The game started off tense and tightly contested, but Rossendale’s persistence paid off as they took control in the second half to claim the bonus-point win.

First Half: Rossendale Strike First After Wirral Pressure

The first half saw Wirral putting Rossendale under serious pressure, dominating possession for the opening 30 minutes. But it was Rossendale who struck first. After winning a lineout just outside Wirral’s 22, Callum Whelan broke through several Wirral defenders and pulled off a backhanded offload to Alex Ropeti, who stormed through to score under the posts. Lewis Allen added the extras, putting Rossendale ahead 7-0.

The lead didn’t last long, though, as Rossendale’s Matt Lamprey was yellow-carded in a maul, giving Wirral the chance to hit back. Taking advantage of the extra man, Wirral scrambled over from a close-range scrummage to level the score with a converted try. Wirral had one more chance to pull ahead with a penalty from halfway, but it drifted wide, leaving the teams locked at 7-7 going into the break.

Half-time: Rossendale 7, Wirral 7

Second Half: Rossendale Pull Away

Eight minutes into the second half, Rossendale regained the lead with a penalty from Allen, making it 10-7. Soon after, Allen had another shot from halfway but couldn’t convert. With both teams going hard at each other, Rossendale’s Gabe Maguire was yellow-carded for what the referee deemed a dangerous tackle, but Rossendale held their ground.

Wirral’s discipline began to slip, and Rossendale took advantage, with Allen nailing another penalty to make it 13-7.

Rossendale’s defence then turned into attack. After a Wirral knock-on, the ball was scooped up and moved out wide to Sam Lowthion, who sprinted downfield, setting up Allen for the try. Allen missed the conversion, but Rossendale were now up 18-7.
The forwards then showed their power by winning a scrum against the head, setting up Ben Stephens to dive over for another score. Allen hit the post on the conversion, keeping the score at 23-7.

Final Try Secures the Bonus Point

In the closing minutes, Rossendale kept up the pressure and finally broke through again. Zac Stephens made a strong run, drew in the defence, and slipped an inside pass to Maguire, who went over the line for the bonus-point try. Although Allen missed the conversion, Rossendale finished with a comfortable 28-7 win.

Full-time: Rossendale 28, Wirral 7

With this win, Rossendale stay top of the table. It was a solid performance from the squad, with strong defence and some good attacking moves helping them take all five points.

Report by Sophie Macintosh