Kent-based Argonauts retained their WRL Wheelchair Invitational League title with an exciting 66-48 win over North Wales Crusaders in Treforest on Saturday. Full timeline here.
One of two invited English sides in the year-long tournament, it was the Argonauts’ 18th match victory on the trot, keeping their unbeaten record in the two-year history of this Wales Rugby League organised competition.
But this win wasn’t without a considerable effort from the North Wales side. The Argonauts only clinched the try-count 11-10, but their 100 percent kicking record gave the scoreline an unbalanced look.
Fred Nye’s four tries and one goal during the game gave him 35 tries and 194 points for the season, the latter giving him the 2024’s League top points scorer, but 16-year old Ellie Cockerton scored her 36th of the season, giving her this year’s award for the League’s top try scorer.
Argonauts didn’t take charge of this outstanding match properly until the last quarter. North Wales Crusaders started well, going into a 16-0 lead after 12 minutes. Fionn McCabe was short of the line in Crusaders’ first attack, but two tries and a goal from Matthew Turner soon put them 10-0 up. Stuart Williams was soon over for Crusaders’ third that Turner duly improved.
Argonauts finally got on the board, on 18 minutes, with an excellent move that culminated in James Hazel racing half the length of the pitch to score. Nye converted.
Then, just after coming onto the pitch as a substitute, Cockerton caught a high ball to score in the corner. Ireland captain Peter Johnston, again a sub who had just come on, converted.
And on 28 minutes, Hazel scored his second try, grounding in the corner to level the scores, Johnston converting to put Argonauts in the lead for the first time in the game.
That advantage lasted for less than two minutes. As soon as Crusaders regained the ball, they scored, Jakub Wasieczko in the corner for a try that Turner couldn’t convert.
A Nye try and Johnston goal quickly followed, swinging the pendulum back the holders’ way, before Williams collected the ball from kick-off to level again for Crusaders. Turner’s goal attempt hit the bar.
That made the score 24-all but an unconverted Wasieczko score gave Crusaders a 28-24 lead at the break, and with Turner completing his hat-trick of tries early in the second half, they were soon in an eight-point lead.
Two quick tries from Nye, both converted by Johnston, put Argonauts back in the lead at 36-32. Turner kicked a penalty goal to close the gap slightly, but for the next 20 minutes it was all Argonauts as they put their stamp on the final.
The scores kept coming. Two Johnston tries, both of which he converted, gave his side a three-try advantage. Ted Fields scored in the corner, then the experienced Nye grounded for the fourth time. Johnston continued to convert well and the score was up to 60-34.
Crusaders weren’t finished yet. Stephen Halsey got a try back before a Johnston try and goal completed Argonauts’ scoring.
It was to Crusaders’ credit that they scored the final two well-deserved tries, through Turner and Halsey, with the latter adding the final goal.
