Once again West failed to trouble the scorers away from home, a truly worrying stat. Something is certainly missing and someone needs to identify it fast before relegation becomes a real threat.

Huddersfield had all the early play pinning the visitors back right from the off. With only a minute gone number eight Mark Sowerby kicked a simple penalty and with some accurate out of hand kicking from stand-off Neil Summers the hosts were straight back to the West line. A lineout 5 metres out set up a rolling maul which eventually rumbled over with flanker Pratt emerging as the scorer. Sowerby converted and West were 10 points down having barely touched the ball.

The Yorkshiremen continued to find the corners with their kicks and whilst West put up some reasonable defence at the lineout they couldn’t clear their lines with defensive kicks struggling to get outside the 22. A series of lineouts in the corner set up another rolling maul try on 20 minutes this time prop Whippy was the scorer with Summers taking over the kicking duties and enjoying similar success to Sowerby.

It took 25 minutes for West to have possession outside their own half and this was thanks to a great break from Allan Milne. The support play was initially good but unfortunately a pass went to ground and from the resulting scrum Summers’ boot again ensured West were on the back foot.

As a hail storm swept in some adventurous runs from defence saw West finally playing some attacking rugby. Runs from Hodgson, Todd and Hare were all useful but every mistake was being punished by the accuracy of the Huddersfield kicking game. The lead was stretched out to 20 points with a simple penalty from Summers for offside.

At half time, whilst West were putting together small patches of play they were not looking like creating points and certainly couldn’t expect to with the territorial advantage their opponents were enjoying.

The second half started better for the visitors with some decent attacking possession. But after several phases poor kicking and dropped balls saw the chance slip away. With conditions as they were the game predictably turned scrappy and the second half, particularly, was not the most exciting for spectators. Huddersfield added the final score of the game midway through the half when winger Shaw shrugged off a couple of tackles to go in at the corner for an unconverted try.

Inside the final quarter a good rolling maul from half way and storming runs from Chocky and Tim Sawyer set up the best position of the game for West. Davy had a dart for the line and got close but a knock on at the base of the resulting ruck allowed Huddersfield to clear.

The most eventful part of the second half was the final minute. After a few scuffles in the closing minutes a mass brawl erupted following an incident at a ruck. When the two teams were finally separated and Darren Thomas receiving lengthy treatment the referee sent off a Huddersfield player for the original incident. However Huddersfield’s disadvantage wasn’t to last too long as the full time whistle went almost immediately to put the crowd, and probably some of the players, out of their misery.

An awful game it certainly was and whilst the effort could probably not be faulted this game was sewn up after 10 minutes and that has to be worrying. Once again no points are scored on the road, the win at Westoe is starting to seem surreal. What makes it harder to take is Huddersfield were at best average, relying solely on kicking for the corners. Hopefully back at Brinkburn next week things will be different. They’ll have to be if West want to avoid the drop zone.


Huddersfield: Hooper, Taylor, Metcalfe, Paxman, Shaw, Summers, Clayton, Howard, Furness, Whippy, Baxter, Merrick, Pratt, Rourke, Sowerby

Tries: Pratt, Whippy, Shaw
Con: Sowerby, Summers
Pen: Sowerby, Summers
Sinbin: Clayton
Sent-off: A Replacement

West: Todd, Hauxwell, Hodgson, Milne, Hare, Tighe, Thomas, Geritz (Colmondeley), Carr, Cullinane, Miller (Davies), Henderson (Rudd), Sawyer, Tones, Boatman

Sinbin: Carr