Now Whitehaven were in their stride, and more expansive rugby resulted in the ball falling to full-back Craig Benson, whose delicious dummy carved open the defence for the third try of the afternoon.
As well as the turf, Villa were also doing their best to stop the Blues from hitting their stride by working hard to limit any space for Lampard in midfield and chasing back when Cole or Malouda tried to attack down the wings.
While markets have largely taken the recent sequestration cuts to federal spending instride, the data added to worries that the economy might be slowing as government contractors cut back on orders and furloughed workers reduce spending.