Halifax Panthers suffer back-to-back Championship defeats for first time in 2025 as Doncaster spoil party in Shay sun

After a tight first half in which Fax trailed 8-6, Doncaster scored 22 unanswered points in the second period to seal a convincing 30-6 victory.

It also ensured a third out of four halves of rugby league where the Panthers hadn’t got on the scoreboard after the 32-0 thrashing at Toulouse last Saturday.

The French side, thanks to a 30-18 win at Oldham yesterday, have now leapfrogged Fax into pole position at the top of the table on points difference, with Bradford Bulls joining both of them on 14 points in third place after a thumping 48-12 triumph at Batley Bulldogs.

The day promised to be an entertaining one off the field with Irish superstar DJ CamrinWatsin performing prior to kick-off in the baking hot sun.

There was also celebration on the pitch with Jacob Fairbank making his 300th career appearance.

But it was the visitors who struck first once the first whistle blew with Edene Gebbie racing away before combining with Craig Hall, who returned the pass back to Gebbie for an easy opener.

Adam O’Brien’s converted try restored parity for Fax just seven minutes later after he powered his way over under the sticks.

But, in terms of the scoring, that was as good as it got for the Panthers.

And when former Fax player Connor Robinson edged the Dons ahead with a penalty following a lift over the horizontal, they never surrendered their lead.

Fax, however, came close to restoring parity again right on the hooter but Louis Jouffret’s penalty from just inside the home side’s half, awarded after a high shot on milestone man Fairbank, was pulled just wide.

James Woodburn-Hall went close at the start of the second half but he was held up on the line, before Doncaster started to turn the screw.

Another Gebbie run ended with a penalty for offside against Fax, which Robinson slotted over for a 10-6 lead before Gebbie couldn’t hold Brad Hey’s pass, which was forward anyway.

Brad Graham and Zack McComb were then both stopped short of the line as Fax made it to the hour-mark just four points behind.

However, a flurry of 20 points in the final 20 minutes sealed the win for the South Yorkshire side.

Robinson produced a great individual try to make it 16-6 with his own conversion, before Luke Briscoe finished acrobatically in the corner with 13 minutes remaining to make the game safe.

Another Robinson penalty made it 24-6 and although Fax knocked on the door in the last five minutes, the Dons refused to answer.

And the cherry on top of the cake was placed by Watson Boas who ran 95 metres to ensure a comfortable win for Doncaster.

Fax now have three away games on the bounce before returning to The Shay at the end of June.

Halifax: Jouffret, Restall, Graham, Graham, Tibbs, Hansen, Woodburn-Hall, Whitehead, Tangata, McCarron, Dixon, O’Brien, Calcott

Tries: O’Brien

Conversion: Jouffret

Doncaster: Hall, Briscoe, Lyne, Hey, Gebbie, Boas, Robinson, Knowles, Burns, Matagi, Jones, Smeaton, McConnell

Tries: Hall, Robinson, Briscoe, Boas

Conversions: Robinson (4)

Penalties: Robinson (3)