By Ian Golden - http://www.sportingwales.com/artman/publish/article_8575.shtml

Celtic Crusaders 14-11 Featherstone Rovers

Celtic Crusaders qualified for the semi-finals of the play-offs in dramatic fashion after Tony Duggan scored the winning try after the final hooter in an all-time classic at the Brewery Field on Sunday. Crusaders’ 14-11 win means that they have a bye next week and will face Sheffield Eagles at the Don Valley Stadium in two weeks time in the qualifying semi-final. A win in that match will put the Crusaders straight through to the play-off final but even if they lose they will get a second chance to qualify in week three of the play-off campaign.

Crusaders’ Operations Manager Gerald McCarthy said: “To go from one emotion to another in the space of two minutes is not something I’d like to do again. That was the greatest game of the season and our best win to date. We were dead and buried with two minutes to go and I’m so proud of the lads for pulling this one out of the hat. It was a success on and off the field today as we’d invited all of our sponsors to the game and also some potential new sponsors. Obviously they all loved what they saw, the atmosphere was electric today and this performance means that Celtic Crusaders are really going places. ”

Just like in the first game between the two sides, a low scoring match didn’t mean a dull match. It was end to end stuff with both sides consistently attacking and the defence’s holding firm.

Following a Rovers’ knock-on from kick-off, the sides shared possession for the first 12 minutes. In that opening period, the Crusaders were closest to scoring, having a scrum ten metres from the Rovers line in the first minute but were unable to break through the defence and from the fifth tackle, Jace Van Dijk’s kick to Carl de Chenu took an awkward bounce.

Rovers took the lead from a Stuart Dickens penalty kick after Crusaders were penalised for a high tackle.

Crusaders got close to scoring minutes after following some fine attacking play but Van Dijk’s kick picked up by Danny Kirmond.

Dale Cardoza’s run was stopped by Aled James and Grant Epton, the latter stopping a possible try a few plays later as he did well to collect a Steve Dooler grubber kick.

Crusaders took the lead on 27 minutes. Van Dijk’s kick was intercepted by Nathan Larvin but Crusaders got the ball back straight way following a knock-on and didn’t waste the opportunity after Neil Wyatt weaved his way through to ground.

Featherstone had a chance to level the scores five minutes later but Dickens’ penalty attempt went centimetres wide. But they pulled a point back just before half-time when Blakeway kicked a fieldgoal.

Crusaders failed to take advantage of early second half chances to increase their lead. They chose not to kick a penalty resulting from a high tackle and Gareth Price lost the ball from the first play while Wyatt almost broke through for his second but Young’s pass to him near to the line was forward.

Wyatt was sinbinned on the hour for holding down in the tackle and Dickens gave Featherstone the lead from the resulting penalty kick. They took advantage of the extra man on 68 minutes when Nathan Larvin easily went in under the posts after Paul Hughes’ break. Dickens converted.

Crusaders looked dead and buried but they dramatically pulled a win out of the hat. Seibold’s knock-on on the half-way line with four minutes to go looked like that Featherstone had secured their win but when Crusaders regained the ball, they didn’t waste it and with a minute left on the clock, Duggan set up James to go over with Van Dijk’s kick putting the Crusaders to within a point.

Once again, Featherstone looked to have won the game when the final hooter went. The Rovers fans started celebrating but there was another twist to this dramatic tale. The referee had given the Crusaders a penalty on their own 30 metre line. Van Dijk kicked into touch and the Crusaders used up their last ounce of energy as two kicks down the centre made it a run chase for the finish line. Tony Duggan was the fastest and leapt on the ball to win the match and secure third place. Van Dijk’s kick was missed but no-one really cared by that point, apart from the 200-strong Rovers travelling support who, like the Crusaders fans, were a credit to their club on a dramatic day at the Brewery Field.

CRUSADERS
1. Tony Duggan
21. Grant Epton
3. Matt Hill
4. Aled James
5. Carl de Chenu
6. Luke Young
7. Jace Van Dijk
8. Hywel Davies
9. Michael Ryan
10. Gareth Dean
11. Ryan Barton
12. Chris Beasley
13. Neil Wyatt
Subs (all used):
14. Paul Morgan
15. Phil Cushion
16. Gareth Price
17. Anthony Seibold
Tries: Wyatt (27), James (79), Duggan (80)
Goals: Van Dijk 1/3
Sinbinned: Wyatt

ROVERS
1. Nathan Larvin
2. Danny Kirmond
3. Wayne McHugh
4. Dale Cardoza
5. Matty Wray
6. Richard Blakeway
7. Jamie Benn
8. Ian Tonks
9. Gavin Swinson
10. Stuart Dickins
11. Steve Dooler
12. James Houston
13. Carl Hughes
Subs (all used):
14. Paul Hughes
15. Jamie l’Anson
16. Brian Sutton
17. Chris Birchall

Tries: Larvin (68)
Goals: Dickens 3/4
Fieldgoal: Blakeway

Attendance: 720

Half-time: 4-3

Penalty Count: 9-4

Referee: Jamie Leahy (Dewsbury)

Scoring Sequence: 0-2, 4-2, 4-3, 4-5, 4-11, 10-11, 14-11

Men of the Match: Crusaders – Wyatt Rovers - Dickens

Gamestar: Despite his sending off, Neil Wyatt was the best out of a whole bunch of Welsh heroes.

Gamebreaker: Tony Duggan’s breakaway try after the final hooter had gone.

Weather: Warm and sunny

Match Rating: 5/5

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