Rams lose out against strong Giants side in final pre-season outing.
In the Rams’ final pre-season game at the John Smith’s Stadium against Huddersfield Giants, the home side fielded a very strong starting thirteen who showed their quality early by running in three tries in the first ten minutes through Chris Hill, Kevin Naiqama and Leroy Cudjoe.
Such was the early dominance of the home side, the Rams’ first set with ball in hand was after eleven minutes, before Cudjoe scored his second of the day following a Giants scrum on the forty-metre line, which was followed shortly after by a Chris McQueen score.
The Rams then managed to exert some pressure of their own after the Giants spilled the ball close to their goal line, which told when Calum Turner went over just to the right of the sticks after some good work, which Sykes converted.
Unfortunately, the Rams were brought back down to earth with a bump as the Giants then ran in another further three tries through Theo Fages, Will Pryce and Chris McQueen before half time to give the home side a thirty-four-point lead at the break.
Both sides made plenty of changes during half time, but it was more of the same from the Giants as they scored two tries in the first fifteen minutes of the second half through Jake Bibby and Innes Senior.
Some good defence for the next fifteen minutes kept the Giants at bay, but they then scored back-to-back-tries shortly after, Sam Hewitt over after a ball to the in-goal area wasn’t cleared and then Innes Senior with his second.
The home side scored another with five minutes to go withJake Bibby grabbing his second. However, the Rams didn’t give in and scored the final points of the game with Matt Garside finishing off a lovely flowing move in the corner.
After the game Rams Head Coach Liam Finn said, “It was a massive challenge for us today, but the lads dug in from minute one to minute eighty and showed what they’re about in terms of effort.
With the speed and quality they have in their attack, it was always going to be difficult, they showed us some deficiencies that possibly wouldn’t be exposed at our level or even Championship level.
I’ve got a good idea of my squad for next week but there were certainly players today who put in a performance to give me things to think about.”
Our next game sees us play our first Betfred League One fixture of 2023 against North Wales Crusaders at the DCBL Stadium in Widnes on Sunday 19th February (14:30).
Huddersfield Giants (64): Lolohea, McGillvary, Marsters, Naiqama, Cudjoe, Pryce, Fages, Hill, Peats, Wilson, McQueen, Jones, Yates.
Interchanges: Trout, Jack Bibby, Jake Bibby, English, Rushton, O’Brien, Hewitt, Ikahihifo, Greenwood, Golding, Senior, Rush, Livett.
Tries: Hill (2’), Naiqama (4’), Cudjoe (8’, 16’), McQueen (20’, 38’), Fages (32’), Pryce (35’), Jake Bibby (48’, 74’), Senior (53’, 69’), Hewitt (66’)
Conversions: Pryce (4/11), Rush (2/2)
Dewsbury Rams (12): Restall, Carr, Jordan, Greensmith, Whiteley, Sykes, Turner, Beckett, Butterworth, Walker, Garside, Graham, Morris.
Interchanges: Ferguson, Littlewood, Frewin, Dixon, Wilkinson, Bridgeman-Reaney, O’Connor, Collins, Coventry, Day, Hird, Summers.
Tries: Turner (26’), Garside (78’)
Conversions: Sykes (1/1), Collins (1/1)
