Last-Gasp Smith Try Seals Dramatic Win for Skirlaugh at Kippax
Skirlaugh produced a remarkable late comeback to claim a dramatic 20-18 victory over Kippax in a bruising National Conference League encounter played in searing 34-degree heat.
The Black and Amber made the perfect start, opening the scoring after just 50 seconds. Kieran Smith safely gathered the kick-off and, after a quick play-the-ball, Keane Dearlove spotted the retreating defence and darted over untouched from close range. Josh Smith added the extras for a 6-0 lead.
Skirlaugh continued to dominate the early exchanges and, after sustained pressure and some determined goal-line defence from the hosts, they doubled their advantage. Matty Shepherdson and Lochlan Fitzgerald combined superbly to put Nath Dunn through a gap on the right edge, with the powerful centre showing tremendous strength to force his way over. Smith was unable to convert, leaving the score at 10-0.
Shortly afterwards, Smith extended the lead to 12-0 with a penalty goal after another high tackle from Kippax.
However, rugby league can change in an instant and the momentum swung dramatically. Kippax enjoyed four consecutive sets inside the Skirlaugh 20-metre area but were repeatedly denied by a resilient Black and Amber defensive display.
Following a penalty and the sin-binning of Kippax's number 16 for a headbutt on Keegan Foster, Skirlaugh looked to have weathered the storm. But adversity struck late in the half when both Keane Dearlove and Harry Gotts were forced from the field through injury. The hosts finally found a breakthrough with a well-weighted grubber kick, grounding the ball before adding the conversion to reduce the deficit to 12-6 at the break.
The second half became a scrappy, penalty-ridden affair with both sides guilty of poor discipline. Kippax capitalised first, barging over out wide through their number three to make it 12-10.
The hosts continued to build momentum and eventually levelled the scores with a straightforward penalty in front of the posts before taking the lead for the first time when a powerful carry split the Skirlaugh defence, allowing the supporting full-back to race under the sticks for an 18-12 advantage.
Despite being under immense pressure, Skirlaugh's forward pack refused to buckle. Keegan Foster, Matty Shepherdson, George Thompson, Ross Kemp, Louey Pinkerton and Ben Hookem all produced huge efforts in relentless conditions to keep their side in the contest.
The Black and Amber struck back through captain Josh Atkinson after excellent work from Barney Fishwick and Nath Dunn created just enough space for the winger to dive over in the corner. Josh Smith's difficult conversion narrowly drifted wide, leaving Skirlaugh trailing 18-16.
With time running out, Alfie Walker and Matty King both produced outstanding try-saving tackles to keep the visitors within touching distance.
Then came the decisive moment.
After Kippax conceded two successive penalties for high tackles, Skirlaugh marched deep into opposition territory. On the 78th minute, the visitors produced a breathtaking passage of rugby, moving the ball from left to right with offload after offload before being halted just eight metres short.
From the next play, Alfie Walker challenged the line before sending Keegan Foster crashing through half a gap. With defenders converging, Foster somehow produced a brilliant offload around the corner for Kieran Smith to dive over and send the travelling support into celebration. Josh Smith's conversion drifted narrowly wide, but Skirlaugh had reclaimed the lead at 20-18.
Unfortunately, the game ended in ugly fashion. From the restart, Matty Shepherdson collected the kick-off before being met by a number of Kippax defenders with several high shots. The referee immediately awarded a penalty, sparking frustration from the home side as players from both teams became involved in a confrontation. After three red cards were shown, the final whistle brought an end to a fiercely contested encounter and confirmed a deserved Skirlaugh victory.
Man of the Match: Matty Shepherdson – an inspirational display of toughness, leadership and relentless work rate.
Ex-Players Association Man of the Match: Keegan Foster – a constant threat all afternoon whose superb offload created the match-winning try.
TRY SCORERS
🏉 Keane Dearlove
🏉 Nath Dunn
🏉 Josh Atkinson
🏉 Kieran Smith
🎯 Josh Smith 1/4 Conversions
🎯 Josh Smith 1/1 Penalty
Head Coach Matt Danville
"First and foremost, I'm incredibly proud of the players. To come here, in those temperatures, against a fired-up Kippax side and show the character we did says everything about this group.
"I thought for the opening 25 minutes we played some outstanding rugby. We defended our line brilliantly when we had to and looked dangerous with the ball. Losing Keane and Harry before half-time disrupted us, and then in the second half we probably invited too much pressure with our discipline.
"When Kippax went 18-12 ahead it would have been easy for heads to drop, but that's not this group. We stayed calm, trusted each other and kept believing we'd get another opportunity.
"The winning try summed us up. We played with composure, supported each other, kept the ball alive and Keegan's offload for Kieran was a moment of real quality under pressure.
"I also want to mention our forwards. Matty Shepherdson, George Thompson, Ross Kemp, Barney Foshwick, Harry Gotts, Louey Pinkerton, Ben Hookem and Keegan Foster worked themselves into the ground in that heat. Their effort was unbelievable.
"It's disappointing the game finished the way it did because it had been a tough but entertaining contest. Thankfully the referee dealt with it and our focus now is on another massive two competition points.
"We're not getting carried away. There are areas we need to improve, particularly around discipline, but to come away from a place like this with two points after the week that's gone before it is a fantastic effort. Credit to every single player and to our supporters who travelled in huge numbers and got behind us all afternoon."