Poor defence ruins Rocky’s bid to brag

Attacking rugby was the order of the day when Rockingham hosted Wests Subiaco in Round 17 of the WA Rugby Union season, in a match which saw the home side go down 50-31.

With neither side in finals contention, only pride and bragging rights were on the line.

Rockingham received the kickoff and showed good continuity early, working their way down field only to concede a penalty, which gave Wests a reprieve.

The home side’s composure with ball in hand was in stark contrast to its disjointed defensive efforts as Rockingham made numerous simple errors, which allowed Subiaco to take a 24-12 lead in to half-time.

Following a scolding from assistant coach Troy Strong over the side’s inability to make firstup tackles, Rockingham had no illusions as to how they could turn things around in the second half.

However, they began as they had ended the first half with some less-than-convincing defending allowing Wests two soft tries to further extend an already handy margin.

Rockingham set about reeling in the deficit and were given a helping hand when a Wests player received a yellow card.

It allowed the home side to finally build some momentum and they capitalised with a four-try bonus point.

The match finished in Wests’ favour with the visitors crossing for two late tries as Rockingham pushed hard for points.

The Reserve Grade match was a physical contest played at a fast pace. While Rockingham made the visitors earn their points, they struggled to break down their opponents, going down 46-6.

Third Grade also lost, 47-12, conceding points early.

They had to play catch-up rugby and Wests exploited their opportunities as the defence was often caught out of position when turnovers occurred.

Rockingham travel to Cottesloe tomorrow for Round 18 and will be keen to end the season on a high.