Published at 15:52, Wednesday, 17 March 2010

A STUNNING second 40 minutes ensured Haven got their Championship campaign off to a strong start.

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The omens were not good at the end of the first-half, when the hosts trailed 20-10, but 24 unanswered points in a one-sided second-half turned the tables in Haven’s favour.

Coach Ged Stokes indicated that even at the break, he was confident Haven could turn it around.

“I thought we controlled a lot of the ball in the first-half but couldn’t get ourselves on the board,” he said. “We had enough opportunities to score, and didn’t, but that has a cumulative effect at some stage, and so it proved.

“Toulouse lost their comp-osure in the second-half and gave up a lot of penalties.”

The difference in Haven’s pace in this game and what had gone before it this term was incredible.

The hosts were really up for the battle, as they had to be against a French side who last week knocked Kei-ghley out of the Challenge Cup at Cougar Park and previously beat another Championship rival, Dewsbury, in their first league match.

Haven made a disastrous start to the game, Leigh’s pacey on-loan full-back Ian Mort knocking on with his first touch for Haven as he fielded an end-of-set kick, 20 metres from his line.

Toulouse seized their chance, full-back Rory Bromley latching on to a short kick to score, Nathan Wynn converting.

On eight minutes Haven replied after Mick Govin took a return pass from Marc Jackson and found Howard Hill on the charge.

Hill had the ball stripped three metres out, and taking advantage of their penalty, Haven moved the ball left, Graeme Mattinson’s dummy-half kick putting Dylan Skee in for a try.

The hosts had the upper hand, with Hill prominent, but it was Toulouse who were next on the scoresheet. A cross-field kick exposed Haven’s lack of cover on their right side and Antoni Maria went on for a try.

Kyle Amor’s grapple tackle on prop Brendon Worth gifted the French another great position, winger Bruno Oremeno crossing out wide. The game might have drifted away from Haven, but a moment of magic from Carl Rudd kept them in touch.

He ghosted through as Toulouse held off, going under the posts, with the defence waiting for a pass that never came, the stand-off adding the conversion for good measure.

As the clock ticked in to the final minute of the half, Haven went looking for another score, Carl Sice trying an ambitious pass to the wing that floated in to touch, 30 metres from the French line.

Richard Farrer was then penalised for a flop, to hand the visitors easy metres, and Seb Planas again exposed some shaky defence on Haven’s right side to score.

Haven needed the first score of the second-half and Sice obliged within two minutes, gathering Rudd’s grubber to go between the sticks.

Four minutes later, the same two players were heavily involved in the next try. Rudd’s 40-20 kick handed his team a great position and Sice popped over from dummy-half. Rudd’s conversion went over off the post to put Haven 22-20 up.

The visitors were rattled, conceding quickfire penalties after giving Rob Jackson a facial, and then, more seriously, kneeing Spencer Miller in a tackle.

Hard-running Miller must have just recovered from that knock when centre Vincent Duport was sent off for a stiff challenge on the second-row, on 52 minutes.

Amor was running riot, and when he broke the line he looked to feed Mort in support, only for the poor pass to go to ground.

Toulouse forced a drop-out on the hour mark in virtua-lly their first attack of the half, with Planas then penalised for a double movement as he went over in the corner.

The desperate French defence were on the back foot, just getting to Rudd’s attacking angled kick ahead of winger Craig Calvert, knocking the ball dead.

On the next set, Toulouse were penalised for interference, and Haven’s decision to take a tap penalty paid off. With a Toulouse defender lying injured on their left side defence, Haven fed the ball in that direction for youngster Reece Fox to crash over on 72 minutes.

Rudd’s fine conversion put his team two scores ahead, and on the next set, after more great work from Amor in particular, Skee’s short pass put Rob Jackson in for a try.

Haven: Mort, Dawes, D Miller, R Jackson, Calvert, Rudd, Skee, M Jackson, Mattinson, Amor, S Miller, Hill, Govin. Subs: Sice, Thornley, R Fox, Farrer.

Tries: Skee, Rudd, Sice 2, R Fox, R Jackson.

Goals: Rudd 5.

Toulouse: Bromley, Ormeno, Planas, Duport, Mendes, Houles, N Wynn, Worth, Gay, T Wynn, Tisseyre, Maria, Anselme. Subs: Gout, Faure, Worrall, Larroyer

Tries: Bromley, Maria, Ormeno, Planas.

Goals: N Wynn 2.

Referee: Jamie Leahy.

Attendance: 1,181.

Star Man: Carl Sice.

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk