Championship round-up and reaction: Daryl Powell praises ‘outstanding’ Wakefield Trinity while late Ben Reynolds penalty seals dramatic win for play-off chasing Featherstone Rovers at Odsal - but Halifax Panthers’ top six hopes dashed by Swinton Lions

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Featherstone Rovers sealed a dramatic 22-21 victory at Bradford Bulls to maintain their hopes of a play-off spot thanks to a late Ben Reynolds penalty, although Halifax Panthers’ three-match winning run came to a crushing end at Swinton Lions.

It’s now three wins on the spin for Fev who moved back into sixth place after being temporarily displaced by York Knights, who spectacularly triumphed in Toulouse yesterday evening.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In a thrilling, see-saw contest at Odsal, which saw the lead change five times, Rovers raced into a 12-0 lead thanks to tries from Reynolds and Josh Hardcastle but found themselves 14-12 down at the break after the Bulls fought back through Jayden Okunbor and a double from Franklin Pele.

A Reynolds penalty levelled the game at 14-14 before Gadwin Springer’s converted try put Featherstone back in front.

Action from Bradford Bulls v Featherstone Rovers. Photo by Kevin Creighton.Action from Bradford Bulls v Featherstone Rovers. Photo by Kevin Creighton.
Action from Bradford Bulls v Featherstone Rovers. Photo by Kevin Creighton.

But Jayden Myers’ try evened things back up yet again before Jordan Lilley’s 72nd minute drop goal gave the Bulls the advantage.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

That was until Reynolds’ even later intervention with the boot, coolly dispatching a penalty goal with seconds remaining.

Fev have now closed the gap to fourth-placed Bradford to just two points, while they are only one point behind fifth-placed Widnes Vikings who lost at league leaders Wakefield Trinity.

Trinity claimed a 36-12 victory at the DIY Kitchens Stadium meaning they are just one win away from lifting the League Leaders’ Shield.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
Read More
Wakefield Trinity one win away from League Leaders’ Shield after beating Widnes ...

Daryl Powell said after the game: “I thought we did an awesome job. We lost Luke Gale yesterday in the team room and it’s hard to practise with the change of combination again.

“Widnes came to play and were pretty good in the first half. But that try before half time, we have done that in the last two games now just before half-time, and that was helpful.

“I thought we were outstanding in the second half. It was a really professional, mature performance from us.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We scored some smart tries and we adjusted our attacking game slightly in the second half. I thought the boys executed it really well.

“There were some really solid performances across the team. It was a team performance and I thought the second half was excellent.”

The Panthers had been in resurgent form in recent weeks but their winning run came crashing to a halt at lowly Swinton, who were always in control once Jake Spedding sped away for an interception try after ten minutes.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Rhys Williams made it 10-0 before the break and second half tries from Jayden Hatton and Gavin Rodden put the game out of sight.

A try for the returning Gareth Widdop with five minutes remaining was a mere consolation for Fax who are now looking nervously back over their shoulders again towards the relegation trap door with Barrow Raiders (31-24 at Dewsbury Rams) and Whitehaven (28-24 at home to Doncaster) also recording victories this afternoon.

Halifax remain in tenth but are only two points above the relegation zone - and six points away from the play-offs.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Head coach Liam Finn said: “Really disappointed. Three good weeks leading into this one. We wanted to notch another one off this week, unfortunately we weren’t good enough, mainly with the ball.

“We had enough field position to win three games today.”

Batley Bulldogs are still in the play-off mix themselves after a stunning 24-14 win at third-place Sheffield Eagles on Friday night.

Luke Hooley scored a hat-trick and Elliot Kear also got on the trey sheet as Mark Moxon’s men remain two points outside of the top six.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Rock bottom Rams came agonisingly close to gaining only their second win of the season having led the Raiders 24-22 going into the final four minutes - but a penalty, drop goal and converted try turned the game on its head.

Perry Whiteley and Bailey O’Connor both scored doubles for the Rams.

Head coach Paul March said: “It’s probably the toughest one all year. We put ourselves in a position to win the game and then it went away from us.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Overall, we were the better side but there were eight unforced errors in the second half, trying to overplay.

“But it was a better performance. It is definitely two points gone. It’s another loss and the lads are absolutely gutted.”

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.