There were some huge scorelines in Round 23 of the Betfred Championship, but arguably the result of the round goes to the tightest one with Widnes Vikings and York Knights!
Mark Applegarth’s Knights travelled to the DCBL Stadium knowing a win would see them climb into the top six. Joe Law’s try and two penalty goals gave York a solid 10-0 advantage at the break, and they ensured to maintain this lead despite Mike Butt’s effort for the hosts early in the second half.
With just a single try each on Sunday afternoon, penalty goals proved to be the difference as York move into fifth place – a terrific turnaround in their season.
Wakefield Trinity returned home and paraded the League Leaders’ Shield in front of their home crowd for the first time. They welcomed Whitehaven, who took 19 minutes to break down in defence, before hat-trick hero from last weekend, Ky Rodwell, crashed over from close range to open the scores.
Trinity then produced ten tries including braces from Max Jowitt, Jermaine McGillvary and Rodwell, with Jowitt also impressively equalling legend Neil Fox's Wakefield records for the number of goals kicked and points scored in a season - a remarkable achievement for the 27-year-old at his hometown club.
A determined Haven ensured they would not be leaving West Yorkshire scoreless, however, as Edene Gebbie was on the end of halfback Lachlan Hannegan's grubber kick one minute from time to go over, and the crowd applauded the great score.
Over at the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium, Doncaster stunned hosts Batley, as they ran in six tries to leapfrog their opponents in the league table.
Bureta Faraimo bagged four tries, while powerhouse Pauli Pauli claimed two, as the Dons returned to winning ways in style.
Elsewhere in Yorkshire, Bradford consigned Sheffield to their fifth straight defeat, with the Eagles dropping out of the top six following this round’s results.
The Bulls proved too strong for a struggling Eagles in the second half, with two late Jorge Taufua tries being the killer blow at Olympic Legacy Park.
Halifax also secured back-to-back wins as they beat Dewsbury on home soil.
Across the Pennines, Swinton put an end to Featherstone’s unbeaten run, and surprised the visitors with a sensational performance.
It was a closely contested first half, but the Lions dominated the following period – firstly Rhys Williams touched down, before Richard Lepori crossed twice to hit his 100th point for the club, while ensuring that Swinton would complete an emphatic double over the Rovers in 2024.
In Saturday’s Championship action, Toulouse kept hold of second place, but only by one point – following their victory away in Cumbria.
The French side built up a strong lead in the first forty and were leading 0-22 at the interval with tries from Paul Marcon, Paul Ulberg (x2) and Ryan Rivett.
Ryan Johnston’s try breathed life into the Raiders on the 46th minute, as the hosts attempted a comeback and rallied with tries from Brad Walker, Ryan Shaw, and Brett Carter.
But an Olly Ashall-Bott score and two penalty goals meant Toulouse would be the sides to take the two points, as the Championship competition remains closer than ever.
Betfred Championship Round 23 results:
Barrow Raiders 24 Toulouse Olympique 36
Batley Bulldogs 0 Doncaster RLFC 38
Sheffield Eagles 12 Bradford Bulls 30
Wakefield Trinity 60 Whitehaven RLFC 6
Swinton Lions 28 Featherstone Rovers 8
Widnes Vikings 6 York Knights 12
Halifax Panthers 34 Dewsbury Rams 6
The full fixture list for the Betfred Championship and all of the relevant information and kick-off times can be found here.
Photo Credit: RLPix
