MIDLANDS HURRICANES coach Mark Dunning says an historic win was scored on the back of “the best 45 to 50 minutes of rugby” in his time at the club.
A 36-4 victory in the home play-off elimination clash with Whitehaven sealed a visit to Oldham in stage two for the team who marked their move to the Avery Fields ground in west Birmingham ahead of this season with an eighth-place finish in the newly-merged second tier.
The Canes, who before the league restructure had always played in the third section going back to their entry as Coventry Bears in 2015, left the Cumbrians reeling with a first-half onslaught which meant they were 30-0 up at the break.
They added a further try on 45 minutes, and Dunning, in his third full season at the helm, couldn’t hide his satisfaction as he outlined the three big reasons his side were so desperate to come out on top.
“It was a big occasion, our first play-off involvement at Championship level, and we wanted to show the club in a good light,” he explained.
“We also knew it would be our last game of a great first year at Avery Fields (the club previously played at the Alexander Stadium), and we wanted to mark that with a win.
“And we hadn’t given the best account of ourselves in the two league meetings with Whitehaven, so we needed to right a few wrongs.”
Dunning added: “Our plan was based on the middles taking control early, and I thought they were tremendous.
“Our skill levels on the edges needed to be high, and I was pleased with the attention to detail.
“We maybe got a bit sloppy late on, which is something to improve on, but in those first 45 to 50 minutes, we were excellent.”