Waterloo leave it late to pocket something extra

Dec 17 2007 by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Daily Post

NOT THE best advert for rugby, but Waterloo will be satisfied to have taken maximum points against bottom of National Two Halifax at Blundellsands.

With Pablo Freijoo a late cry-off, Arno de Jager was pressed into service as a makeshift scrum-half and although he made a fair fist of the task, speed of foot and ball from around the set piece and the ruck was lacking. Yet instead of driving the ball up the middle of the park a desire to try and run the ball in freezing conditions was the wrong option. Perhaps Waterloo thought it was ‘game won’ when Nicola Mazzucato went over wide out after the pack had driven under the Halifax posts and swift hands across the line had given the winger space out wide. Alex Davies added the conversion from the touchline but, save for a great run by James Rothwell who was bundled into touch at the corner flag, that really was it for the next 55 minutes.

However when De Jager went over after the pack had driven 20 metres sucking in fringe defenders, Jonny Lowden adding the conversion, the way forward at last dawned.

Following a break by Scott Young and the neatest reverse pass, Lowden went over for the third with Young cutting through on a great solo effort to bring up the fourth and bonus point.