The game was nothing short of a shocker for the watching fan with the soft pitch and large areas of standing water making it very difficult for the players. Add to that a strong wind gusting straight down the pitch it was not the nicest day for playing or spectating.

The difference between the sides was the defence - were the Tigers held strong under severe pressure in the second half, West had missed tackles at crucial times in the first period. However no-one could knock the commitment of the players who stuck at the task for the full 80 minutes and if the truth be told were not that far away from snatching an, albeit undeserved, win.

The Tigers had the wind at their backs for the first half and it took barely a minute for them to open the scoring. West seem to have left their defensive heads in the changing room as nobody guarded the fringe of a ruck on the 22 and flanker Stuart Holes made the simple break to score. Full-back Dewet Nortje, a new Tigers recruit, saw the conversion come back off the crossbar having slipped at the end of his run-up.

With 10 minutes just ticking onto the clock Holes was adding his second try when another missed tackle proved costly, again around the fringes, and Nortje made no mistake with the kick to make it 12-0 and leave West starting down the barrel.

The wind was enabling any mistake to be severely punished with a long punt up field so it was key for West to win their lineouts and try and make ground keeping the ball in hand and going through the phases. Unfortunately both proved difficult, lineout wins were scarce and when West did create space the handling was poor and at times the passing awful. The line was never threatened but the defence improved with some good spoiling work by the ever involved back row trio of the Boatman brothers and Aaron Myers. However when Tigers got back into the visitors' 22 just after the half hour they showed how to finish with Nortje coming on a straight line and running straight through Phil Wallis to score and leave a simple conversion.

West kept it at 19-0 until the break and knew with the wind now in their favour the game wasn't quite over, provided they could use it well. They were further aided by the sin-binning of prop Tom Ryder for a hair pull, apparently on Myers new ponytail!, but failed to score while he was off the field.

There was no lack of effort but a combination of poor handling, great defence and the conditions made it very difficult to score any points. The only try came when a speculative kick to the corner was well chased by Chris Lambert and as he tackled his man just short of the line several players arrived to force them over the line and see a try awarded to Dan Boatman! Wallis made a valiant effort with the wide conversion but it drifted past the near post.

Sheffield mounted their first real attack of the half with 5 minutes to go as it had been their resolute defence which had won them the game. Although judging by the watching faithful you might have thought the score was the other way round such was the tirade of abuse being directed to the official but no, they were actually winning convincingly!

Insult was added to injury when replacement Carl Robinson was sent off seconds before the final whistle for an apparent stamp which leaves West even shorter of front-row cover when the inevitable suspension comes into force.

Some positives for West were a solid 20 minutes from Tom Dixon replacing Paul Rudd in the second half and Andrew Hare having an excellent game tidying things up at full-back under very tricky circumstances.

Next week's game at home to Morpeth becomes a must win if West are to stay in touch with the leaders and will be an opportunity to regain third place as Tigers travel to Driffield for what will be a tough test.

West: Hare, Lambert, Edwards, Moss (Todd), Painter, Wallis, Tighe, Carr, Cullinane, Norris (Robinson), Rudd (Dixon), Miller, D Botaman, Myers, J Boatman.

Try: D Boatman

Tigers: Nortje, Leach, Pound, Sovatabua, Cox, Baumberg, Pearson, Ashley, Toews, Ryder, Gauche, Norris, Knaggs, Holes, Jones.
Reps: Parkin, Price, Beattie

Tries: Holes, Nortje
Cons: Nortje 2

Referee: Craig Wrightman (Northumbria)