Carlisle seconds 14 Furness 40

THE Blues’ run of good current form continued on a cold, damp and drizzly day at Warwick Road, where a six-try bonus point win was the reward for a solid performance against a strong home side.

Playing with the elements, Furness started confidently and showed they were prepared to play an expansive game, looking to spread the ball at every opportunity.

The hungry back row of Tom Brannon, Rhys Studt and Corne Els were quick and mobile, and it was Els who was first to benefit from early pressure as he pounced on a loose ball and crashed over after 10 minutes. Adam Jackson converted.

Brannon continues to flourish in the back row and it was another of his strong hits that caused the home defence to fumble. Retrieving the ball, Brannon showed the other aspect of his game, which is raw pace, as he sped over the line from 40 metres out, leaving the defence in his wake.

The Furness scrum was solid, with prop Leon Sweet putting in another workmanlike display assisted by the evergreen Paul Dean, who was equally effective with his battering runs up field. The pressure generated by Furness gave Carlisle little room to manoeuvre and a crunching tackle by Steve Perry under the home posts allowed Studt to scoop the ball and score. Jackson converted.

Furness continued to apply pressure and kept the hosts pinned down. A wayward throw in the line-out was gratefully accepted by the busy Dillan Taputu. No-one was going to stop the Furness player/coach as the rampaging Kiwi crashed over the line from 15 metres out. An impressive conversion by Jackson made it 26-0 at half-time.

Furness started the second half facing the elements and Carlisle’s defensive approach to stifle Furness saw the visitors lose some of their shape. The loss of the lively Tez Nueto following an alleged high tackle gave the hosts the advantage they needed and two rumbling tries followed to make it 26-14. As the temperature dropped and the rain continued, it was inevitable that the conditions would take their toll.

Furness were still pushing forward with Craig McKinnon moving from hooker to scrum half. But despite Adam Jackson’s undoubted kicking skills, it was always going to be difficult to gain any ground into the heavy wind.

It was a quick break from Jackson that produced Furness’ next score. Fast hands through the backs saw Alex Brown finish off a full-length effort which Jackson easily converted.

Furness kept the best until last. Another Jackson break on his own try-line, saw Ryan Cunningham and Rhys Humphreys combine before offloading to the supporting Els.

Brannon off-loaded to Perry who in turn flicked the ball Adam Nicholson, who slipped the final pass for Brown to race under the sticks for the try of the day.

Player/coach Taputu was pleased with the performance and the Blues look forward to the visit of Cockermouth to the Strawberry Grounds on Saturday.