OLDHAM 58 ROCHDALE HORNETS 6
IAN WILSON, Boundary Park, Sunday
VISITORS Rochdale have enjoyed an impressive start to 2025, including only a very narrow defeat at Oldham in the annual pre-season – but always competitive – Law Cup match.
But here they came up against a Roughyeds side with serious 1895 Cup ambitions.
The commitment that implies, together with the undoubted class in their matchday 17, was enough to allow the home side to stroll through to the quarter-finals, in which they face a tie at home again, against Barrow.
Hornets actually gave as good as they got in the game’s first quarter, and indeed had the temerity to take the lead in the 14th minute, after a very early Roughyeds unconverted try.
After a penalty to the home side at the end of the first set of the game, Danny Craven and Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e cleverly shifted to the left late at a scrum on the right, and the result was an overlap, a lovely ball from Craven, and a dummy by PLT that took him over untouched.
But the visitors were by no means disheartened, and after some excellent defence in their own 20-metre zone had kept Oldham out, they went down to the other end and scored on their first serious attack.
An accurate cross-kick by their top schemer on the day, Morgan Punchard, was plucked out of the air by winger Dan Nixon, and he scored easily. A superb touchline conversion by Lewis Hollidge made the score 4-6.
The game’s turning point, though, soon arrived, in the 26th minute.
A pointless late hit by substitute Joe Taira on Riley Dean inevitably resulted in a sin bin – and Oldham scored twice before Taira was allowed back on the field.
First, the becoming-familiar powerful solo charge down the left centre by Jumah Sambou saw him go over under the posts, and then strong drives by Pat Moran and Owen Farnworth created space for swift passing right to allow another powerful centre, Iain Thornley, to stride over.
Two conversions by Kieran Dixon – in fact he also added seven more in the second half – put the home side ten points clear, and seemingly comfortably in charge.
If there was ever any doubt about the eventual winners, it had certainly completely disappeared after just 13 minutes of the second half.
Oldham significantly upped the power in their forward drives, and the League One side were just blown away.
Four scores, by respectively Farnworth, Danny Craven, Ted Chapelhow and Craven again, settled the contest. The final phase in each case was from quite close range, though they were all effectively team scores, the groundwork having been laid much further back in the field of play.
Three more converted tries rounded off the afternoon.
A beautiful clean break down the centre by impressive hooker Matty Wildie set up the first for Moran, another Sambou run gave Dixon a walk-in, and finally Thornley put the icing on the cake via a weaving solo run from about 25 metres.
GAMESTAR: Out of many Oldham candidates, Danny Craven was perhaps the most influential overall, though fellow halfback Riley Dean, and Matty Wildie, pushed him close.
GAMEBREAKER: A run of 24 points in just eleven minutes at the start of the second half was decisive.
MATCHFACTS
OLDHAM
31 Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e
20 Jack Johnson
4 Iain Thornley
18 Jumah Sambou
2 Kieran Dixon
6 Danny Craven
7 Riley Dean
8 Gil Dudson
9 Matty Wildie
21 Lewis Baxter
11 Matty Ashurst
27 Ben Forster
13 Adam Milner
Subs (all used)
16 Pat Moran
30 George Hirst
19 Ted Chapelhow
10 Owen Farnworth
Tries: Laulu-Togaga’e (2), Sambou (31), Thornley (36, 73), Farnworth (42), Craven (45, 53), T Chapelhow (48), Moran (62), Dixon (65)
Goals: Dixon 9/10
HORNETS
1 Gregg McNally
2 Dan Nixon
3 Lameck Juma
21 Ben Will
5 Luke Forber
23 Morgan Punchard
22 Lewis Hollidge
27 Toby Brannan
9 Oli Burton
10 Luke Nelmes
11 Deane Meadows
12 Duane Straugheir
13 Emmerson Whittel
Subs (all used)
19 Jaden Dayes
16 Jordan Andrade
17 Ben Killan
26 Joe Taira
Tries: Nixon (14)
Goals: Hollidge 1/1
Sin bin: Taira (26) – late tackle
SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 4-6, 10-6, 16-6; 22-6, 28-6, 34-6, 40-6, 46-6, 52-6, 58-6
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Oldham: Danny Craven; Hornets: Morgan Punchard
Penalty count: 7-6
Half-time: 16-6
Referee: James Vella
Attendance: 1,057
