By Martin Morgan

Published at 15:43, Wednesday, 28 July 2010

A MEETING with the Championship’s top side would have been a tough enough test for a full-strength Haven this term.

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With injured senior pair Carl Rudd and Rob Jackson joining a string of players on the sidelines it was virtually Mission Impossible.

Haven’s team spirit looked strong on Sunday but they were outclassed by a side for whom the victory wrapped up top spot ahead of the play-offs.

Energetic Rovers were too quick around the ruck and with playmaker Liam Finn pulling the strings, they were in cruise control in the second-half after building a 30-0 interval lead.

Haven threatened Featherstone’s line only once in the first-half, courtesy of skipper for the day Spencer Miller.

Tyrone Dalton and Kurt Wilton also broke the line in encouraging fashion but from deep within their own half, giving the defence time to re-gather.

The writing was on the wall within the opening 30 seconds when Haven spilled the ball 20 metres from their line.

Finn took advantage, looping a kick over the head of young winger Loz Hamzat for Zak Hardaker to exploit.

The scrum-half targeted the Haven rookie all afternoon and it paid dividends for the visitors, though Hamzat will no doubt learn from the experience.

Rovers did not score again for 15 minutes with Haven scrambling furiously against the odds to deny the visitors.

There was a suspicion of interference as Dexter Miller spilled the ball 20 metres from his line on the first tackle.

But ref Warren Turley saw nothing amiss and as Haven’s cover drifted to the right, Finn stepped inside to score.

Kyle Briggs converted and five minutes later hoofed the ball from midfield down Haven’s left flank.

It looked to be heading for touch but Hardaker continued the chase and hacked ahead to notch his second try.

Haven’s defence was working overtime to try to keep pace, and it was carved open again on 26 minutes, Andy Kain’s dummy-half pass putting prop Stuart Dickens in to a huge hole to score, Briggs again adding the extras.

Centre Sam Smeaton was next to cross before Haven launched their first effective attack, Miller going close only for Leroy Joe’s pass to be intercepted to defuse the danger.

Normal service was resumed just short of half-time, Briggs dummying through and Finn converting.

It took Rovers only seven minutes after the resumption to find another hole in the defence. Kain looked to be covered as he ran across the line yet somehow managed to break through and touch down.

With his speed out of dummy-half, Graeme Mattinson has been on a different level to many of his Haven team-mates this term.

And some neat work from the hooker deep in the Featherstone half handed the hosts a great chance to make an impression on the scoreboard. But they again lacked the guile to ask serious questions of the defence.

Instead, it was the visitors who continued to impress, Tony Tonks touching down under the posts.

The move was again prompted by a kick to Haven’s left flank which was gathered by Hardaker.

Kain could have scored but chose to pass to Tonks behind Haven’s line, the grateful prop accepting the gift and Finn augmenting.

Ian Hardman and Sam Smeaton added late tries, Haven’s only crumb of comfort coming when Finn missed the last-gasp conversion to prevent Rovers bringing up their half-century.

With Dewsbury beating Batley yesterday the writing is on the wall. Sadly, it’s no longer a case of if Haven are relegated but when.

Haven: Benson, Eilbeck, D Miller, McAvoy, Hamzat, Skee, Dalton, Amor, Mattinson, Johnson, Hill, S Miller, Barker. Subs: Joe, Thornley, Bower, Wilton.

Rovers: Hardman, Hardacre, Smeaton, Welham, Straugher, Briggs, Finn, Tonks, Kaye, Dickens, Grayshon, Spears, Dale. Subs: Divorty, Field, Manning, Kain.

Tries: Hardaker 2, Finn, Dickens, Smeaton 2, Briggs, Kain, Tonks, Hardman.

Goals: Briggs 2, Finn 2.

Referee: W Turley.

Attendance: 825.

Star Man: Graeme Mattinson.

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