A REPUTATION for physical confrontation preceded De La Salle and Kirkby were conscious of not being drawn into hostilities and probably paid for it in the result, said coach Drew Anderson.

He explained: "Guys have got to go to work on Monday morning and I advised the players to back off a bit and see how it went and we didn't get in their faces.

Kirkby Lonsdale 17 - De La Salle 21.

"To be fair De La Salle didn't show that side but they didn't need to.

"They had a pedestrian game based around the rolling maul, while our usually strong backs play was loose and scrappy, so we didn't make the most of our opportunities."

Even so, an injury cost had to be borne as Kirkby skipper James Hadwin broke a toe, full back James Mallaband tore knee ligaments and No. 8 John Law, was taken to hospital with a suspected broken ankle that turned out to e badly damaged ligaments.

De La Salle's mauling game frustrated Kirkby who were penalised for pulling down and Evans kicked the penalty. From turnover ball, the visitors then counter-attacked up the left wing for full back Holme to join the line at pace for a good try, which Evans converted before adding a penalty for a 13-0 lead.

Kirkby kicked their way to the corner and a Mallaband penalty put them on the scoresheet after a De La Salle prop was sinbinned.

Another penalty to the corner then brought a try as Anderson whipped the ball out wide for Storey to jig his way past two defenders and scored the try, Mallaband converting to cut the gap to 13-10.

Continuing to maul their way forward in the second half, De La Salle put over another penalty before Law was injured in the tackle and kicked as he lay on the ground.

Bad feeling broke out in a major scuffle from which a De La Salle player was red-carded and Robinson shown a yellow.

Kirkby failed with two penalty chances afterwards - a long-ranger kicker is needed - and the visitors stretched the Kirkby defence for an unconverted try against the run of play.

With time slipping away, Kirkby moved down the right and Barton chipped over the defence for Robinson to dispossess the defender and trot under the posts. Mallaband converted but the referee's whistle went straight away.

Against a heavy pack, Dowker and Shepherd did well.