There were no pauses for the Betfred Championship this weekend as an action-packed Round 8 unfolded…
Toulouse made it back-to-back home wins on Saturday with a convincing victory over Barrow. The Raiders had built up a 4-16 lead in the opening 25 minutes, but the French side impressively overturned the deficit to score 38 unanswered points – including pivotal braces from Reubenn Rennie and Ryan Rivett.
Bradford enjoyed a strong win over Sheffield Eagles on Sunday at Bartercard Odsal. The Bulls were down on numbers for this Round 8 fixture but managed to tally five tries against the high-flying Eagles. Zac Fulton starred in Bradford's outstanding performance - bagging a brace as his side made it two league wins on the spin.
Swinton then put Wakefield Trinity to the test at the DIY Kitchens Stadium in an excitingly close contest. The Lions matched Trinity in every department, with the sides drawing 22-22 until the final quarter.
Alan Kilshaw's men produced some dangerous attack and posed a great threat to Trinity's defence at times throughout the game. A half-time score would read 16-12 in the hosts' favour, but two quick-fire and break-away tries from Joe Purcell and Rhys Williams after the break edged Swinton back in front.
As the 60 minute mark approached, however, Trinity showed their strength, and found a burst of energy to cross for five tries and maintain their unbeaten run.
Meanwhile, Featherstone proved too strong for Dewsbury, and heavy defeats were inflicted on Batley and Halifax. Doncaster ran out 26-0 victors against the Bulldogs on home soil, while York recorded their second victory of the campaign with a huge win over Liam Finn's Panthers.
Sunday also saw the first draw of this year's Betfred Championship competition, as Widnes scored two late tries to to take a point against Whitehaven and move up to second in the league table.
The Vikings had trailed 12 points at the hour mark but Matty Fozard and Jack Owens dramatically touched down with minutes remaining on the clock, before Tom Gilmore successfully converted from out wide to claim a draw.
Betfred Championship Round 8 results:
Toulouse Olympique 38 Barrow Raiders 16
Wakefield Trinity 46 Swinton Lions 22
Bradford Bulls 28 Sheffield Eagles 10
Widnes Vikings 28 Whitehaven RLFC 28
Dewsbury Rams 12 Featherstone Rovers 46
Doncaster RLFC 26 Batley Bulldogs 0
York Knights 40 Halifax Panthers 18
The full fixture list for the Betfred Championship and all of the relevant information and kick-off times can be found here.
Photo Credit: Widnes Vikings
