Lions made to pay for their ill-discipline
By Coventry Telegraph
February 4 2008
Macclesfield.......30 Rugby Lions.......12 Lions failed to repeat their recent good form at Macclesfield and fell foul of the referee far too often to get anything out of this National Division Three North game. Coach Mark Ellis admitted: "We were beaten by the better team and our ill-discipline cost us dearly.
"In this league you get nothing if you don't work hard and in the end we looked quite inept."
A very soft pitch didn't suit Lions' play but it was the penalty count that would undermine their efforts, the first coming as early as the second minute with Ross Winney going on to record six successful attempts.
Lions looked in control when Mike Rust run gave Chris Murphy a try, converted by Lloyd Warner, and Tristan Wati was driven over for a second try within the first quarter.
But two Winney penalties pegged back Lions to a 12-9 interval lead and Rugby had to cope with centre Sam Viggers in the sin bin.
Winney levelled the scores on the restart and added two more around the hour mark.
With prop Wati also sent to the sin bin, Lions' catch-up efforts left them exposed and late tries by Dan Baines and Dan Brocklehurst gave Macclesfield the clear cut win they deserved.
Lions: Clarke (Glackin 51); Rust, Goode, Viggers, Murphy; Warner, Handley; Greenbury, Overton (Price h-t), Wati, Riding, Wadey (Cheney 80), Nash (Boneham 65), Prosser-Shaw, Brady.