Hornets 42 - Skolars 12
Things can only get batter
Five from five as Hornets down spoiling Skolars
What London Skolars lack in playing ability, they more than make up for in sheer agricultural brutality.
With little discernible football skill in the side from 1 to 17, their only (blunt) weapon to prevent Hornets racking up even more than the 42 points they did, was a desire to bludgeon, batter and spoil at every opportunity.
And for a while it worked. Attempting to play football round a side that had seemingly turned up for another reason altogether proved to be a difficult task: not helped by referee Thomason's short 10 metres, policed with all the scrutiny of a Zimbabwean election.
But Hornets stuck to the task and got their reward after 10 minutes when Martin Ainscough took a pass from Dave Best and worked enough space for Jono Muir to crash in.
In a morass of niggles, knock-ons and seemingly endless penalties, Hornets struggled to find fluidity, but on 20 minutes, Wayne Corcoran took the direct route from acting half - using slow-turning defenders as a conduit to the line.
All this served to do was reinforce the Skolars' belief in the power of spoiling as they redoubled their efforts round the ruck and resorted to huge, aimless downtown kicks into the Pearl Street end as their only way of gaining yards and setting their defence.
Credit to Hornets, though, who kept chipping away as - with the half time hooter sounding - Paul Rolls took advantage of a ragged line to lob the ball high into the corner for Leroy Rivett to score. Carl Sneyd struck the post with his conversion attempt to send Hornets in 14-nil ahead, but clearly the better of the two sides.
Hornets started the second half with real purpose. Taking the kick off possession deep into Skolars territory, a deft burst of pace from Sam Butterworth left defenders clutching at air as he sped in for a try.
Aided by a string of penalties - and with Hornets' foot clearly off the gas - the Skolars finaly found the wherewithal to string two passes together to grab a brace of tries from Simms and Aggrey by each corner flag. The silence was defening,
All this served to do, was kick Hornets into life. Firstly Janan Billings slapped the Skolars with a sucker try from dummy half; then Muir and Billings combined sweetly to send in Martin AInscough for his 27th try of the season.
On 70 minutes, Carl Sneyd slipped the ball wide to Leroy Rivett, who showed great strength and awareness to spin in the tackle and slip a sublime ball to the supporting Paul Rolls for the try of the game.
This was clearly the signal for the visitors to instigate the fight they'd come determined to have. Dave Newton took the ball in; met by a barrage of fists and elbows: and all hell broke loose as players fro both sides steamed in.
In an attempt to feign a semblance of control, referee Thomason showed Dave Best and the aptly named Wayne Kerr yellow cards and they continued the argument all the way to the bench.
Hornets responded by working the ball wide to Carl Sneyd who scored untouched with a spectacular somersault.
Withe the game effectively done, Hornets racked the cue, leaving Skolars' Gibbons to score a late, late try to take them into double figures and provide the impression that they might just have competed in this game.
As it was, Hornets cruised to victory without really ever leaving second gear. In the end, all we really learned from this visit from the Skolars is that it's quite difficult to play any sort of fluid Rugby League against a side that's come to break-up the game at every opportunity.
Indeed, the Skolars are about the least attractive, least capable and least footballing side that I've seen at any level this season.
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