Fax on the wrong end of a Championship hiding at Featherstone

Richard Marshall’s side, who will take a two-from-four record into next weekend’s home game against Swinton, made an awful start, going 12-0 down, and were generally ineffective and ill disciplined thereafter as Rovers turned an 18-4 interval lead into a thumping.

Featherstone had opened the scoring after 10 minutes, Australian hooker Cameron King scoring from close range and full back Calum Turner kicking the conversion.

With the visitors struggling to get their hands on the ball, Rovers doubled their lead after 10 minutes, Leeds centre Harry Newman scoring from long range after Ase Boas had cleaned up Steve Tyrer’s trademark tap back from Scott Murrell’s kick.

Turner was on target again as Fax’s deficit grew to 12-4, but the visitors - who had looked good with the ball when they had it - were back in the contest when Murrell’s cut out pass put the excellent Will Sharp over in the right hand corner.

Steve Tyrer’s kick went wide for a 12-4 scoreline with the next 20 minutes an attritional battle as both sides tried to build territory and pressure.

But with half time seconds away, a misjudged pass from Ben White on the left landed in Newman’s arms and there was no chance of the centre being caught, Turner’s conversion giving Rovers what looked like a decisive 18-4 interval lead.

Fax needed to score next and, with the fog closing in steadily, they failed.

The otherwise excellent Sharp did everything right as he collected a kick through, but lost the ball in collision and saw another Leeds player, Luke Briscoe, pick up and score, Turner converting.

And when Jack Render touched down with 25 minutes left, Turner missing the conversion, the game was as good as over at 28-4.

Shaun Robinson’s try, converted by Tyrer, provided some respite at 28-10, but Briscoe’s second, a barging effort from Cooper, both converted by Turner, blew the scoreline out.

QLT touched down from White’s inside ball, but it was the home side who had the last word.

Featherstone: Turner; Briscoe, Teteh, Newman, Render; A. Boas, W. Boas; Wheeldon, King, Smith, Day, Walters, Lockwood. Subs: Davies, Cooper, Maskill, Hardcastle

Halifax: Laulu-Togagae; Sharp, Tyrer, Saltonstall, Robinson; Murrell, White; Fleming, Kaye, Fairbank, Larroyer, Grady, Grix. Subs: Kavanagh, Kidd, Moore, Barber

Referee: Marcus Griffiths