ROCHDALE HORNETS 20 SHEFFIELD EAGLES 44
CHARLIE BOYER, Crown Oil Arena, Sunday
SHEFFIELD showed their class with eight tries as they came out on top in a high-scoring affair with Rochdale to continue their unbeaten start to the league season.
Hornets opened the scoring after less than five minutes thanks to Dan Nixon picking up a loose ball inside the Sheffield 20-metre are to race away to score. Max Flanagan added the goal from underneath the posts and Rochdale were up and running.
The first threat from the Eagles came in the following set, when a leap for the corner from Joe Brown was thwarted by a scrambling Hornets defence.
The Eagles reduced the arrears to two points not long after, when a slick passing move out to the left edge found Ryan Miller, who slid home in the corner to get his side on the board.
Just before the midway point of the half, the tables had been turned as Masi Matongo powered over underneath the sticks before a Jordan Lilley conversion gave the Eagles a four-point lead.
Craig Lingard’s side added their third try of the afternoon moments later as Matty Marsh spun over to score in the corner following a quick dummy to open up the Hornets’ defence.
Marsh had his second twelve minutes before the break, the fullback again exploiting a gap in Rochdale’s defence to take further control of the game before Lilley converted from wide out.
Three minutes from half-time, Jack Bussey added his name to the scoresheet for the Eagles as he crashed over from close range with Lilley once again kicking the goal.
Rochdale put themselves back in the game early in the second half when Flanagan was on the end of a passing move from a scrum deep inside the Sheffield half, before the fullback converted his own try.
The away side restored their 20-point lead just moments later, however, as a diving finish in the corner from Joe Brown was complemented by another Lilley conversion.
Gary Thornton’s side wouldn’t let their heads drop, however, and just before the hour mark, a grubber kick from Jamie Dallimore wasn’t dealt with by the Sheffield defence with Jack Hansen on hand to dot the ball down to score.
18 minutes from time, Blake Broadbent sliced his way through the hosts’ defence to put further daylight between the teams.
Hornets refused to go down without a fight though and were in again thirteen minutes from time thanks to a quick break down the wing from TJ Boyd, before Flanagan sprinted 80 metres minutes later but was dragged down inches short of the try line.
As the final hooter sounded, Alex Foster put the seal on an impressive Sheffield performance with Lilley scoring his sixth goal of the day.
Craig Lingard’s side return to South Yorkshire with two more points in the bag as their winning start to 2026 continues.
For Rochdale, however, it’s a third straight defeat and with no game for 14 days, they’ll be eager to get back to winning ways.
GAMESTAR: Eagles fullback Matty Marsh looked lively from the off, scored two tries and created a lot of his side’s attacking play with fast thinking and inventiveness.
GAMEBREAKER: Sheffield’s two quick tries at the midway point of the second half swung the momentum in their favour and Craig Lingard’s team didn’t look back from there.
MATCHFACTS
HORNETS
1 Max Flanagan
2 Dan Nixon
4 Junior Sa’u
3 Tom Ashton
22 TJ Boyd
25 Jack Hansen
6 Jamie Dallimore
29 Charlie McKler
19 Luke Waterworth
10 Lewis Hatton
12 Ethan Wood
28 Kieran Taylor
13 Jordan Syme
Subs: (all used)
8 Jaden Dayes
9 Ross Whitmore
17 Dylan Kelly-Duffy
35 Isaac Reid
Tries: Nixon (4), Flanagan (48), Hansen (58), Boyd (67)
Goals: Flanagan 2/4
EAGLES
1 Matty Marsh
2 Joe Brown
23 Alex Foster
3 Josh Hudson
21 Ryan Miller
6 Kai Morgan
7 Jordan Lilley
22 Masi Matongo
17 Harry Bowes
10 Martyn Reilly
11 Connor Bower
12 Joel Farrell
15 George Griffin
Subs (all used)
9 Corey Johnson
13 Jack Buses
16 Blake Broadbent
20 Lewis Peachey
Tries: Miller (12), Matongo (18), Marsh (23, 28), Bussey (37), Brown (51), Broadbent (62), Foster (80)
Goals: Lilley 6/8
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 6-4, 6-10, 6-14, 6-20, 6-26; 12-26, 12-32, 16-32, 16-38, 20-38, 20-44
Rugby Leaguer and League Express Men of the Match
Hornets: Jamie Dallimore; Eagles: Matty Marsh
Penalty count: 6-7
Half-time: 6-26
Referee: Kevin Moore
Attendance: 359