Round nineteen of the Betfred Championship saw the continued march of the Toronto Wolfpack, Toulouse Olympique, Featherstone Rovers and Halifax into the middle eights while London Broncos kept themselves within touching distance, awaiting a slip up from one of the sides above them.
The match of the weekend was in Toronto where the Leigh Centurions were the visitors but there were plenty of points scored elsewhere throughout the division.
Toronto raced to an unassailable 24-0 half time lead over the Centurions thanks to braces from Wallace and Russell. Crooks opened Leigh’s account early in the second half for 24-6 but an Ackers brace and a third from Wallace put the game out of reach as the Wolfpack charged to a 40-6 lead. Two tries from Mortimer, one from Lovett, and a second for Crooks gave Leigh some consolation at 40-28 but a last minute Kay try, converted by O’Brien saw a final score of 46-28.
There was a heroic effort from the Swinton Lions to grab a third victory of the season with a 29-28 victory over the Dewsbury Rams. The Rams had raced to a 10-0 lead thanks to tries from Brown and Walshaw before Tyson scored the first Swinton try. Morton re-established the leading margin for the visitors but Fell scored on the half hour for Swinton leaving the Lions trailing by 10-16 at the interval. Ganson, Lloyd and Tyson turned the game on its head in the opening sixteen minutes of the second half as Swinton took a 28-10 lead before a Hankinson drop goal stretched the margin to nineteen. Potts, Igbinedion and Morton with his second put the Rams within a point of the Lions with twelve minutes to play but the home side held on for the win.
Featherstone Rovers walloped the bottom club Rochdale Hornets by 80-4 thanks to fourteen tries, six of them to Dwyer, and twelve goals from Hardman. It was 44-0 at the interval thanks to tries from Lockwood (2), Walton, Dwyer (4), and Knowles. Whittaker got Rochdale’s only points at the start of the second half but then the floodgates re-opened. Lockwood completed his hat-trick, Walton added a second, Dwyer got another two, and Thackeray and Davies added tries for good measure.
Toulouse remain second on points difference after sprinting to an early lead with tries from Barthau, Maurel, Bretherton and Curran within the opening twenty-five minutes. Millar opened Sheffield’s account on twenty-nine but Kheirallah got the first of his two tries just before the interval for a 30-4 interval lead. Swift reduced the arrears soon after the restart before Kheirallah’s second and Marguerite’s four pointer. Swift and Toole scored for Sheffield but Centrone completed Toulouse’s scoring. A final try for Millar for Sheffield but the home side had lost by 24-46.
Halifax stay fourth after registering a 22-48 win over Barrow Raiders. Fairbank scored for ‘Fax after just two minutes but Shane Toal replied soon after. Johnston, Murrell, and Grady put Halifax into a 24-6 lead. Daniel Toal got a second for Barrow but Butler was the final scorer of the half as ‘Fax took a comfortable lead into the interval. Tries from Johnston and Daniel Toal at the start of the second half put Barrow back within eight points but Moss, Tangata and a second from Johnston saw Halifax win by a convincing 48-22.
London Broncos as still within striking distance of the middle eights thanks to a 38-16 win at Batley. Smeaton had put the home side ahead before Pewhairangi and Williams struck for London in the last ten minutes of the half. A Davey try on half-time meant the Bulldogs were 12-10 ahead at the interval. Second half traffic was one-way with tries from Gee, Pitts, Dixon, Davies, Spencer and a second from Williams for a 38-10 lead. Galbraith got a late consolation try but the game was long over.
