First Half Onslaught

Rossendale started with a bang. Denny Solomona collected the kick-off, broke through the line, and sent Ben Stephens under the posts. Lewis Allen converted, putting Dale up 0-7 within the first minute. Just six minutes later, the forwards drove over again inside Blackburn's 22 Matt Lamprey claiming this one. Allen’s conversion made it 0-14 in no time.

Rossendale’s third try came within 15 minutes. Zac Stephens, coming into the line from full-back, capitalised on a Blackburn line-out error near Rossendale's 22. After a strong scrum, the ball moved smoothly to Sam Lowthion, who beat his man inside and offloaded to Zac Stephens to score under the posts. The conversion was initially uncertain but successfully slotted by Allen, extending the lead to 0-21. Blackburn’s defence was in shambles, and things only got worse when they conceded a penalty try for a knock-on. No conversion needed 0-28.

Blackburn briefly found some spark when Patrick Gaffey broke through weak tackles to score. Owen Pye converted, cutting the lead to 7-28. However, Rossendale hit back immediately in the 25th minute winning a line-out, the ball moved swiftly to Zac Stephens, who coasted in for his second. Allen missed the conversion to make the score 7-33.

Just before half-time, Sam Lowthion danced through on the right wing after a series of slick passes. Zac Stephens converted from a tough angle, making it 7-40. Then, after 44 minutes, Rossendale struck again through Allen. They stole a line-out on halfway, with the forwards driving in before the ball went out to Allen. He beat a couple of tackles and ran in mostly unopposed to score between the posts. Awaiting his own conversion, Allen nailed it, pushing the score to 7-47. It was now half-time, and Rossendale had already secured the bonus point.

Second-Half Domination

Rossendale picked up where they left off. Early pressure from the forwards saw Alex Ropeti crash under the posts, pushing the lead to 7-54. Minutes later, Ben Stephens capitalised on a loose ball and drove over again. Blackburn fans began leaving as the scoreboard hit 7-61 after another Allen conversion.

Rossendale's onslaught continued. A brilliant cross-field kick from McGuigan found Stephens on the touchline, who scored with ease. Allen missed the conversion, but it was 7-66.

There was a brief hiccup when McGuigan saw red around the 63rd minute, and Blackburn took advantage, scoring in the corner. Pye's conversion brought it to 14-66. However, Ropeti struck back in the 71st minute, weaving through defenders for another try. Allen’s conversion made it 14-73.

In the final minutes, Blackburn managed one more score in scrappy play against 14 men. The missed conversion left the final score at 19-73.

Final Whistle

Rossendale’s dominant forwards and clinical backs made all the difference. Despite some defensive lapses and a red card, Dale’s powerful performance from a big rival keeps them firmly at the top of the league. Next week sees Rossendale host Anselmians, who are 2nd in the table, at Marl Pits, kick off 2:15

By Sophie Macintosh