Gallant Reggae Warriors fall to Ireland

Headingley, ENGLAND

Jamaican captain Ashton Golding spoke of achievement and pride after his Reggae Warriors were cheered off the pitch, despite suffering a ten-try defeat in their opening match of the Rugby League World Cup (RLWC) against Ireland.

The Caribbean nation’s debut in the competition was tough, with the gallant yet visibly tiring, mainly part-time side going up against a team boasting ten full-time professionals. Yet Golding, who played all 80 minutes in the demanding role of hooker, stressed:

“Emotions were high and you can’t fault either the effort or attitude.

“I always say that whenever you get to the top of a mountain (qualifying for the tournament for the first time), you are usually at the bottom of another one.

“Everyone gave their all, but if I were to highlight any individuals, it would be our fullback (Ben Jones-Bishop) and wingers (Mo Agoro and Alex Young), who made several try-saving tackles to keep the score down.”

Coach Jermaine Coleman added the name of Duhaney Park Red Sharks’ Chevaughn Bailey - the only player from Jamaica’s domestic competition - who played the entire game, too, and never looked out of place.

Coleman, like Huddersfield Giants player Golding, was born in the game’s host city Leeds. He said:

“I never expected Chevaughn to play more than 40 or 50 minutes, but he just kept going and showed some intelligent touches.”

The Reggae Warriors, in unaccustomed predominantly black kit, conceded three tries in six minutes during the first half, then again just before the half-time.

A well-structured opening, highlighted by a determined tackle from Agoro, taking Ireland’s winger Innes Senior into touch just a metre from the line, gave rise for early optimism.

Jamaica almost scored the first try, as Jacob Ogden dived onto a Kieran Rush grubber kick in-goal and forced French referee Ben Casty to go to his video referee to decide that there was no grounding of the ball.

Just afterwards, Ireland’s Louis Senior was also denied for a foot in touch by video replay, but, almost immediately, Senior did cross to give the Wolfhounds the lead.

Three minutes later Irish skipper George King crashed through a tackle to double the advantage, although Ed Chamberlain missed both conversions.

Brendan O’Hagan was next to capitalise on hesitant tackling and score, with Chamberlain this time making it 14-0.

The Reggae Warriors resisted any further damage until just before half-time, when Chamberlain crossed in the corner but could only strike the post with his conversion.

A penalty on the half-time hooter, goaled by young Huddersfield scrum half Kieran Rush, gave the island its first-ever RLWC points.

Leeds boasts a large Caribbean and Irish population, and among the 6,320-strong crowd, the Jamaican support was notably more vocal.

But Innes Senior set the scoreboard rolling again early in the second half, and further tries from Toby King, Louis Senior, James McDonnell, James Bentley and Frankie Halton, plus three out of six conversions from Joe Keyes pushed the Wolfhounds to within two points of the half century against the never-say-die tackling of the Warriors.

Jamaica: Ben Jones Bishop (Sheffield Eagles), Mo Agoro (Keighley Cougars), Greg Johnson (Batley Bulldogs), Jacob Ogden (York City Knights), Alex Young (Workington Town), James Woodburn-Hall (Halifax Panthers), Kieran Rush (Huddersfiel Giants), Jordan Andrade (Unattached), Ashton Golding (Huddersfield Giants-captain), Michael Lawrence (Huddersfield Giants), AJ Wallace (Bradford Bulls), Chevaughn Bailey (Duhandy Park Red Sharks), Joe Brown (Workington Town). Substitutes: Aaron Jones-Bishop (Bradley Ho (Keighley Cougars), Keenan Tomlinson (Dewsbury Rams), Ross Peltier (Doncaster RLFC), Andrew Simpson (Dehaney Park Red Sharks).

Ireland: Richie Myler, Louis Senior, Ed Chamberlain, Toby King, Innes Senior, Luke keary, Joe Keyes, Liam Byrne, Josh Cook, Jaimin Jollife, James Bentley, Frankie Halton, George King (captain). Substitutes: Harry Rushton, James McDonnell, Brendan O’Hagan, James Hasson, Ronan Michael.