NEWCASTLE THUNDER 6 NORTH WALES CRUSADERS 72
SEB STERNIK, Crow Trees, Sunday
NORTH WALES underlined their status as league leaders with a 13-try demolition job in the north east.
Carl Forster’s men scored over 70 points against Newcastle Thunder for the second time this season.
Sam Wilde and Jordy Gibson were in particularly good form, with the secondrower grabbing a hat-trick and his teammate adding 24 points to the scoreboard.
For an injury-hit Newcastle side, the result marked their 40th straight defeat across all competitions – a run which has been ongoing since late 2023.
Thunder were always considered as underdogs ahead of this encounter, but the hosts did not help their chances when a dropped ball led to a Crusaders opener in the fourth minute. Joe Baldwin was the try scorer as the hooker pounced on the loose ball and crashed over to give his side an early advantage.
Newcastle regrouped and prevented a couple of dangerous North Wales opportunities, but it wasn’t long before the visitors extended their lead through Jack Holmes, who powered down the right side before scoring in the corner.
With 20 minutes on the clock, the league leaders put more points on the scoreboard courtesy of Ant Walker. The big forward picked up possession ten metres from the ine and powered through the Newcastle defence before crashing over.
Walker was in the thick of the action just a few minutes later, with Newcastle needing five players to keep the forward from scoring under the posts. As Thunder’s defence remained preoccupied, the visitors were able to shift the ball out wide and bag another effort through Matty Unsworth.
Holmes grabbed his second score of the game on the half-hour mark as North Wales made the most of a timely penalty. Gibson managed to convert from a tight angle to give his men a 26-0 lead.
The final ten minutes of the first half belonged to Newcastle, who went on the offensive and reaped their rewards just before the hooter. North Wales failed to deal with a Thunder kick on the last tackle, which opened the door for George Birch who caught the ball and powered over.
While the first half ended in encouraging fashion for Newcastle, the second was a complete disaster.
A Thunder mistake straight from kick off led to an immediate North Wales try – one which ultimately opened the floodgates.
Chris Barratt, Jake Spedding and Josh Eaves all stamped their names onto the scoresheet just ten minutes after the restart.
To make matters worse for the hosts, their sole try scorer Birch was sent to the sinbin, which immediately led to yet another North Wales try – this time courtesy of Wilde, who capitalised on an imposing drive from Jack Houghton and powered his way past a weakened Thunder defence.
Despite boasting a 48-6 lead, Crusaders refused to take their foot off the gas as Gibson, Wilde and Joe Baldwin produced three more tries.
With a couple of minutes remaining, Wilde completed his hat-trick after linking up with Gibson and cruising over the whitewash.
GAMESTAR: Jordy Gibson not only scored 24 points, but also assisted a number of tries in an excellent performance.
GAMEBREAKER: North Wales were never in trouble, but Newcastle’s horrendous start to the second half consigned them to defeat.
MATCHFACTS
THUNDER
1 James Farrar
2 Leo Bradley
5 Sean Croston
4 Daniel Sarbah
3 Jake Dickinson
6 Alex Donaghy
7 Elliot Shaw
8 David Weetman
9 Thomas Siddle
10 Tobias Gibson
11 Alex Taylor
12 Woody Walker
13 Tyler Walton
Subs (All used)
14 William Lintin
15 George Birch
16 Harry Price
17 Joshua Leighton
Tries: Birch (39)
Goals: Farrar 1/1
Sin bin: Birch (60) – dangerous play
CRUSADERS
6 Toby Hughes
21 Ollie Brookes
20 Jake Spedding
3 Kieran Taylor
2 Jack Holmes
1 Lloyd Roby
7 Jordy Gibson
32 Ant Walker
14 Joe Baldwin
10 Chris Barratt
11 Sam Wilde
17 Matty Unsworth
27 Jordan Case
Subs (all used)
8 Jack Houghton
19 Josh Eaves
15 Shaun Costello
24 Jamie Jenkins
Tries: Baldwin (4, 74), Holmes (15, 31), Walker (20), Unsworth (24), Barratt (41), Spedding (47), Eaves (51), Wilde (61, 72, 77), Gibson (66)
Goals: Gibson 10/13
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 0-8, 0-14, 0-20, 0-26, 6-26; 6-32, 6-38, 6-44, 6-48, 6-54, 6-60, 6-66, 6-72
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Thunder: William Lintin; Crusaders: Jordy Gibson
Penalty count: 3-7
Half-time: 6-26
Referee: Luke Bland