Midlands Hurricanes beaten, but not humbled, in physical battle with Super League Salford

The Bedfred Rugby League Challenge Cup third round clash saw the Hurricanes host the Super League side in front of a record crowd, with a large travelling contingent from Salford making a lot of noise.

The game was a physical battle, with both sides seeing players treated for injuries throughout the contest, but also saw some brilliant moments of play.

Salford led early on after a Nene MacDonald try, but Aaron Roden raised the roof with a powerful run for a try to level the scores and when Matty Chrimes scored in the corner for the Hurricanes to bring the score to two points, there were rumblings of an upset, with the score 12-10 to Salford at half-time.

However, Nene MacDonald scored again in the corner with a powerful run at the start of the second half to put the Red Devils further ahead and left the Hurricanes chasing the game.

As they did so, it left parts of the field open and Jayden Nikorima was able to gather a low kick by Callum McLelland and run 90 metres to score a wonderful try.

It was a physical battle, with Hurricanes full back Todd Horner requiring a head assessment check for a knock to the head and Nikorima also coming off worse from a heavy tackle.

As the Hurricanes defence tired, Salford began to find more space and gain momentum, with Deon Cross scoring two tries and Esan Marsters-Siavale running clear to score as well.

However, while the final score seemed a bit harsh on the Hurricanes, the League side showed lots of passion and desire, with Zeus Silk outstanding in attack and defence, and made a lot of new fans on a big day for Midlands Rugby League.

Scorers:

Midlands Hurricanes 10

Tries: Aaron Roden (13), Matty Chrimes (32)

Goals: Jake Sweeting (1/2)

Salford Red Devils 46

Tries: Nene MacDonald (9, 46), Chris Hankinson (22), Jayden Nikorima (54, 80), Deon Cross (61, 76), Esan Marsters-Siavale (66)

Goals: Chris Hankinson (7/9)

Teams:

Midlands Hurricanes: Todd Horner, Matty Chrimes, Ryan Johnson, Ross Oakes, Matty Hanley, Jake Sweeting, Callum McLelland, Jon-Luke Kirby, Aiden Roden, Elliott Morris, Tom Wilkinson, Josh Jordan-Roberts, Michael Wood

Interchanges: Danny Barcoe, Aaron Willis, Marcus Green, Zeus Silk

18th Man: Ellis Hobson

Salford Red Devils: Ryan Brierley, Nene MacDonald, Esan Marsters-Siavale, Chris Hankinson, Deon Cross, Jayden Nikorima, Chris Atkin, Bradley Singleton, Kai Morgan, Jack Ormonroyd, Shane Wright, Tioki Chan, Joseph Sharrocks

Interchanges: Matthew Foster, Justin Sangare, Joseph Bullock, Nathan Connell

18th Man: Ben Hellewell