Rochdale Hornets 32 - 14 Hemel Stags

Rochdale Hornets got back to winning ways as they had just enough to see off Hemel Stags in a dour encounter on their return to Spotland Stadium.

It was their first run out on the new Spotland turf and it was far from a vintage performance, with the full-time hooter met with a chorus of ‘a win’s a win’ from the fans who welcomed Hornets home.

The match struggled to get going and when both teams needed someone to grab the game by the scruff of the neck nobody stepped up.

Nonetheless the result was all that mattered for Ian Talbot’s men and their were promising returns to action for James Dandy and John Cookson, as both impressed coming off the bench.

Danny Bridge scored the first try on the new Spotland pitch as he found a way over from close range on the left edge as the hosts took a 4-0 lead.

The game was even with both sides locked in an arm wrestle before Malakhi Lloyd-Jones was sin-binned 25 minutes in for a tackle on the returning Cookson, who was lucky to not be seriously injured.

Hornets took full advantage of their extra man as two minutes later Ryan Smith dummied his way through a gap before reaching out to score an unconverted try.

Cookson then marked his return with a try seven minutes from the break, as he ducked low to barge over from close range and Danny Yates added the first conversion of the match to extend their lead to 14-0.

With Lloyd-Jones waiting to return to the field the hosts snuck in another try in his absence with Yates darting through a hole in the Hemel defence before touching down under the posts and converting his own effort.

Hemel were back to 13 and got themselves off the mark on the half-time hooter, as Eddie Mbaraga broke the line from 20 metres out before finishing well in the corner. Ben Young couldn’t convert from the touchline as the visitors trailed 20-4 at the break.

Hornets started the second half on top and 15 minutes in extended their lead when Jordan Case was too strong from close range, coming onto a flat ball from dummy-half, and Yates added the simple conversion.

Stags hit back 10 minutes later as Jymel Coleman stabbed a kick towards the corner for Michael Brown to pounce, with Young’s conversion attempt wide.

With six minutes left on the clock the visitors went back-to-back as Mbaraga brushed off the attempts of four Hornets defenders to barge over in the corner, and Young finally added his first two-pointer.

Any hopes of a fightback were ended with two minutes of the contest remaining, as Bridge cut right through the heart of the Hemel defence to score under the posts. Yates knocked over the conversion as his side ground out a 32-14 victory.

Rochdale Hornets: Wayne English, Brad Hargreaves, Lee Paterson, Dave Hull, Alex Trumper, Ryan Smith, Danny Yates, Matty Hadden, Matty Fozard, Warren Thompson, Jack Ashworth, Danny Bridge, Jordan Case. 
Subs: James Tilley, John Cookson, Alex McClurg, James Dandy.

Hemel Stags: Derrell Olpherts, Chris McNamara, Alex Anthony, Michael Brown, Mo Agoro, Jymel Coleman, Ben Young, Mark Castle, Thibault Cousinie, Dan Ljaezouli, Eddie Mbaraga, Alex Ingarfield, James Woodburn-Hall.
Subs: Nathan Darby, Adam Booth, Charlie Lawrence, Malakhi Lloyd-Jones.

Attendance: 310
Referee: Sam Ansell