If Rovers have been criticised by their own faithful for not being 'up' for recent derbies the same could not be said today. The forwards worked tirelessly and almost everything that went well went through the hands of Dave Marshall at fly-half. The Friaragemen will certainly be glad the Kiwi stuck around when his compatriots headed for North Two West as he engineered almost every attacking position his side had.

On a day when try-scoring opportunities were few and far between West created nothing and barely held on to the ball long enough to threaten anyone - constantly knocking-on and for the second week in a row being denied ruck ball by a quick-to-whistle referee.

In a total reversal of the Boxing Day game Rovers support play was excellent were West let men get isolated and suffered the consequences. With the promotion race now dealt a knock-out blow the season becomes something of a non-event and it will be interesting to see how the players respond.

Rovers started the livelier and could have opened the scoring with an early Gareth Foreman break but West held them out and came back into the game with some good mauling play. The territory gained was rewarded with the Moss penalty on 13 minutes after Steve Jones strayed offside. Moss had been brought into the side to replace Michael Young, who was suffering a cold, meaning Davy Tighe could revert to his more accustomed role of scrum-half.

Gav Painter made a superb try-saving tackle on Michael Walton after Marshall put him away with a great break to hold Rovers off for a time but with 20 minutes on the clock Jonny Cushlow powered over from close range, peeling off a rolling maul. Sainty added the conversion and it would prove to be the only try of the game as in typical derby fashion it descended into a war of attrition.

The score remained 7-3 until the break and early in the second half Marshall made another scintillating break to put Lilley away this time but Neil Howe got back to make what looked to be a fair tackle but the referee judged it high and Sainty nudged over the easy 3 points. It was certainly a harsh decision - proven by the players reaction - none of the White Shirts even questioning the tackle as dangerous.

As time ticked on West continued to throw ball away and Rovers played a sensible game plan, keeping them pinned back with some astute kicking. Further Sainty penalties on 70 and 80 minutes extended the lead and despite a brief foray into the home 22 just before the final whistle, West never looked like scoring.

It was an immensely disappointing performance and the deflated Westies would at least be cheered slightly by an improved England beating Scotland in the Six Nations. Horden's win at Durham City leaves both those clubs on 12 points, along with Rovers, in a fight that will surely go down to the wire. If Rovers can pull out more performances like today's though, they will surely have 3 derbies to contest next season.


West: Hare, Lambert, Edwards, Howe, Painter, Moss (Todd), Tighe, Carr, A Dixon, Norris (Robinson), Rudd, T Dixon, D Boatman, Myers, J Boatman (Miller)

Pen: Moss
Sinbin: Carr


Rovers: B Foreman, Sainty, Jones (P Hall), Walton, Lilley, Marshall, G Foreman, Wise (Langston), Cushlow, Smith, Power, Palmer, Wallis (Grazier), Ryder, S Hall

Try: Cushlow
Con: Sainty
Pens: Sainty 3
Sinbin: Wallis

Referee: Ray Sutherland [Durham Society]