Another match; another defeat. The visit to the home of the TotalRL.com
champions was never going to be an easy match, but the scale of defeat
leaves a disappointing taste in the mouth, especially after the equivalent
match at home was such a tight affair.

On Saturday at Chester, we played good rugby for short spells of the game,
but on the whole, the commitment in defence simply wasn’t there. Chester
didn’t play a particularly expansive game, but still managed to break down
our defence with an embarrassing ease. Their pack was dominant and
extremely mobile, and on numerous occasions as we struggled to tackle them
they simply offloaded and outflanked the stretched defence.

Several individuals played well, but once again it was the collective team
effort that let us down. As a team, we are currently lacking that vital
‘x-factor’ associated with winning teams – the willingness to fight for
50/50 loose balls, the bit of extra oomph in the tackle that shows your
opponents you mean business or summoning the energy for a dummy run to
create space for your team-mates.

Stu Cochran was one player who played above his weight, constantly making
himself available to run the hard yards in our own half. Andy Garnet had an
outstanding game, and was unlucky not to cross the whitewash with one of his
stepping, jinking and weaving runs. Liam Hall ran hard, and considering the
circumstances, so did Dave McVernon. However the star performer in my
opinion was full back Andrew Raines. As a team we were kept very busy in
defence, but with the number of Chester breaks Andrew was kept busier than
most, and the scoreline would have much worse if it was not for Andrew’s
never-say-die spirit.

This week we play the last of our regular home league fixtures, but due to
the unavailability of the Giant Axe pitch it will be played at the
University (Sat, 2.30PM) – a great chance for our fans to come and watch us
for free! Our opponents will be Liverpool, and although we have said it
before, the fixture really does represent a realistic chance of victory. At
Sefton earlier this year, we dominated the Buccaneers for long spells, in a
game where for once Lancaster showed spirit and determination whilst the
game was still competitive. A repeat of that effort and commitment, and
perhaps a little luck, could just about be enough to earn our first league
points.

Personally, I have yet to play Liverpool, I missed the away fixture with a
back injury. However, win or lose, I will be looking for an honest
performance from the lads. One where we can walk off the field knowing that
the score represents our best efforts. For too many fixtures this year we
have been unable to say that.