RAIDERS HALT LONDONS CHARGE

This week saw the Raiders host the three year un-defeated London chargers at Stebonheath stadium, the Raiders went into the game as under dogs to the chargers who boasted a wealth of experience with their team of Australians Kiwis and Londoners and came into the game on the back of a massive 80 nil drubbing of Coventry Bears. The game started as it meant to go on at a frantic pace and a brutal defensive encounter but it was the Raiders who drew first blood with mercurial pivot Luke Williams scoring under the posts and converting his own try. London responded quickly and with a well worked move went over in the corner but missed the conversion, again the Raiders answered and pivot Luke Williams put a great cross field kick for Curtis Ford to leap and take to score in the corner, Luke Williams failed to convert, with the score at 10 points to 4 the Londoners turned on the style that they are renowned for and scored three converted tries in quick succession leaving the Raiders and their supporters very quiet. It was a change in positional play that then saw Raiders hooker Dafydd Phillips find a gap wrong foot the defence and passed to supporting prop Kyle Bryan to score, the half time score saw West Wales Raiders18 – 22 London Chargers.

The second half talk from the London coach must have been inspirational as they came into the second half showing great attacking flair and proving a handful, the chargers where first to score from some tired defence allowing them in under the posts for a converted try making the scores 18-28 after 50 minutes, Raiders then began to find their rhythm and a change in tactics allowed dummy half Liam Johnson to find a gap and go over at short range, the fight back had begun and aggressive defence forced the Londoners to be tackled twice over their try line and giving Raiders repeat sets the pressure paid off and winger Curtis ford worked hard to squeeze in at the corner, with the scores 28-28 another positional change allowed the Raiders to apply further pressure around the chargers ruck and hooker Dafydd Phillips sniped his way around three defenders to go a full sixty meters and score under the posts with the try converted the score was then 34-28 to the Raiders. London then found themselves with a scrum in the Raiders ten metre line after a mistake from a looping pass, the scrum gave the Londoners a format to choose whether to go left or right and with the choice that they mad they went in to score in the corner, with the kick being a difficult one London couldn’t add the 2 points but with only four minutes remaining on the clock when the chargers probed the Raiders tiring defence and scored out wide in the corner with what seemed to be the winning try. However the Raiders would not give up and after London where forced to drop out under the sticks again the Raiders put on a last gasp attack, captain Nathan Beck putting up a huge up and under and second rower Morgan Jefferies leaping to claim the spoils and go over the line as the referees whistle blew to end the game Raiders 38 London chargers 36

Raiders coach Jon Ellis commented:
“what an unbelievable game that was, it was none stop for eighty minutes and our players showed some great tenacity and a never say die attitude west Wales is renowned for, a great spectacle for rugby league and it will be good to see our fan base grow and grow.
London Chargers are a class act, a great set of blokes, Raiders play an attractive free flowing style of rugby league great to watch so get down to Stebo and watch us.”