Daily Mirror - 19.08.2019

DM1ST
mirror.co.uk/sport MONDAY 19.08.2019 DAILY MIRROR^43

Huddersfield Giants 0

Castleford Tigers 24

Hull KR 10

Wakefield Trinity 38

FLIP SIDE Woolford fears for Giants but Powell is upbeat

STILL GOT IT Miller scores

three top-seven sides, is

that Hull KR and London

are still below them on

points difference.

Woolford said: “It is a

concern for all of us. It is

going to be a tough battle

to get out of this. We are

in a bit of a rut and down

on confidence. There was

no fluency – guys were

making things up and it

went from bad to worse.”

Castleford, who stay

just outside the play-offs,

scored tries through

James Clare, Adam

Milner, Mike McMeeken

and Jesse Sene-Lefao.

Coach Daryl Powell

said: “We needed to win

because the top five is

pretty competitive.”

WAKEY UP

CALL GIVES

TRIN MORE

THAN HALF

A CHANCE

today. Broughy’s kicking

game was fantastic and

Milky was excellent.”

London’s shock

victory at Catalans on

Saturday left both

coaches agreeing

nothing has been

settled.

Rovers coach Tony

Smith said: “Wakefield

beat us to the punch in

all aspects. But if we’d

won we wouldn’t have

been out of the woods

and nor are Wakey.”

WOOLFY GIANTS ARE

LOOKING LIKE SHEEP

SIMON WOOLFORD

admits he is worried after

watching his relegation-

threatened Giants self-

destruct again.

But he refused to rip

into his team, and said:

“It is not a time for

b******ing. We need to

get some confidence

back into them.”

This was the Giants’

fourth home defeat on

the trot and second

successive failure to

score in front of their own

fans, who booed them off

at the end.

Their only hope, in a

daunting run-in against

CHRIS CHESTER said

half-backs Jacob Miller

and Danny Brough

proved the critics wrong

after steering Wakefield

to victory.

The experienced

playmakers had been

under pressure during a

run of 11 defeats from 12

Super League matches

that transformed a

potential play-off push

into a relegation

scrap.

But stand-off Miller

touched down twice

while 36-year-old

half-back Brough

steered Trinity

around the field.

Chester said: “The

halves have been

getting a lot of

criticism and they’ve

shut a few people up

BY JULIE STOTT

BY GARETH WALKER

TRIBUTES have poured in

from across the rugby league

community for Archie Bruce,

the young Batley player found

dead in his hotel room in

France at the weekend.

Bruce, a 20-year-old hooker,

had only made his first-team

debut for the club hours earlier

in their 46-0 defeat at Toulouse.

He joined the club initially on

trial from amateurs

Dewsbury Moor, the club

that produced Sam

Burgess and brothers

Tom, George and Luke.

Bruce continued to

train with Matt Diskin’s

squad after featuring in a

pre-season friendly

against Dewsbury Rams

on Boxing Day. He and

fellow youngster George

Senior were handed their

competitive debuts

against Toulouse, with a

number of senior players

unavailable.

St Helens prop Alex

Walmsley, a former

Batley player, led the

tributes on Twitter.

Walmsl e y w rot e:

“Incredibly sad news to

wake up to, my

condolences go out to his

I WAS SO

PROUD

OF YOU

... R.I.P.

ARCHIE

passing of their player Archie

Bruce who was found in his hotel

bedroom early this morning

having made his debut against

Toulouse. Archie’s immediate

family have been informed.

“Batley Bulldogs, the RFL and

the RFL Benevolent Fund will be

supporting the family while

enquiries by the French

authorities continue, with the

club squad delaying their return

to the UK. The Bruce family have

requested privacy during this

most difficult of times.”

A statement from his

amateur club read:

“Archie played rugby

league at Dewsbury

Moor since under-eights

and by the age of 20 had

been playing in the NCL

open age team for a

couple of years.

“He was also regis-

tered to play with Batley

Bulldogs and as a club

we are immensely proud

Archie made his debut

last night in Toulouse.

“Our thoughts and

prayers are with Archie’s

family, team-mates and

friends at this extremely

sad time. RIP Archie and

fly high.”

our conversation last night.”

Bulldogs coach Diskin, the

former Leeds Rhinos hooker,

posted the poem “Gone Too

Soon”, adding “RIP Archie”.

All yesterday’s rugby league

fixtures held a minute’s silence

before kick-off and a fund-raising

page has been set up by the RFL

Benevolent Fund.

A statement from Batley

chairman Kevin Nicholas read:

“Batley Bulldogs are greatly

saddened to announce the

family, friends and team-mates at

both Batley and Dewsbury Moor.

RIP Archie.”

Walmsley’s England team-

mate Jermaine McGillvary, who

also had a season with the

Bulldogs, posted: “Such shocking

news. RIP Archie, thoughts go

out to his family.”

Batley commercial manager

Danny Maun, who coached

Bruce at Dewsbury Moor,

tweeted: “Rest in peace young

man x I was so proud of you after

familyfrfrieinddsandteeamaam-matesaatt ouurrcoconvnersationllastninighhtt” papassssiingoftheiri pplllalayeyyerrrrArAAAchhiie

Rugby League in mourning as tributes pour in for young

Batley player Bruce, found dead in hotel room in France

BY GARETH WALKER

Rugby Lge Correspondent

@garethwalker

DEATH OF DEBUTANT

QUESTIONS AS RUGBY

LEAGUE KID FOUND

DEAD: SEE PAGE 16

BETFRED SUPER LEAGUE

(^) P W D L F A Pts
St Helens 26 23 0 3 842 383 46
Warrington 26 15 0 11 676 469 30
Wigan 26 15 0 11 603 503 30
Hull 26 15 0 11 615 680 30
Salford (^26 14 0 12 724 563 28)
Castleford (^26 14 0 12 594 516 28)
Catalans (^) 26 13 0 (^13 513 651 26)
Leeds (^26 10 0 16 576 610 20)
Wakefield (^26 10 0 16 557 666 20)
Huddersf’d (^26 9 0 17 519 694 18)
Hull KR (^26 9 0) 17 492 725 18
L Broncos (^26 9 0) 17 465 716 18