Keighley Cougars 74 South Wales Ironmen 6

COUGARS responded to calls from head coach Craig Lingard to step up their game by routing the South Wales Ironmen.

Keighley bounced back from defeats by Barrow and Doncaster in style by piling on the points, which could prove important in the final standings with the super eights on the horizon.

“It’s always good to get the win and when you put 70 points on the scoreboard it’s even more pleasing,” said Lingard, who still wants Keighley to keep possession better.

He said: “There are still areas in our game we need to improve on such as our composure and execution, which at times let us down.

“We completed at 61 per cent in the second half which clearly isn’t good enough as it means we gave up a lot of ball in hand cheaply.

“If we had completed, we could have racked up the points but it’s one of them where we’re looking for positives but still looking for areas where we can improve.”

The tone was set early on as Andy Gabriel rounded the defence to touch down after superb work from Liam Darville and Adam Ryder to break through.

Cougars scored again soon after as Darville claimed the first of his four-try haul as he finished a downfield break.

Ryder then continued his impressive debut season at semi-professional level as he ran through a number of South Wales defenders to dive over from 30 metres.

Darville sealed his second try as he raced over unchallenged after great work by Davey Dixon to set the full back racing free.

The Ironmen got on the scoresheet as veteran Christiaan Roets handed off Vinny Finigan following a break to slide his way over the Keighley line.

But the final say of the half went to the home side as Brad Nicholson rode a tackle to touch down underneath the uprights ten minutes before the hooter.

Cougars led 30-6 before really turning the screw as they ran in eight unanswered second-half tries, starting with Dixon exploiting space in the Ironmen’s line to score his first of the season.

Darville then wrapped up a first professional hat-trick after great work by Matty Beharrell to create the space.

This left a patched-up South Wales solely playing for pride, but it didn’t stop Lingard’s side scoring three tries in six minutes to rub salt into the wounds.

Dixon, celebrating a recent call-up to the Scotland squad, touched down for his second after a Finigan break made the metres and left a number of would-be defenders trailing behind the play.

Josh Tonks was the next Cougars player to add his name to the scoreboard as he touched down following three consecutive penalties on the Ironmen’s line.

Scott Law then dived beneath the posts from close range after taking James Feather’s pass from the play-the-ball despite claims from South Wales that they had held the long-serving prop up over the line.

Tonks then broke an attempted tackle to seal his brace before referee Brandon Robinson ruled a free play following a South Wales hand knocking the ball free and, from a Ryder kick through, Darville got to the ball in time for his fourth.

Gabriel then wrapped the comprehensive victory up in style, diving over in the corner moments before the final hooter.

PLAYER RATINGS:

COUGARS: Darville 8; Finigan 7; Dixon 7; Ryder 7; Gabriel 7; Milner 6; Beharrell 7; Law 6; Feather 6; Rawlins 8; Lynam 7; Tonks 8; Whittel 6. Subs: Emmett 6; Conroy 6; Bailey 6; Nicholson 6.

IRONMEN: B Jones 5; Uren 5; Carter 5; Roets 5; Jeffries 5; Gay 5; Emanuelli 5; I’Anson 5; Farrer 5; Breen 5; Williams 5; S Jones 5; Price 5. Subs: Harris 5; Hodge 5; Davies 5; I Jones 5.