Featherstone Rovers played host to Hull FC in the Challenge Cup sixth round, hoping to stage a massive upset against the two-in-a-row cup holders. Featherstone winger Luke Briscoe etched his name into the history books, but, the game will be remembered for events after the 47th minute.
Hull already clear
Hull had built up an unassailable 10-30 lead by half-time. Three tries in the opening 12 minutes from Jake Connor (2) and Sika Manu blew Rovers away early on, but a try from half-back Anthony Thackeray pulled the scores back to 4-18. A runaway Jamie Shaul effort and a bulldozing Josh Griffin try stretched FC further in front, before Briscoe enjoyed his astonishing record-breaking moment.
His 36th-minute try equalled the sport’s all-time record for scoring 17 tries in consecutive games, set in 1936 by Leeds legend, Eric Harris. It is a feat that deserves celebration, but unfortunately Briscoe's success was overshadowed by events in the second-half.
An eventful second-half
Featherstone began the better of the two sides when the game resumed after half-time, scoring first through Briscoe once more on 44 minutes. At 16-30, the hosts were not dead and buried, but three minutes later the mutual respect between both sides was. What referee Scott Mikalauskas called a "mistimed" tackle by Misi Taulapapa on full-back Jamie Shaul sent both sides into a frenzied anger that would last until the final whistle blew and after seven cards had been issued.
A Rovers bomb hung in the air with Shaul waiting to claim it. Before he could however, he was wiped out by Taulapapa. If Shaul had actually caught the high ball, then the tackle would have been deemed fair. But it was the fact that Taulapapa took Shaul out before the latter had gathered the high kick that should have seen the Samoan spending ten minutes off the field - if not the rest of the game.
Mikalauskas' refusal to punish Taulapapa with a card sparked off what was to come. In between the fisticuffs, Bureta Faraimo scored twice for Hull with Gareth Hock giving Featherstone the last word in the remaining minutes. The game itself finished 20-38 with FC once more in the hat for the Challenge Cup quarter-finals.
Different story
Remarkably however, if Hull had had one more player sent to the sin-bin or given a red card, the game would have been abandoned as the visitors would have had just eight left on the field - and if Josh Griffin's punch had been punished this may well have occurred. As it was, FC ended the game with just nine men, Bureta Faraimo copping most of the criticism for a disgusting head-high challenge that saw him given his marching orders a minute from time.
Like or dislike?
The card-laden anarchy of the final quarter sent social media into overdrive. Most of those watching the game could not believe what they were seeing. Broadcast to the world, here was a top-four Super League side and a top-four Championship side going toe-to-toe with each other in scenes more reminiscent of two groups of mates exchanging blows outside a pub at chucking out time.
Many were embarrassed at what they had just seen and the apparent bad name it had just given the sport, calling for retrospective action against both clubs.
Others however - albeit in a small minority - enjoyed the so-called "biff" and waxed lyrical at the physicality on show from both teams in what is an aggressive contact sport. They probably have a point too; it was farcical at times, but it was still entertaining - although Taulapapa's and Faraimo's hits have no place in Rugby League.
Put it this way, those that call it embarrassing need to take into consideration the fact that the Sky commentators could not even get the record-breaker's name right. Dear Eddie Hemmings, it's Luke Briscoe not Luke Burgess. So-called Rugby League "experts" showed the sport up and continue to do so, not those taking part in the action on the field.
