Amateur RU: Huddersfield 23 Rugby Lions 16

Feb 22 2010 by David Lockwood, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Hudds RU .... 23 Rugby Lions ....16

HUDDERSFIELD produced one of their best halves of rugby this season to secure a valuable victory over a very useful Lions side at Lockwood Park on Saturday.

There were a few anxious moments – not least before the game, when the Rugby Lions coach was reluctant to play on a first-team pitch which was pretty solid down the stand side until just before kick-off.

But with sun streaming over the viaduct, commonsense prevailed and the match went ahead on time, although after three minutes it was Huddersfield’s turn to be concerned.

For after a strong run down the wing by home hooker James Davies, Rugby took the lead, when a quick tap penalty caught Huddersfield napping and winger Jeff Gregson shot down the sideline, beating full-back Tom Owen to scoot round the posts for an easy seven points.

Huddersfield were quick to respond, however, with second rower Gavin Rhodes prominent as they went back on attack and when Rugby were pulled up Chris Johnson landed the first of three penalties.

In fact Johnson was back to his imperious best, both with his place kicking and his kicking out of hand which was excellent and repeatedly pushed the Lions back into their own half whenever they threatened.

Lloyd Warner landed a 15th minute penalty for the Lions, but on the next play Huddersfield were level.

And again the try came from a quickly-taken tap which caught the defence unawares as No8 Dan Hyde played the ball to himself and charged forward for the initial burst before the ball was worked across left and winger Donovan van Vuuren went over in the corner.

Johnson landed a brilliant touchline conversion to level the scores at 10-10 and suddenly it was all Huddersfield.

Three minutes later they were over again, this time thanks to a Rugby blunder from a hoisted Johnson kick which was spilled by the full-back, and Huddersfield’s young winger James Wood burst in-between three of the visitors, gathered the ball and sprinted 40-odd yards to go under the sticks, leaving Johnson the simplest of conversions.

And on the half-hour mark Johnson extended the lead to 20-10 with his second penalty which was how it remained at the break.

Unfortunately the second half never lived up to the first 40 minutes, with Rugby seeing more of the ball and cutting the deficit thanks to two Warner penalties.

But Huddersfield were resolute in defence, and a 67th minute penalty from Johnson rounded off the scoring and ensured a very welcome four points.

Huddersfield: Owen; Wood, Johnson, Paxman, Van Vuuren; Duffy, Clayton; Slater, Davies, Stringwell, Rhodes, Harris, Sharpe, Lewis, Hyde (Whitehead 69). Subs: Entressengle, Battye, Hinchliff, Van Rooyen.

Rugby Lions: Warner, Gregson, Young, Carruthers, Harris, Reed, Barker, Williams, Price, Pateman, Weaver, Braband, Saunders, Munro, Nash. Subs: Spokes, Walton, Carney, Marston.

Referee: Brendan Fitzmaurice (Middlesbrough).

Huddersfield’s win lifted them above Broadstreet, to fourth bottom in National II North.

Field blown away

Feb 16 2010 by David Lockwood, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Macclesfield 41

Huddersfield 5

(National II North)

IT WAS always likely to be a tough ask when Huddersfield Rugby Union Club visited National II North title hopefuls Macclesfield.

And so it proved, as the Priory Park side ran in five converted tries, along with two penalties to keep their Championship hopes very much alive while inflicting further damage to Huddersfield’s fractured confidence.

Huddersfield were on the back foot throughout the game and were under threat from the start with Blues skipper Ross Winney knocking over a couple of penalties in the first 14 minutes.

The first try followed sustained pressure on the Huddersfield line with drive after drive being repelled until hooker Sam Moss crossed, Winney claiming the first of his five conversions.

The game then became scrappy and Huddersfield’s second rower Ben Harris received the first of three yellow cards issued by the referee, the second following quickly for Macclesfield lock Alan Marsh.

Just before the interval Macc centre Richard Hughes bagged his side’s second try again converted by Winney to give the home side a comfortable 20-0 lead at the break.

It could have been more but for some determined Huddersfield defence, but they was breached again early in the second half, despite Macclesfield losing prop Tom Mantell to the sin-bin, when Hughes went over for his second try, Winney again adding the two.

Huddersfield finally got on the scoreboard after the ball went through several pairs of hands in a wonderful move from their own 22, which culminated with Nick Sharpe sprinting for the corner for an excellent try, but by then it was little more than a consolation as they already trailed 27-5.

And in the closing stages, Macclesfield rubbed further salt into the wounds by adding two more tries from No8 Jon Keep, following some excellent scrimmaging on the Huddersfield line, and from full-back Rob McDermott, who linked up to outpace the defence and finish off near the posts.

Huddersfield: Owen, Wood, Paxman (B), Johnson, Sutcliffe, Duffy, Clayton; Battye, Davies, Slater, Harris, Sharpe, Lewis, Whitehead, Hyde. Subs: Rhodes, Entressengle, Van Rooyen, Andrews.

Macclesfield: McDermott, Simpson, Hughes, Howcroft, O’Regan, Winney, Eaton, Mantell, Moss, Kent, Marsh, Owen, Baines, Stewart, Keep. Subs: Devine, Latham, Jones, Sayce and Lowdon.

Amateur RU: Huddersfield back on track in big win over Broadstreet

Feb 8 2010 by David Lockwood, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Huddersfield back on track

HUDDERSFIELD finally got their season back on track as they blitzed Broadstreet 42-0 to register their first National II North win in 11 outings.

It had been a long time coming, but for the first time in over three months, the Lockwood Park men eventually showed just what they are capable of when they get it right.

And in the last 20 minutes of the first half they produced some of the best rugby seen by their supporters for quite some time.

As coach Mark Sowerby said afterwards it was difficult to single out a man-of-the-match as everyone contributed and, for once, they looked like a team playing together as a well-drilled unit.

Admittedly, Broadstreet did not have a great deal to offer, but you can only beat what is in front of you, and this Field did with some style.

It was a scrappy first 20 minutes, with Huddersfield seeing very little of the ball, but on 21 minutes the game suddenly came alive when Field finally strung a few passes together, and Chris Johnson, playing at centre, cut inside and pushed off several would-be tacklers to go under the sticks for the opening score of the match, to which he also added the conversion.

Nine minutes later Johnson was involved again, although this time the initial break was made by hooker James Davies who made the half-break before off-loading to Johnson, who in turn passed inside to skipper Mark Whitehead to finish off close to the posts.

After Wayne Lester had missed a penalty for the visitors Huddersfield really grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck.

A quick tap penalty to himself by Whitehead provided the initial thrust, before quick ball out left to the backs ended with winger Donovan van Vuuren scooting over for a third converted try.

And almost from the kick-off they were over again. This time it was No8 Dan Hyde who broke away down the right touchline, and although he opted to kick ahead instead of passing inside to his supporting teammates, the ball was moved across field, and strong pressure from the forwards finished with prop Tony Stringwell bull-dozing his way over the line despite two tacklers hanging onto him.

Huddersfield were now rampant, and they should have had a fifth try just before half-time, but having made the break Ben Paxman chose to kick ahead instead of releasing Van Vuuren and the chance went begging. Not that Field minded too much with a 28-0 lead to take into the interval.

Hyde made another telling break from the re-start, while Paxman did cross the whitewash only to be denied a score by Van Vuuren’s forward pass.

Huddersfield had to wait until the hour mark to extend their lead, when Davies emerged from a ruck with the ball and burst over the line from close range.

Johnson’s conversion made it 35-0 but with Sowerby ringing the changes and giving his subs a run, it probably interrupted the flow a little.

However, they were to finish with a late flourish when, from a scrum, Nick Sharpe picked up and powered his way through the defence to score try No6 and his fifth of the season, making him joint top-try-scorer with his skipper.

Huddersfield: Owen; Van Vuuren (Wood 47), Johnson, Paxman (B ), Sutcliffe; Duffy, Clayton; Slater (Battye 60), Davies, Stringwell, Harris, Sharpe, Lewis (Andrews 66), Whitehead, Hyde (Rhodes 56).

Broadstreet: Lester, McGrory, Grimes, Challis, Summers, Richards, Thatcher, Hurst, Southwell, Loach, Hall, Simkiss, Mukerati, Morris, Hursey.

Referee: J Meredith (Middlesbrough).

Amateur RU: Bags of effort but no reward for Huddersfield

Jan 26 2010 by David Lockwood, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

HUDDERSFIELD RU competed well but still came away beaten 24-14 in their latest National League clash at Fylde – their 10th straight defeat leaving them third from bottom of National North II and in the relegation zone.

It was Huddersfield’s first game of any description since December 12, but they quickly shook off any rustiness and took the lead with the first of three penalties from Chris Johnson after 11 minutes, the fly-half having previously missed.

And with Huddersfield enjoying possession they extended their lead when Nick Sharpe, playing at lock in place of the unavailable Gavin Rhodes, found himself in space and knocked over one tackler, barged off another and charged over the line.

Johnson missed the conversion but Huddersfield were 8-0 up.

But then Fylde got into the game when lively centre Alex Hurst broke through some weak midfield defence to score from 35 yards out, fly-half Tom Barlow converting easily.

Huddersfield failed to take advantage of Fylde losing lock Nick King to the sin-bin, and were made to pay just before the break, when Hurst again powered through some poor tackling to repeat his earlier try, and with Barlow again converting and tacking on an injury-time penalty, Fylde had turned an 8-0 deficit into a 17-8 half-time lead.

The second half was very scrappy with errors from both sides and indiscipline causing the referee to blow constantly.

Fylde dominated the third quarter, but Johnson reduced Huddersfield’s deficit with his second penalty after 48 minutes, but then the seasiders scored the crucial try when a driving maul had the visitors on the backfoot, and prop Andrew Irving got the all important touchdown.

With Barlow adding the extras to maintain his 100% kicking record, Fylde looked on their way to a bonus point win.

Huddersfield were in no mood to give in, however, and began to exert pressure on the home defence, who lost hooker Jonny Roddam to the sin-bin, while Field spent 10 minutes without Sharpe.

Johnson added his third penalty to drag his side to within 10 points, but they were unable to take advantage of a couple of late chances, which could at least have seen them salvage a bonus point.

“Overall I was disappointed with the result, but ultimately Fylde deserved their victory,” said director of rugby Mark Sowerby.

“I can’t knock the endeavour, which is something I’ve never questioned during our recent bad run, and we were perhaps unlucky not to come away with something out of the contest. But we need to learn to keep the ball better than we do, and take our chances when they come.

“In the latter stages we got behind their defence two or three times, but then we are trying to force the final pass and are not taking advantage of what we have created.”

Huddersfield: Owen; Sutcliffe, Clarke, Paxman (B), Van Vuuren; Johnson, Hinchliffe, Slater, Davies, Stringwell, Harris, Sharpe, Lewis, Whitehead, Hyde. Subs: Battye, Entressengle, Duffy, Hinchliff, Clayton.

Fylde: Royle; Gargett, Hurst, Ward, Welch, Barlow, Aikman, Irving, Roddam, Lewis, Atkinson, King, Smith, McGinnis, Beaumont. Subs: Fryar, Altham, Ferguson, Wallwork, Waywell.

Amateur RU: Huddersfield 9 - 17 Hull

Dec 7 2009 by David Lockwood, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

From bad to worse for Huddersfield RUFC

HUDDERSFIELD’S losing streak continued with another soulless performance against a team who, before Saturday, were below them in the League.

After a couple of improved displays, it was back to the drawing board as the Lockwood Park side played like a team with little confidence, as one might expect after a run of eight successive National II North defeats.

And the worrying thing is that on this showing it is difficult to see where their next win will come from!

It was only through the place-kicking of fly-half Chris Johnson and Hull’s ineptitude close to the line that they remained in the game as long as they did, but ultimately it was their indiscipline which cost them at least the meagre consolation of a bonus point.

Even given that Hull played two periods with a man short after both second rowers had spells in the sin-bin, the home side were able to offer nothing in the way of attack, and too often chose to kick.

Johnson gave them initial hope with a well-struck long-range penalty after 10 minutes, but it was soon backs-to-the-wall stuff as Hull looked the hungrier team in possession.

Twice in the opening 20 minutes the visitors looked likely to score but spilled the ball on both occasions, and it took them until 22 minutes to finally make their pressure pay off.

There didn’t look to be anything on when the ball was moved across field inside Huddersfield’s 22 with plenty of cover in place, but then centre Shaun Leaf kicked through the defensive line, and burst through to touch down.

Winger Robin Kitching landed the conversion, and from that point they were never behind.

It was half-an-hour before Huddersfield put together a decisive attack, this time passing the ball and full-back Tom Owen sprinted down the touchline, but couldn’t get a pass away to his support players, and from the following scrum, possession was lost as Hull’s pack began to push the home eight from pillar to post.

Back came Hull and six minutes from the break they were over again, this time flanker Andy Gravil bullying his way over near the posts to give Kitching the simplest of conversions.

Johnson did reduce the deficit with his second penalty from 40 yards as Field went in 14-6 down and with hope of a resurgence still there.

From the restart Huddersfield had a couple of half-decent runs, but it was back to kicking again which simply allowed Hull to take up the challenge, and they would have added a third try, had they not contrived to spill another pass five yards out from the line.

A high tackle on Johnson’s brother Matt, allowed Chris a third penalty which he again struck true between the uprights to bring Huddersfield within five points of the visitors, but in truth that was the only way in which they looked like scoring.

The game then stagnated in the middle of the park, with Hull content to field Huddersfield’s kicks and the home side happy to keep feeding them.

Going into the last 10 minutes, Kitching was gifted a couple of easy penalties which he missed, but finally given his third attempt at goal (inside five minutes) he duly slotted over to take them out of reach and deny the Lockwood Park men even a solitary bonus point.

Huddersfield are now fourth bottom and need a change of game plan if they are not going to find themselves taking a downward step come the end of the season.

Huddersfield: Owen; Van Vuuren, Johnson (M), Paxman (B), Sutcliffe; Johnson (C), Hinchliffe; Slater (Battye 60), Entressengle, Stringwell, Rhodes (Hinchliff 50), Harris, Lewis, Whitehead, Sharpe.

Hull: Martinson; Kitching, Leaf, David, Vaikona; Cameron, Hardisty; Ward, Plevey, Fullman, Murphy, Cook, Gravil, Davies, Pearce. Subs: Renwick, Campbell, Dorrington, Piercy.

Referee: Trevor Fisher (Cheshire).

Amateur RU: Huddersfield see yellow in latest defeat

Dec 1 2009 by David Lockwood, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Preston Grasshoppers 17 Huddersfield RU 11

(National II North)

HUDDERSFIELD’S winless League run continued after a string of yellow cards undermined their chances of victory at Preston Grasshoppers.

At one point during the second half, Huddersfield found themselves down to 13 men with two in the sin-bin, and that was when Preston took advantage to come from behind and notch a converted try, which proved to be the winning score.

The game started promisingly enough, with the Lockwood Park side taking the game to Preston and they would have taken an early lead after a kick-through from Chris Johnson opened up a certain try – but it was ruled out because prop Sam Slater got in the way of a chasing defender, thereby conceding a penalty.

Johnson did give Huddersfield the lead with a penalty before Hoppers hit back when No8 Dominic Moon picked up from a scrum, fed Jordan Pearson who in turn released his scrum half Tom Ball to squeeze over the line.

Back came Field however, and Johnson knocked over his second penalty, this time from 40 metres, when Preston were pulled up for obstruction.

Then came the first of the trio of sin-binnings, when flanker Gareth Lewis was yellow-carded for persistent infringements in the ruck, but almost immediately the home side were also reduced to 14 after Moon was handed a straight red following his head-but on Huddersfield’s No8 Dan Hyde, which left Preston having to play 50 minutes with a man down.

Huddersfield took advantage and extended their lead when the ball was worked out wide and Matt Clarke scorched down the wing before sending in supporting full-back Tom Owen for an excellent score.

Johnson missed the difficult conversion, but Huddersfield went in 11-5 up at the break and looking good to reverse their losing trend.

Hoppers came out with renewed determination from the re-start however, and after prop Tony Stringwell was binned for handling in the ruck and hooker James Davies had been replaced by Nick Sharpe after breaking a finger, Preston got back to within a point after a pushover try from a scrum, Pearson getting the touchdown.

And moments later Clarke joined Stringwell in the sin-bin following an unfortunate high tackle and Preston took the lead when scrum half Ball got his second try after slipping down the side of a ruck to go over untouched near the posts. Fly-half Zavallis-Roebuck converted to put Hoppers 17-11 ahead midway through the half.

Huddersfield had time to come back, and could have wrapped it up with a try late in the game, after spending most of the last 20 minutes camped in Hoppers’ half.

But they were guilty of trying to force play, and then lost possession close to the Preston line, which proved to be their last chance as the home side hung on.

Huddersfield’s only consolation was another bonus point, but it was scant reward from a match which they certainly could, and probably should have won.

Preston Grasshoppers: McKenna, Taylor, Hughes, Thomas, Flynn, Zavallis-Roebuck, Ball, Hanson, Sands, Irving, Steel, Rigbye, Pearson, Cunningham, Moon. Subs: Peterson, Stone, Davey, Haworth, Edwards.

Huddersfield: Owen; Clarke, Paxman (L) (Sutcliffe), Paxman (B), Van Vuuren; Johnson, Hinchliffe; Slater, Davies (Sharpe), Stringwell, Rhodes, Harris, Lewis, Whitehead, Hyde. Subs: Battye, McPhail, Hinchliff.

Amateur RU: Yorkshire Cup provides win bonus for Huddersfield

Nov 23 2009 By David Lockwood

Cleckheaton 14 Huddersfield RU 22

Yorkshire Cup, first round

WHATEVER the competition, and no matter how it is achieved, a victory should always be savoured.

And after a run of six successive League defeats, this win over neighbours Cleckheaton will certainly have lifted Huddersfield spirits – even though most of the first team squad missed it!

The County Cup is increasingly seen as an opportunity to give fringe players and second teamers the chance to impress their own coaching staff, and this first round tie was no exception with both sides blooding some of their up and coming prospects.

Indeed, Huddersfield started the match with only eight of their frontline regulars, and finished it with even fewer as coach Mark Sowerby continued to ring the changes in a stop-start second half, played in driving rain.

The game started promisingly enough with left winger Adam Sutcliffe crossing in the corner after just three minutes, following a good break from South African centre Donovan Van Vuuren who linked well with full-back Tom Owen, who in turn gave Sutcliffe the try-scoring pass.

Cleckheaton were quick to respond, however, and after gaining some momentum from a rolling maul, flanker Tom Clough got the touchdown to which Ross Hayden added the conversion to put the home side ahead 7-5.

But gradually Huddersfield began to exert their authority on the game and after spurning a penalty shot at goal, the visitors opted for a five-metre scrum from where young prop Alex Battye forced his way over the line for his side’s second try, this time Chris Johnson adding the extras.

He did miss a penalty attempt two minutes later, but it mattered not as Huddersfield scored the best try of the game on 25 minutes, when Van Vuuren intercepted a pass just inside the Cleckheaton, half and sprinted clear until halted by the full-back, but he looked inside to see Mark Whitehead on his shoulder in support, and the skipper had the easiest of run-ins.

Johnson again converted and added a penalty on the stroke of half-time to take his side clear 22-7 at the break which could have been even more had the hard-working Gareth Lewis been able to ground the ball over the line after a good break from lively scrum half Joel Hinchliffe.

Unfortunately the second half was a tad grim as a string of substitutions disrupted any continuity Huddersfield had built up in the first period, while Cleckheaton seemed pretty clueless and content mainly to thwart the visitors by killing the ball.

Johnson, Hinchliffe, Adam Ryder and Van Vuuren all made way for subs early in the second half, one of which was the welcome return of winger-centre Matt Clarke, who has been missing since the away game at Hull Ionians in early October following an injury.

And within minutes of his arrival he was putting in some serious runs down the flank, one of which almost produced a fourth Huddersfield try, but sadly Sutcliffe dropped the final pass, which would have surely put him over in the corner.

Whitehead also linked well with Clarke on another 60-odd yard burst which again could have yielded a further score had the last pass not gone to ground.

Matt Johnson, who replaced Ryder on the wing and took over the kicking duties from his brother Chris, missed a 70th-minute penalty, but just as the second half looked destined to remain pointless (in more ways than one) veteran prop Neil Gillan scored a close-range try right on the final whistle for Cleck.

And with Hayden adding the two-point conversion it gave the scoreboard a bit of respectability, although in truth, the winning margin was certainly more than eight points.

Reserve hooker Franny Entressengle did himself no harm with a workmanlike performance, Tom van Rooyen had one or two powerful runs, while newcomer Jack Andrews showed a few glimpses of promise, playing at No8, as did stand-in second rower James Bodsworth.

Cleckheaton:@ Masserella, Yaden, Piper (M), Murphy, Ashworth, Edwards, Depledge; Turner, Piper (R), Goodwin, Beasty, Mason, Whitehead, Clough, Burrows. Subs: Castle, Piper (A), Jackson, Hamilton, Gillan.

Huddersfield:@ Owen; Ryder, Van Vuuren, Van Rooyen, Sutcliffe; Johnson, Hinchliffe; Slater, Entressengle, Battye, Hinchliff, Bodsworth, Lewis, Whitehead, Andrews. Subs: (all used) Doust, Johnson, Clarke.

Referee:@ Nick Ramsden (Yorkshire Society North).

Amateur RU: Huddersfield 3 Loughbro' Students 15

Nov 16 2009 by David Lockwood, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Hudds RU 3 Loughbro’ Students 15

FOR the second successive week, Huddersfield showed plenty of enthusiasm and endeavour but still came away empty-handed from their clash with League-leaders Loughborough Students.

It was certainly one of Huddersfield’s better performances and continued the improvement they showed the previous week when losing by two points at Harrogate.

Indeed, had the usually reliable Chris Johnson landed the three first-half penalty kicks, and had the bounce of the ball been a little kinder to the home side on a couple of occasions, then they could probably have snatched at least a draw.

But when things are going against you – which they currently are for coach Mark Sowerby’s side – those are the things which just don’t go your way!

Both fly-halves missed three-point opportunities in the opening 15 minutes, while Huddersfield also lost hooker James Davies to an injury, to be replaced by new signing Tom Doughty, who although acquitting himself well in the set-piece and loose, not surprisingly struggled with the calls in the line-outs.

Huddersfield carved out the first real chance of the game midway through the half when scrum half Joel Hinchliffe sped away from the scrum on an excellent break, before off-loading to the supporting Dan Hyde, but unfortunately the No8’s pass tor Adam Sutcliffe was just in front of him, and although the winger got a boot to it, the kick forward went over the dead ball line and the chance was gone.

Johnson missed his second penalty on 28 minutes, pushing his 45-yard attempt just wide before the visitors took the lead on the half hour, when outside centre Nathan Lambden found himself with a two-man overlap and went over unmarked.

George Drake missed the following conversion, but with Johnson missing another 45-yard attempt, the Students went in just 5-0 ahead at the break.

Early in the second half the visitors extended their lead when a speculative kick through took a shocking bounce in front of Huddersfield winger Adam Ryder, and flanker Dave Hughes took advantage to pick up and go over near the left corner for a try which Drake again failed to convert.

Gareth Lewis replaced Nick Sharpe on the 50-minute mark and Huddersfield began to enjoy their best spell of pressure.

Johnson, Hinchliffe and Sutcliffe combined well in a break which almost produced something before Field’s No10 landed his only place kick of the afternoon to put his side in with at least a chance of a bonus.

And as the home side continued to pile on the pressure there was a real sense they could snatch a draw with still over 10 minutes remaining of the match.

Tom Owen and Sutcliffe were next to make a mini break, while Johnson himself went close with a jinking run, but it was not to be.

And to rub salt into the wounds with just two minutes left, hooker Neil Sweeney crossed for the visitors’ third try which ended the hopes of even a bonus point.

Huddersfield: Owen; Ryder, Van Vuuren, Paxman (L) (Van Rooyen 63), Sutcliffe; Johnson, Hinchliffe; Slater, Davies (Doughty 12), Stringwell, Hinchliff, Harris, Sharpe (Lewis 50), Whitehead, Hyde.

Loughborough Students: Walsh; Smith, Lambden, Lewis, Cook, Drake, Pyrgos; Berry, Sweeney, Parilli, Wardon, Aston, Hughes, Cullen, Burgess. Subs: Steadman, Cobb, Taylor, Reeves.

Referee: Brendan Fitzmorris (Middlesbrough)

Amateur RU: Huddersfield slip to fifth consecutive defeat

Nov 10 2009 by Peter Barrow, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

HUDDERSFIELD’S hopes of ending their losing run in Division II North were dashed as they failed to get the better of the Harrogate pack in a 22-20 away defeat.

Forward domination was the key to the North Yorkshire club’s success, but the Lockwood Park side kept themselves in front and in the hunt for much of a tight contest.

Harrogate took an early lead when Ryan Peacey scored after taking the ball over the line from the back of a driving maul.

Kicking Machine Chris Johnson closed the gap with his first penalty of the game, and then gave the visitors the lead as he collected a kick through on the right flank to score.

Johnson took his personal tally and Huddersfield’s to 11 as he landed another penalty, but Harrogate regained the initiative as their pack swallowed up possession.

Again a driving maul brought them success with Jake Brady forcing his way over the line to reduce Huddersfield’s lead to 11-10 at the interval.

Another Harrogate slip allowed Johnson to fire over his third penalty early in the second period, but the home side finally made control of the ball tell with Mike Aspinall setting up the position for full-back Ed Smithies to cut through for his 100th try for the County Ground club.

Johnson restored Huddersfield’s lead with another penalty, but the Harrogate pack went on the attack and Aspinall scythed through to touch down and he added the goal to give the home side a five-point cushion.

Johnson cut the arrears with his fifth penalty, but it was too late to stage a push for victory.

Rugby Union: Huddersfield RU 20 Westoe 28

Nov 2 2009 by David Lockwood, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Rugby Union: Huddersfield crash out again

(National II North)

AN alarming pattern is developing at Huddersfield, as once again they contrived to slip to defeat against what could only be described as modest opposition.

After hauling themselves back into the game from a 14-3 deficit to lead at half-time, they came out for the second half with a clueless display and gifted the opposition enough chances to inflict a fourth successive defeat as they continue to slide down the table.

Too many knock-ons, too many wrong options and certainly too much aimless kicking underlined a worrying trend which has afflicted Huddersfield’s game since their last victory over Fylde at the beginning of October, all of which led coach Mark Sowerby to observe: “We just keep shooting ourselves in the foot!”

Chris Johnson gave Huddersfield an early lead with a penalty, but a searching run from Westoe’s fly-half Charlie Rayner would have brought an opening score but for a good tackle from Huddersfield full-back Tom Owen.

The visitors’ No10 however, did cross the line on 14 minutes, when full-back Dan Rayson hit a glaring gap in the home defence and popped up a pass to Rayner, which he juggled with before finally clutching the ball and touching down for a try which he also converted.

Huddersfield almost hit back with hooker James Davies starting a move, carried on by Johnson, but his pass to Mark Whitehead was well forward unfortunately, as the skipper had a clear run to the line, but then came the first of the gifts, as Lee Paxman found himself stranded, lost the ball and with Huddersfield up in support, Westoe winger James Walker raced away down the touchline before drawing Owen and off-loading to his supporting centre James Clark to cross the line unopposed, Rayner adding the extras.

A super run from winger Adam Sutcliffe set up Huddersfield’s next attack, and they began to exert some pressure on the visitors line, with scrum half Damian Clayton getting on the scoreboard after 32 minutes following a series of rucks.

Johnson failed with the conversion but at least Huddersfield began to play with some conviction and two minutes before the break No8 Dan Hyde burst through the middle of the park, the move was carried on by Whitehead before the ball was worked out to the right and Nick Sharpe sent in winger Adam Ryder by the corner flag.

This time Johnson’s conversion attempt sailed through the middle and the Lockwood Park men went in at the interval 15-14 to the good and seemingly with renewed confidence.

Sadly, however, it was Westoe who took the bull by the horns from the restart, and with skipper Gareth Nesbit prompting operations from prop, the pack started to boss Huddersfield in the set-piece and it was no surprise when, with only four minutes gone, they hit the front again, this time from a catch-and-drive which ended with No8 Michael Ellery going over.

Rayner again added the extra points.

Huddersfield took off Whitehead in exchange for Gareth Lewis, while Ben Paxman, a replacement for the injured Donovan van Vuuren in the first half, linked up well with Owen on a rare attack, which again fizzled out because of poor handling.

And with 13 minutes to go, the home side handed Westoe yet another gift, when just inside their own half and trying to force a pass, they only succeeded in popping up an interception which centre Mark Olugbodie gratefully accepted and blazed away for his side’s fourth try, which Rayner again converted.

Alex Battye and Tom van Rooyen came on for the last 10 minutes for Sam Slater and Sutcliffe, while Westoe skipper Nesbit also came off, and suddenly Huddersfield began to find more solidity in the scrum.

Hyde made another break as Westoe suddenly found themselves penned inside their own 22, and finally after being held up over the line once, Lee Paxman finished off a series of drives to cross on the final whistle.

Sadly, the usually reliable Johnson pulled his conversion attempt, thus missing out on a bonus point (for having lost the game by a margin of only seven points) which just about summed up Huddersfield’s disappointing day.

Huddersfield: Owen; Ryder, Van Vuuren (Paxman B 32), Paxman (L), Sutcliffe (Van Rooyen 70); Johnson, Clayton; Slater (Battye 70), Davies, Stringwell, Harris, Hinchliff, Sharpe, Whitehead (Lewis 60), Hyde.

Westoe: Rayson, Clark (C), Clark (J), Olugbodie, Walker; Rayner, Judson; Nesbit, Elliott, Cookson, Robinson, Bird, Burnham, Myers, Ellery. Subs: Mutchal, Tennet, Sheilds.

Referee: Dave Edmunds (The Wirral).

Amateur RU: Huddersfield acheive bonus point

Oct 26 2009 by David Lockwood, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

HUDDERSFIELD RU salvaged a bonus point – only their third of the season – after going down to a 34-27 defeat at Rugby Lions in National II North. Full report tomorrow.

Amateur RU: Huddersfield 10 Macclesfield 20

Oct 19 2009 by David Lockwood, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Improved show but no reward

National II North

NO-ONE could complain about Huddersfield’s commitment against Macclesfield – but sadly they still came away without a point from their clash with the League-leaders at Lockwood Park.

The performance was certainly a big improvement on last week’s poor showing at Hull Ionians, particularly from the forwards, but they still struggled to find a way through the visitors’ cast-iron defence, until late in the game when substitute hooker Francis Entressengle was on the end of a driving maul and got the touchdown near the posts.

There was little to choose between the two sides in the first half with Chris Johnson ruling out Ross Winney’s 14th minute short-range penalty with one of his own two minutes later from a good 38 yards out.

With the pack holding their own against Macclesfield, the backs found more opportunities, and regular full-back Donovan van Vuuren, playing at centre in place of the injured Ben Paxman, was twice involved in good runs down the flanks, first with Lee Paxman and then with winger Adam Ryder, while at the other end the visitors went close before being held up on the line and were then penalised for holding on which gave Johnson the chance to relieve the pressure.

But having defended really well and looking set to go in at the break all square, a momentary lapse in concentration allowed Macclesfield to swiftly move the ball through several pairs of hands out to their left-winger Josh Fowles, who stretched his legs out in a 20-yard race to the line to cross in the corner.

Winney landed a great conversion for a 10-3 lead, which, but for a tremendous last ditch tackle from young full-back Tom Owen who bundled the opposite winger Matt Simpson into touch a yard short, would have been even greater.

Despite having conceded a score just before the break, Huddersfield came out with renewed enthusiasm to start the second half, and within two minutes had forced a penalty, but unfortunately Johnson pushed it wide from some 40 yards out.

Gradually as the half progressed Macclesfield began to gain the upperhand, and crucially No8 Dan Hyde was sin-binned for holding on which signalled a spell of concerted pressure by the visitors, and finally it told when from a scrum five yards out, flanker Dan Baines found a gap in the home defence and dived over for a try near the posts which Winney converted

Damian Clayton replaced Joel Hinchliffe at scrum half on 50 minutes and 10 minutes later on came skipper Mark Whitehead and Entressengle in place of Gareth Lewis and James Davies.

But then having regained Hyde from the sin-bin, Huddersfield were immediately back down to 14 when the referee yellow-carded Johnson for interference.

From that offence Winney kicked his second penalty to extend Macclesfield’s lead to 20-3 and that was the way it looked like staying.

Whitehead showed glimpses of what Huddersfield had been missing in attack with two jinking runs, the second of which so nearly brought a try for winger Adam Sutcliffe, only for him to be tackled into touch close to the line.

In the last few of minutes the visitors began to look a little ragged as they also lost two players to the sin-bin, Neil Keane followed a minute later by Richard Hughes, and Huddersfield took advantage with the forwards driving on strongly which led to Entressengle notching his debut first-team try.

Johnson converted and the home side finished the stronger of the two and they desperately chased another late score which would have at least brought them a bonus point, but it was not to be

Overall it was a much-improved effort, but on Saturday they were up against a very well-drilled and organised team who could well turn out to be the team to beat this year.

Huddersfield: Owen’ Ryder, Van Vuuren, Paxman (L), Sutcliffe; Johnson, Hinchliffe (Clayton 50); Slater, Davies (Entressengle 60), Stringwell, Rhodes, Harris, Sharpe (Hinchliffe 75), Lewis (Whitehead 60), Hyde.

Macclesfield: Eaton, Simpson, Hughes, Howcroft, Fowles, Winney, Townsend, Mantell, Allen, Kent, Jones, Lear, Baines, Stewart, Keep. Subs: Devin, Moss, Kean.

Referee: Steve Lee.

Match report: Hull Ionions 30 Huddersfield RUFC 13

Oct 12 2009 by David Lockwood, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

THIS was definitely a match that both players and spectators alike will want to forget in a hurry!

Huddersfield produced probably their most disjointed performance of the season.

Indecisive and lacking in leadership, they struggled in almost every department and the coaching staff will have their work cut out as they try to prepare the squad for next week’s visit of League-leaders Macclesfield.

The pack were completely out-muscled in the set-piece, being pushed all over Brantingham Park, and that meant scrum half Joel Hinchliffe and the backs were living off scraps of possession, and when they did get the ball, they found they had little time or space to execute anything worthwhile.

In that respect their cause wasn’t helped by the referee’s failure to make Ionians stay on-side throughout the game, yet he managed to sin-bin Huddersfield’s second rower Ben Harris for the same offence late in the first half.

The visitors were also hampered by the loss of prop Tony Stringwell before the game, while replacement Jack McPhail went off injured at the end of the first half, although it is unlikely the result would have been affected.

The casual observer could have been forgiven for thinking the roles were reversed and that Hull Ionians were near the top of the division and Huddersfield the strugglers.

Ionians’ fly-half James Ferguson missed an easy early chance to give his side the lead with a fourth-minutes penalty, while Huddersfield’s No10 Chris Johnson converted his first chance when the forwards linked well in the loose to drive into Hull’s22.

Ferguson levelled after 14 minutes, however, although he needed a kindly bounce off the upright, again from close range.

The two fly-halves swapped further penalties as whistle-happy ref Rob Sheard racked up the tally, but Hull then took a decisive lead as their continual pressure by the forwards paid off.

After several punishing drives, Ferguson spotted a gap and, aided by poor tackling, cut through and off-loaded to centre Luke Thundercliffe who sped under the posts.

And five minutes later they were virtually away and gone, after Huddersfield’s under-siege defence collapsed again, this time letting in former Halifax star Oli Marns, and with two successful conversions Ionians went in at the break 20-6 ahead.

Huddersfield coach Mark Sowerby rung the changes in the second half, sending on Damian Clayton for Hinchliffe and Alex Battye for the limping McPhail, but it made no difference to the direction the game was taking.

Ferguson knocked over a penalty from the re-start and then after a series of surges and being held up on the line, the home side were awarded a penalty try which Ferguson again converted to put his side out of sight.

Skipper Mark Whitehead replaced Nick Sharpe at flanker and instilled some sense of urgency, and it was through his quick tapped penalty to himself that Huddersfield finally made some progress, as he set off on the burst, brought his backs into play, and when the ball fell loose, left winger Matt Clarke picked up and shrugged off a couple of tackles on the way to the line.

In the closing stages Clarke threatened to score again after another great run down the sideline, only to be bundled into touch by the covering Marns to leave the visitors well adrift and with plenty to think about over the coming days.

Hull Ionians: Smith; Nixon, Greene, Thundercliffe, Marns; Ferguson, Bartless; Starling, Mortimer, Wilson, Hill, Kench, Wigham (R), Wigham (M), Hague.

Huddersfield Van Vuuren; Ryder, Paxman (B ), Paxman (L), Clarke, Johnson; Hinchliffe (Clayton 40); Slater, Davies (Entressengle 70), McPhail (Battye 40), Harris, Rhodes, Lewis (Hinchliffe 60), Sharpe (Whitehead 55), Hyde.

Referee: Rob Sheard (RFU).

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Amateur RU: Huddersfield defence provides winning platform

Huddersfield RU 22 Fylde 15

(National II North)

HUDDERSFIELD bounced back from last week’s defeat to make it four wins out of five, with what in the end turned out to be a comfortable victory over Fylde at Lockwood Park.

Although Huddersfield scored three good tries, the win was under-pinned by a very solid defensive display, the only lapse coming with a breakaway score from Fylde’s left-winger Oliver Brennand, while a late pushover from prop Andrew Irving would not have come into the reckoning had Wetherby referee Andrew Vertigan not found seven minutes of injury time from somewhere!

The visitors did look lively in the first half and their aggressive approach and ‘bullying’ tactics did tend to unsettle Huddersfield who had to survive some early pressure before taking the lead on 16 minutes.

A good touch-finding kick from fly-half Chris Johnson (one of several he made during the game) got Huddersfield deep down into Fylde territory and after Gavin Rhodes won the line-out, a quick pass out right found Rhodes’ second row partner Ben Harris lurking in the centre position and he reached out over the line for the first score of the match.

Unluckily Johnson’s conversion attempt from near the right-hand touchline and into a fierce wind, struck the upright and bounced out.

Fylde hit back within two minutes however, when the home side went into a ruck with possession, only for Brennand to suddenly burst out it with the ball in hand and streaked down the left touchline, with no-one in range to stop him.

Tom Barlow landed the conversion and eight minutes later put Huddersfield further behind when knocking over a penalty after try-scorer Harris found himself in the sin-bin for interference, the first of four yellow cards brandished by the referee.

Next to go were the two scrum halves, Damian Clayton (Huddersfield) and Craig Aikman after the Fylde man was seen throwing a number of punches into a ruck, while Huddersfield’s No9 followed him into the bin after his attempts as ‘mediator’.

Nevertheless, the ensuing penalty went Huddersfield’s way and Johnson struck a great three-pointer into the wind to drag his side to within two points, 10-8, at the interval.

Johnson pushed an early second half penalty just wide, but with the wind now at the their backs Huddersfield began to take charge, and after steadily building up the pressure, No8 Nick Sharpe put up from the base of a scrum and side-stepped one player, barged over another defender and plunged over the line for a good opportunists score.

Johnson converted to put Field 15-10 ahead, and from that point they rarely looked back.

Fylde were down to 14 again when prop Matt Filipo was sin-binned for repeated interference, and although Johnson surprisingly was off target with the penalty Huddersfield were now firmly in command.

Another booming touch-finder from Johnson took play from inside his own 22 to just outside Fylde’s 22, and when the visitors tried to kick their way out of defence, it was Johnson who collected the ball, spun away from a couple of tackles and off-loaded to skipper Mark Whitehead who sped through the gap and raced 25 yards to go under the sticks, leaving Johnson the easiest of conversion

Director of rugby Mark Sowerby rang the changes in the last few minutes bringing on fresh legs, in the shape of Francis Entressengle and George Hinchliffe for James Davies and Gareth Lewis, along with Jack McPhail and Adam Sutcliffe for Sam Slater and Matt Clarke, having earlier replaced Clayton with his young understudy Joel Hinchliffe.

Fylde were really at sixes and sevens in the dying stages, but granted a lengthy period of stoppage time they were gifted a bonus point, when virtually the whole team piled in at one last rolling maul and Irving got the consolation score – which was probably more than the deserved.

It was a good win for Huddersfield nevertheless and keeps them well in contention in third place in the table just behind Macclesfield and Caldy.

Huddersfield: Van Vuuren; Ryder, Paxman (B), Paxman (L), Clark (Sutcliffe 70); Johnson, Clayton (Hinchliffe 61); Slater (McPhail 70), Davies (Entressengle 70), Stringwell, Harris, Rhodes, Lewis (Hinchliff 70), Whitehead, Sharpe.

Fylde: Wallwork, Ward, Waywell, Hurst, Brennan, Barlow, Aikman, Irving, Roddam, Filip, Atkinson, King, Smith, Trend, Banks. Subs: Macreavey Stover, Ferguson, Smith Moore.

Referee: Andrew Vertigan (Wetherby).

Amateur RU: Huddersfield’s winning run brought to a halt

Sep 29 2009 by David Lockwood, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Leicester Lions 23 Huddersfield RU 15

(National II North)

HUDDERSFIELD’S unbeaten start to the season came to a disappointing end at Leicester Lions with a flat performance which ultimately cost them their place at the head of the league.

For the second time in two seasons Huddersfield failed to get over the tryline at Westleigh Park, having to rely on five penalties from fly-half Chris Johnson, which was almost enough to seal victory, but for a late, somewhat fortuitous try by the Lions with just 10 minutes remaining.

Johnson had put Field in front with two first-half penalties, but those aside, the visitors did not have too much to offer in attack against a big side, who frequently disrupted play, which resulted in the game being very stop-start.

Defensively Huddersfield seemed pretty solid, but Leicester did sneak a try in the closing stages of the half, which was converted, and along with a penalty nudged them into a 10-6 lead at the halfway point.

In the second half, Johnson was again on the mark twice with penalties to put Field back ahead 12-10, but they never really threatened the line as they began to lose their shape and veered away from the game plan.

Both fly-halves swapped further penalties and with 10 minutes to go Huddersfield led 15-13 and it seemed they may hang on, but instead of getting back downfield to play the game out in Leicester’s half, they allowed Lions good field position. And that proved their undoing.

Leicester were rather fortunate, when a kick through took a ricochet off a Huddersfield defender and then set up nicely for the home side to re-gather and go over the visitors’ line for a converted try.

That left Huddersfield having to chase the game in the last few minutes, which proved fruitless, and they were even denied a bonus point when the Lions added another penalty ahead of the final whistle.

“It was a disappointing display all round,” admitted director of rugby, Mark Sowerby.

“Sadly, after going to the top of the League with some very good performances, I think this was a case of ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’. We were just very flat, and never really got going in the entire game.

“One or two players had a bit of an off day, but in the end we didn’t really front up, and ultimately we got what we deserved.

“We are a long way from being the finished article, and I told the players, ‘you only get out of it what you put in,’ and clearly we didn’t put enough effort in. Consequently we got a kick up the backside!

“Now we must put that behind us, because we have a big game coming up on Saturday at Lockwood Park when we entertain Fylde.”

Amateur RU: Eight-try blitz takes Huddersfield to the top slot

Sep 22 2009 by David Lockwood, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

HUDDERSFIELD RU 60

BRADFORD & BINGLEY 0

National II North

HUDDERSFIELD hit the top of National II North after blitzing Bradford & Bingley with an eight-try romp at Lockwood Park on Saturday.

Having already beaten Waterloo (41-21) and Caldy (32-17), both away from home in their opening two League games, Huddersfield made their seasonal home bow in confident mood, and they were soon on their way when South African full-back Donvan van Vuuren came into the line to cross for the opening try, to which Chris Johnson knocked over the first of seven conversions.

And the scoreboard was soon on the move again as centre Lee Paxman burst through for Field’s second converted try.

But then the home side seemed to lose their way a little and although having plenty of possession, had just a Johnson penalty to send them in 17-0 ahead at the break.

However, after being put straight over ‘the errors of their way’ by Director of Rugby Mark Sowerby during the half-time break they came out all guns blazing in the second half and were quickly over the whitewash again, this time through winger Adam Sutcliffe.

From that point, and with the match sewn up, it became something of a procession as Ben Paxman joined his brother on the scoresheet, before hooker James Davies sold a dummy and plunged over for try No5, Johnson adding both conversions.

It was then the turn of the free-scoring fly-half himself to get on the try-sheet, when he intercepted and ran half the length of the field to go over.

And incredibly from the kick-off, Bradford & Bingley tried the identical passing move, allowing Johnson to pick off an identical pass and race away for an identical score, both of which he converted.

In the closing minutes, Lee Paxman added his second try of the day, while Johnson rounded off the scoring with a second penalty to bring him a personal tally of 30 points, and the man-of-the-match award.

“Obviously it’s still early days, but we are playing really well at the moment, and if we can continue the form we are showing, then I think we’ll take a bit of beating,” said an upbeat Sowerby.

“I had a word at half-time, because we weren’t just doing the basics in the first half.

“We were trying to score every time we got the ball instead of building up the position.

“But in the second half we played very well, going back to basics, building up the pressure on Bradford, and then reaping the benefits.

“We know there are going to be hard challenges ahead, but the team are playing with confidence, and that counts for a lot.”

Huddersfield: Van Vuuren, Ryder, Paxman (B), Paxman (L), Sutcliffe; Clayton, Johnson; Slater, Davies, Stringwell, Harris, Rhodes, Sharpe, Whitehead, Hyde. Subs: (all used) Battye, Entressengle, Hinchliff, Lewis, Hinchliffe.

Amateur RU: Huddersfield's try romp earns top spot

Sep 21 2009 by Peter Barrow, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

HUDDERSFIELD moved to the top of rugby union’s National Division Two (North) with an emphatic 60-0 home victory over Bradford and Bingley.

The eight-try success against their West Yorkshire rivals means Huddersfield – with three wins from three outings – are the only side to retain a 100 per cent record in the competition and lifted themselves from third place to the top of the rankings.

YMCA were also in winning form in Yorkshire Division Two.

At their Laund Hill home YMCA cruised to a 26-3 victory over Goole.

Full reports in tomorrow’s Examiner Sport.

Ryder’s try puts seal on top victory

Sep 15 2009 by Dougie Thomson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

MARK SOWERBY hailed Adam Ryder’s first try for Huddersfield RU Club as the turning point in the impressive 32-17 win at Caldy.

Chris Johnson had another top day with the boot, landing two conversions and six penalties, and his half-back partner Damian Clayton crossed for the other touchdown as the Lockwood Park side made it two wins from two to go third in the embryonic National League II North table.

The game, Huddersfield’s second on Merseyside in eight days after their opening 41-21 win at Waterloo, was in the balance until the 70th minute.

That was when winger Ryder, a close-season recruit from Huddersfield YMCA, went over wide out after good work by James Davies, George Hinchliff and Ben Paxman.

Fly half Johnson added the extras to put his side 29-17 in front, and coach Sowerby said: “That was the clincher for us.

“The build-up play was excellent, but Adam still had some work to do to get across the line, and he showed not only pace but also strength, because he took two opponents with him!

“You could see Caldy’s heads go down after that, and Chris added another penalty to put some gloss on what was a very good win.”

Caldy, who included former Leeds and Yorkshire fly half Richard Vasey, a summer signing from Moseley, went into the match buoyed by their 38-15 win over Westoe in the first of 30 league games.

And things looked good for the Wirral side when Vasey, a Morley product who is now studying at Liverpool University, banged over two early penalties.

But Huddersfield responded strongly, and scrum half Clayton made the most of a slick line-out drill to force his way over under the posts, leaving Johnson with a simple conversion for a 7-6 lead.

While Vasey stroked over another penalty for Caldy, Johnson kicked two for Huddersfield, who survived a pre-interval onslaught to lead 13-9 at the break.

Caldy finally edged their way back in front at 14-13 with a try by Mark Turner six minutes into the second half, but Sowerby’s side responded well.

Johnson and Vasey exchanged penalties before two further three-pointers from the Huddersfield player, then Ryder’s touchdown, swung the game towards the visitors.

“I was delighted with our defensive effort,” added Sowerby, whose side tackle Bradford and Bingley at home on Saturday.

“There were two phases of the match where we really had to dig in, and holding them out for the period before half-time was a real psychological boost for us.

“Caldy had a good season last time and have recruited well, so winning there was no mean feat.”

Harrogate and Loughborough Students lead the way win the table, each having collected two bonus points to reach 10 overall.

Huddersfield, Hull and Broadstreet all have nine, with Sowerby’s men having a superior points difference to the other two.

We’re off to a flier with bonus tonic

Sep 8 2009 by David Lockwood, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

HUDDERSFIELD RU got their new National League II North season away to the perfect start – not only winning at Waterloo, but also picking up an away bonus point into the bargain with a 41-21 success!

Despite being without a competitive pre-season game, Huddersfield showed few signs of rust and were never in trouble in Liverpool after Chris Johnson put them ahead with an eighth-minute penalty.

Ben Paxman, returning to his more accustomed role of centre after playing much of last season at full-back, ensured Huddersfield’s backs got off to a good start by crossing the line on the half-hour, while hooker James Davies picked up from a ruck close to Waterloo’s line, dummied and raced over for a second try six minutes later.

Both were converted by Johnson to give the visitors a 17-3 lead at half-time.

Two of Field’s newcomers, full-back Donovan van Vuuren and winger Adam Ryder, both showed up with some exciting runs, which Waterloo just managed to keep out with some scrambled defence, but the visitors continued to push on and following a catch and drive from a line-out, flanker Nick Sharpe extended the lead on 50 minutes, before his fellow wing-forward and skipper Mark Whitehead also got his name on the tryscoring sheet, bursting over the line minutes later.

Johnson again nailed the conversions and a second penalty, while Waterloo relied on three penalties from Liam McGovern, until they picked up a couple of consolation tries through Liam Reeve and Adam Anderson.

But it was Huddersfield who crowned a super day out by notching a fifth (and bonus-winning) touchdown from another of their pre-seasons recruits, No8 Dan Hyde, who finished off another catch and drive to charge over the whitewash two minutes from time.

The reliable Johnson kept up his 100% conversion rate to add to his two penalties and round off the perfect start to the new season.

“It was great to get a competitive league game under our belts and blow away some of the cobwebs,” said a delighted Hyde.

“I think our director of rugby Mark Sowerby was pleased with the overall performance, although we know there is still plenty to work on.

“I know Mark is keen to build on what the club achieved last year, and although Waterloo are not the force they once were, to get an away win with a bonus point is a great way to start the season.”