NEWCASTLE THUNDER 50 WHITEHAVEN 6
PHIL WORLD, Crow Trees, Saturday

NEWCASTLE ran in ten tries as they beat a committed Whitehaven side in boiling conditions on Tyneside.

Haven turned up with a game plan to frustrate Thunder and slow the game along with a kicking strategy which James Newton’s side executed well.

They may feel that the scoreline doesn’t reflect the effort that they put into the game and were probably deserving of some more points.

But Newcastle will be delighted with an eighth league straight win – and seventh in a row hitting the 50-point mark – in difficult conditions as they build to an away trip at fellow high-flyers Barrow in a fortnight.

Thunder scored the first of five first-half tries in the fifth minute as Brad Ward followed up a high, testing kick and tapped it back to Jack Smith to score.

Myles Harrison missed the conversion but would go on to kick five others among his ten attempts.

The game became scrappy as the sides got used to the heat and errors were traded.

On 13 minutes, Newcastle scored their second of the game as Harrison swooped on a loose pass as Thunder attacked, reacted quickest to spot a gap in the Whitehaven defence and extended the lead to 10-0. 

Whitehaven then had a spell of possession and were unlucky not to score as they forced back-to-back goalline drop-outs.

But it was Thunder who extended their lead as Will Roberts grubbered through and Harrison dotted down for his second try of the afternoon.

Andy Djeukessi was next to score as Roberts found Harrison whose deft touch picked out the winger to go over on the right-hand side.

Whitehaven’s low and short kicking game was causing Thunder problems but they stayed in control and Taylor Pemberton darted over from dummy-half for a half-time lead of 26-0.

Thunder’s best score of the game came on 48 minutes as Roberts intercepted and found Harrison. While Whitehaven rallied to stop him, Djeukessi got the ball at dummy-half and ran away from the retreating defence to go in.

Whitehaven threatened again, with Jackson Smith having a big impact from the bench for and Jack Kellett playing well in the halves, but they knocked on as they threatened the line.

Justin Sangaré ran a nice line to score on 54 minutes as he took a pass from Sam Cook, and shortly after Brenden Santi got on the end of a Roberts grubber for Newcastle’s next.

On 69 minutes, Whitehaven had a deserved score as Liam Williamson got on the end of a grubber and Ciaran Walker converted to take it to 42-6. 

There was still time for two more Thunder tries with John Sagaga going over after a King Vuniyayawa break with Roberts doing excellently to keep the ball alive, and Jude Ferreira taking them to another half-century of points.

GAMESTAR: Will Roberts ran the attack for Newcastle and was key to a big defensive shift too.

GAMEBREAKER: Myles Harrison going over for Thunder’s second try sapped some energy out of Whitehaven.

MATCHFACTS

THUNDER
23 Jordan Lipp
2 Andy Djeukessi
25 Jack Smith
1 Myles Harrison
5 Brad Ward
13 Sam Cook
7 Will Roberts
15 Brenden Santi
9 Taylor Pemberton
20 Mitch Clark
8 Bailey Antrobus
12 Noah Whittingham
17 King Vuniyayawa
Subs (all used)
4 Jude Ferreira
10 Ryan Jackson
22 John Sagaga
32 Justin Sangaré

Tries: Smith (5), Harrison (13, 23), Djeukessi (28, 48), Pemberton (33), Sangaré (54), Santi (65), Sagaga (75), Ferreira (79)
Goals: Harrison 5/10

WHITEHAVEN
7 Jack Newbegin
1 Jordan Burns
2 Mitchell Todd
4 Ethan Bickerdike
5 Jay Weatherill
6 Ciaran Walker
13 Jack Kellett
8 Jake Pearce
9 Ellison Holgate
16 Brad Brennan
11 Connor Holliday
23 Ben Pearce
12 Rio McQuistan
Subs (all used)
20 Marc Shackley
31 Xenden Callander
32 Liam Williamson
35 Jackson Smith

Tries: Williamson (69)
Goals: Walker 1/1

SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 10-0, 16-0, 20-0, 26-0; 30-0, 36-0, 42-0, 42-6, 46-6, 50-6

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Thunder: Will Roberts; Whitehaven: Jackson Smith

Penalty count: 4-6
Half-time: 26-0
Referee: Adam Williams