canberra match is up on YouTube, and well worth revisiting.

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Can anyone remember a Castleford v Widnes match in the 80s, maybe 1988, played on a Wednesday evening when Martin Offiah turned the game in the second half?

Widnes needed to win to win the league and were losing at half time but Offiah scored and they won.

I remember going, it was a great game.

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That Team/squad was one of, if not THE, best team to have not played together in a Challenge Cup Final.

1989 and a semi final defeat that still irks.

 

Richie Eyres sent off after about 20 minutes, Rick Thackray's Desert Orchid moment.

 

Wembley that year could have been a classic.

Just because you think everyone hates you doesn't mean they don't.

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Can anyone remember a Castleford v Widnes match in the 80s, maybe 1988, played on a Wednesday evening when Martin Offiah turned the game in the second half?

Widnes needed to win to win the league and were losing at half time but Offiah scored and they won.

I remember going, it was a great game.

As Max Boyce said " I was there "

Cas was on a long losing run but actually played quite well to make it a contest.

The weather was atrocious and the pitch was a mud bath and all the players, except one, were blathered in mud head to toe.

That one player could have been an advertisement for Persil but he run in 4 tries and won them the match.

That's my favourite Offiah story....

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