Eagle 16 Ruskin Park 21

RUSKIN prevailed in this dour, hard-fought encounter at Eagle and although not at their best, they can be pleased with the two league points obtained from a difficult fixture.

Eagle opened strongly with typical forward play and took the lead with a disputed try near the posts, which was converted leaving Ruskin trailing 7-0.

Pressure by Ruskin after the re-start earned them a penalty, which Stu Fisher converted. Then two unconverted tries from promising young winger Greg Ashcroft put them in the driving seat at 13-7.

However, Eagle pulled back three points with a penalty before the interval.

The second half was a largely scrappy affair with Ruskin attempting to play open rugby against the spoiling Eagle eight.

'Old head' Gary Pennington, on as substitute, made an instant impact by crashing over for an unconverted try from a tap penalty.

Two penalties for Eagle and one for Ruskin completed the scoring, the visitors with a well-deserved win.