Tag: Rob Lui

Match Report | Salford Red Devils 52-6 Swinton Lions

Posted on by Luke Wallworth

Salford Red Devils got 2019 off to a perfect start with an eleven-try rout over local rivals Swinton Lions at the The Salford Stadium.
Junior Sa’u, Greg Johnson and Joey Lussick all grabbed braces on a rampant afternoon for Ian Watson’s men while Jackson Hastings, Niall Evalds, Rob Lui, Ed Chamberlain and Derrell Olpherts also got their names on the scoresheet.
It was Sa’u who opened the scoring powering over from close-range after collecting the ball at the second attempt. Hastings was the provider for the opener, but he soon turned try-scorer six minutes in pouncing on Lui’s neat kick under the posts.
The Red Devils fast start continued when Mark Flanagan found Evalds on his inside to cut open the Swinton defence for the third time in the opening fifteen minutes. However, the Lions did cross shortly after as Oscar Thomas’ low kick wasn’t dealt with by Salford and Mike Butt was quickest to react.
Swinton’s revival was short-lived however as Lui managed to fend off three Swinton defenders to force his way over after jinking inside. With around eight minutes of the half remaining Chamberlain benefitted from some quick hands out wide to further the lead going into the break.
Head Coach Ian Watson made five changes at the break and it was substitute Johnson who got the scoring for the second half underway. The winger went close a minute earlier but was held down by Lewis Hatton who was sent to the sin-bin. However, Johnson did get on the end of a well-timed Kris Welham pass moments later.
In similar fashion to the first half, Flanagan would again find an onrushing Evalds on the inside and the full-back found Lussick in support who notched his first of the afternoon. Evalds was causing all sorts of problems for Swinton and his quick play at first receiver followed by a sublime tip-on from Welham put Johnson in for his second in just six minutes.
A try-scoring run of four in nine minutes was rounded off when Lussick’s low kick was chased down by Welham with the centre then giving it back to the Australian for his second.
Swinton would be handed another yellow card when Butt held down Olpherts who had raced seventy metres from his own try-line. The man advantage again proved dividend for Salford as Academy player and triallist Connor Davies-Aspey cut through the Lions line before finding Olpherts in the corner to round off the scoring.
Salford welcome current Betfred Super League champions Wigan Warriors to the The Salford Stadium on Sunday 20th January, 2pm kick-off, in their second pre-season friendly.
Salford Red Devils: Evalds, Bibby, Sa’u, Welham, Chamberlain; Lui, Hastings; Mossop, Lussick, Dudson, Jones, Turgut, Flanagan.
Interchanges: Griffin, McCarthy, Nakubuwai, Johnson, Olpherts, Davies-Aspey, Wellington.
Swinton Lions: Hansen, Butt, Lloyd, Williams, Aaronson; Fairclough, Thomas; Bennion, Waterworth, Austin, Hope, Jones, Hatton.
Interchanges: Brickhill, Gray, Hall, Halton, Jones, Kenga, Ratu, Warne, Worrall, Ashton.
 
Salford Tries: Sa’u (3’, 35’), Hastings (6’), Evalds (13’), Lui (19), Chamberlain (33’), Johnson (54’ 60), Lussick (56, 63’), Olpherts (76’).
Salford Goals: Chamberlain (7’, 14’, 34’), Lussick (64’).
Swinton Tries: Butt (16’).
Swinton Goals: Thomas (17’).
 
Swinton Sin-bins: Hatton (52’), Butt (67’).
 
Referee: Liam Moore.
Attendance: 1798.

Gallery | Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital visit

Posted on by Luke Wallworth

Last week, Salford Red Devils visited Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital to give out selection boxes and toys to some amazingly strong children ahead of the Festive season.
The visit was made possible by a host of Salford Red Devils fans and local business donating an array of selection boxes and gifts alongside donations from the Club and we’d like to again thank everyone who contributed.
Head Coach Ian Watson said: “The visit to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital was an honour for myself and the squad. To get to share some quality time with the staff and children was an amazing experience.
“The fact we could go in and be welcomed in the way we were was very special.
“We couldn’t believe the spirits of the strong children, many of whom may spend Christmas time there. The outstanding care that we witness was first class.
“All the squad loved the interaction with the patients and we hope to welcome many of them to Salford Red Devils games when on their way to recovery.”
And, we’ve put together twenty images from our visit to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital for you to take a look at: 

Salford Red Devils U19’s succumb to adverse weather conditions

Posted on by David Clegg

The relentless driving rain, which had precipitated the relocation of the Salford U19s’ home game with Barrow, on Wednesday afternoon, continued to take its toll on the Red team of the Cat 3 squad, by producing playing conditions with which they found the utmost difficulty in coping.
With their own field at the A J Bell completely under water, it was only thanks to the great spirited assistance of our good friends at St Peter’s RC School, Manchester, who most willingly sprang to our rescue by loaning their 4G pitch for the purposes of our fulfilling the fixture.
“It was a tough day for everyone concerned, with us having to decamp to the other side of Manchester, which was a considerable task in itself, but we are extremely grateful to St Peter’s, and our good friend, Jim Dixon in particular, for coming to our aid, and at such short notice,” coach, Danny Barton recounts.
Just as all this had affected Danny, so, too, it will also have affected the players themselves, with the whole build up to the match being disrupted and consequently different to their normal procedures.
“Not only that, the conditions far from suited us, whilst Barrow found them ideal for the physical dominance of their pack to assert itself,” Danny assesses,
“For ourselves, we just have to put it down to another piece of the players’ development.  All I ask is that they stick to working at the processes we have been putting in place, and they will definitely benefit from doing so, as time goes on.”
The game was barely five minutes through, when the visitors swept in for two converted tries, but the Red Devils responded, with a try from hooker, Connor Aspey, who scooted through the defensive line from a play-the-ball, selling a neat dummy on the way.
Unfortunately, goal kicker, Connor Law, was unable to convert, and the Cumbrians proceeded to exploit their dominance by running in a further two tries before scrum half, Keiran Prescott, scored a fine individual try to pull back another four points, and bring the half time score to 24-8 in the visitors’ favour.
With first teamers, Rob Lui, Joey Lussick and  Jackson Hastings, having made the journey across Manchester to support the lads from the touchline, there were hopes that the Salford players would make a quick response, but the second half belonged entirely to Barrow, with their strong powerful forwards taking complete control and forcing their hosts into errors both with, and without, the ball.
Centre, Joe Lawlor, showed some outstanding defence and deservedly was acknowledged as man of the match for Salford.
Next week sees another home game for the Reds, when they play Hopwood, in a return fixture, following their early season, narrow, away defeat.  It will be an ideal test for the players to show how much they have learned and improved in the intervening couple of months.

Factfile | Salford Red Devils vs Toronto Wolfpack | Saturday 8th September

Posted on by Luke Wallworth

Ahead of Saturday’s massive Qualifiers clash between Salford Red Devils and Toronto Wolfpack we delve into some interesting facts behind the fixture. 
Super League vs Championship
While the teams are now competing in The Qualifiers, Salford have been in Super League throughout the 2018 season while Toronto are fighting to earn promotion from the Championship.
Salford have lost to a Championship team this season, however. The Red Devils suffered defeat at the hands of Leigh Centurions at the Leigh Sports Village in Round Five of the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup. However, last week’s victory over Halifax got them back to winning ways against Championship opposition.


The Wolfpack have faced Super League opposition on three previous occasions but are yet to earn a victory. They fell to the Red Devils in last year’s Ladbrokes Challenge Cup before Warrington Wolves dumped them out of this season’s competition. Most recently, they suffered a narrow Qualifiers defeat to Hull Kingston Rovers at Lamport Stadium.
Home vs Away 
Salford Red Devils’ home form has been fantastic since the start of June winning three of their last four games at the The Salford Stadium with a big victory over Leeds in between a double over Widnes Vikings.
This weekend, Ian Watson’s side will be looking to win three consecutive home games for the first time since May 2017 when the Red Devils beat Widnes Vikings, Hull Kingston Rovers and Catalans Dragons.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnOtjptlR1o/?taken-by=salfordreddevilsrlfc
Toronto Wolfpack will be travelling to England for the second time in this Qualifiers campaign following a Round One victory over Halifax RLFC. While a lot is made of the travel aspect of Toronto’s schedule they have actually won each of their last eight away games plus two games at a venue away from Lamport Stadium.
In fact, the Wolfpack have actually dropped more points at home than away throughout the 2018 season. Toronto drew against Barrow and lost to London on the road but are now unbeaten away from home since the beginning of March.
Try-scoring
Junior Sa’u has been in fine try-scoring form in recent weeks powering his way over for back-to-back doubles. Sa’u scored three tries in similar fashion against Widnes and Halifax before pulling off a fantastic catch to round off Salford’s scoring last week at the MBi Shay Stadium.
Both Rob Lui and Niall Evalds fantastic try-scoring runs stalled last weekend despite the Red Devils crossing for twelve scores at Halifax. Evalds has still crossed for four tries in his last four outings for Salford while Lui has scored three tries in last four outings. Jackson Hastings has also notched three tries in his opening four games in a Red Devils shirt.


The Wolfpack’s most frequent try-scorer in The Qualifiers may come as a surprise as Andrew Dixon has scored three tries in Toronto’s opening three games. They have had seven other try-scorers in The Qualifiers so far with Andy Ackers, Nick Rawsthorne, Blake Wallace, Gareth O’Brien, Josh McCrone and Mason Caton-Brown also going over.
 
Welcome the Wolfpack! 
Tickets for our next home game against Toronto Wolfpack on Saturday 8th September are available to purchase at the Club Ticket Office, over the phone on 0161 786 1570 or SAVE MONEY by buying online, just CLICK HERE.

Kingsland Drinks Try of the Month | August

Posted on by Luke Wallworth

It’s time for you to choose your Kingsland Drinks Try of the Month for August and there’s four to pick from following our massive Qualifiers victories over Hull Kingston Rovers and Widnes Vikings. 
Niall Evalds features twice in this month’s voting after he finished off flowing team moves in the trip to KCOM Craven Park and our last home outing against the Vikings.
Rob Lui’s ninety-metre interception was the standout moment of our 10-28 win over Hull Kingston Rovers and this has been selected as one of the four contenders.
Finally, Mark Flanagan’s late try which involved Jackson Hastings and Joey Lussick and sealed victory against Widnes is the last option for this month’s voting.
Head over to our Twitter page – @SalfordDevils – to submit your vote!
But first refresh your memory and watch all the tries below:

Welcome the Wolfpack! 
Tickets for our next home game against Toronto Wolfpack on Saturday 8th September are available to purchase at the Club Ticket Office, over the phone on 0161 786 1570 or SAVE MONEY by buying online, just CLICK HERE.

Richard Marshall | “I don’t see them losing a game”

Posted on by Luke Wallworth

Following Salford’s huge 4-62 victory this past weekend Halifax boss Richard Marshall was full of praise for the Red Devils.
Marshall said: “That’s the best team that’s been to the Shay in a long time. We’ve not played a team as good as that this year.
“Our home form has been outstanding and for them to come and rack up 60 was very good for them.
“Jackson Hastings: Wow what a player he is. He was the orchestrator of our downfall. We knew he had some threats. We thought Robert Lui was good as well with Niall Evalds at the back.
“I don’t see them losing a game, they were white hot.”
Salford will be looking to make it four from four as they take on Toronto Wolfpack at the The Salford Stadium on Saturday 8th August, 3:15pm kick-off.
 
Welcome the Wolfpack! 
Tickets for our next home game against Toronto Wolfpack on Saturday 8th September are available to purchase at the Club Ticket Office, over the phone on 0161 786 1570 or SAVE MONEY by buying online, just CLICK HERE.

Ian Watson | “Our forwards laid the platform”

Posted on by Luke Wallworth

Head Coach Ian Watson accepts his backs will get the plaudits after Salford’s 4-62 mauling of Halifax but feels they were allowed to play due to the hard work of his forwards.
Watson said: “Our middles did really well today and set us on a platform.
“Halifax controlled our first few early sets but once our forwards got on top it allowed the likes of Jackson [Hastings], Rob [Lui] and Niall [Evalds] to play and link up.
“The first twenty minutes we were a little bit scratchy and Halifax came at us but I think the boys adapted well and got back to the processes.
“The boys had spoken a lot in the week about the attitude and discipline. I thought we were outstanding.”
Watch Ian Watson’s full press conference below:

Three Talking Points | Halifax RLFC 4-62 Salford Red Devils

Posted on by Luke Wallworth

A rampant twelve-try performance from the Red Devils against Halifax saw Salford go clear at the top of the Qualifiers table and here are three talking points.
Defensive effort
It was another resilient performance with Salford conceding just one try at the MBi Shay Stadium. The Red Devils currently have the strongest defence in The Qualifiers conceding just twenty points so far; thirty less than any other side.
Halifax scored first through Sam Wood, but Ian Watson’s men toughed it out for over seventy minutes afterwards without breaking in defence. The hosts put pressure on Salford’s line on numerous occasions as Scott Murrell tried to unlock the defence.
However, the Salford forwards held Halifax up short on a few occasions while the outside backs covered any threats out wide from the Fax dangermen.
The Qualifiers could very well come down to points difference this season and with Salford’s stern defence being on show for the first three rounds this puts the Red Devils in good stead for the upcoming weeks.
Ruthlessness  
Despite the Red Devils controlling the game for the full eighty minutes and heading into half-time with the game almost won we saw a ruthlessness from Ian Watson’s men that we haven’t seen for some time.
The likes of Rob Lui, Jackson Hastings, Joey Lussick, Josh Wood and Niall Evalds caused Halifax problems in attack throughout. Once Hastings scored the first try, Salford’s momentum just built throughout with a number of Red Devils ending up on the scoresheet.
Derrell Olpherts was the main beneficiary of this ruthlessness with Red Devils realising they could cause issues down the left-hand side and Olpherts crossed for a hat-trick. Salford’s attack was in full force until the final minute when Junior Sa’u scored with the last play.


The Red Devils have racked up more points than any other side so far in The Qualifiers and will be looking to take that attacking form into next week’s game against Toronto.
Travelling support
It wasn’t just the players who turned up at the MBi Shay Stadium as the Red Devils travelled in numbers with almost 1000 Salford fans making the trip over the Pennines.
The support was the largest away following since last year’s Ladbrokes Challenge Cup semi-final and the constant stream of noise pushed the lads on to victory.
Thanks to everyone who made the trip.


 

Ian Watson | “It will centre on our attitude, professionalism and discipline”

Posted on by David Clegg

This weekend’s opponents Halifax are yet to register a win in the Qualifiers however Head Coach Ian Watson knows the talent and danger they possess ahead of Sunday’s clash at the MBi Shay.
Watson said: “Thinking back to a couple of years ago, Halifax did really well in this competition and in Widnes and Leigh they beat a couple of teams they hadn’t expected to beat. I think that they will shock a couple of teams again this time, so it means we will have to be completely up to speed on Sunday.
“I really enjoyed playing there in my playing days because the pitch is immaculate and enables you to produce good rugby. We are going to go to enjoy playing there.
“The danger for us is that having lost those early couple of games Halifax will be keen to get some points. They have been used to winning all season, and we know that they have some good systems in place and some really good, experienced players in their team.
“We simply have to be aware of the threats they pose to us, but equally aware of the threats we can pose to them.
“I do watch quite a lot of Championship games so I am well aware of the players in there and know just what Halifax are going to throw at us, how they play, and how their systems work. I also know their coach Richard Marshall. They do like to express themselves but it will all centre upon our attitude, professionalism and discipline.”


Salford head into this weekend’s clash on the back of two Qualifiers victories against Hull Kingston Rovers and Widnes Vikings.
“The lads have shown good game management, which is taking account of the playing conditions, knowing when to kick, and when to run the ball.
“We have a really good balance within the spine of the team now, and this is showing itself to be the most consistent it has been all season, as they have grown to know one another and build relationships among themselves which is good for the whole team.
“Rob has had a lot of responsibility on his shoulders all season, not only for himself but also the team as a whole, but the acquisition of Jackson Hastings and Joey Lussick has freed him up for him to show once again just what he is capable of doing.”
“It all goes to show that we have a good team, and now that these key players have been brought in, it is showing throughout them all. Our pack has been dominating other sides throughout the season, but at that time we just lacked the link to take the advantage, but we knew that sooner or later the right personnel would become available and we would then be able to turn it all around.”
Tickets are still available to purchase from the The Salford Stadium Ticket Office or over the phone on 0161 786 1570 up until 4pm on Saturday 1st September. Remember, the Club retain 25% of any advanced purchases from the The Salford Stadium. All ticket details can be found HERE.
There is still room on the second Supporters’ Coach available to book at the Club Ticket Office and over the phone on 0161 786 1570. The Club retain 100% of your booking fee. All Coach details can be seen HERE.

Jackson Hastings | “Rob Lui is the best halfback in the competition”

Posted on by Luke Wallworth

Jackson Hastings was again instrumental as the Red Devils overcame Widnes Vikings on Saturday afternoon however he pointed to his halfback partner Rob Lui as the ‘best in the competition’.
Hastings, sponsored by Advanced Steel, said: “He’s the best halfback in the competition for he – hands down.
“There are some great halfbacks in the competition but these last three games I haven’t seen anything like it.
“He went off with fifteen minutes to go and we sort of lost our way a little bit.
“I love playing with him, the raw talent that bloke has is unbelievable and he just turns up for training and pulls stuff off that I’ve never seen before.”


Salford have won three consecutive games – for the first time since May 2017 – since Hastings’ arrival last month but the Australian points to the set-up at the Club as a key factor in the upturn in form.
Hastings said: “It’s a credit to the Club and the way its run.
“The Club has received a lot of criticism this season in terms of results and the way its been run but it’s been nothing short of amazing since I arrived.
“Our coaching set-up is second to none. They’re all former internationals and world class players and their knowledge is just filtering down and slowly but surely, we’re developing a game plan that suits us.
“We’ve got such a good culture here at the moment and we’ve just got to keep the ball rolling and hopefully we’ll do something special.”
Welcome the Wolfpack!
Tickets for our next home game against Toronto Wolfpack on Saturday 8th September are available to purchase at the Club Ticket Office, over the phone on 0161 786 1570 or SAVE MONEY by buying online, just CLICK HERE.
Jackson Hastings’ full post-match interview can be seen below:

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