HALIFAX PANTHERS 92 LEEDS RHINOS 24
PHIL CAPLAN, Robin Park Leisure Centre, Wigan, Saturday
RELENTLESS and ruthless Halifax won a second successive Challenge Cup, and their first piece of silverware in their bid to retain the treble, with a masterclass to dismantle Leeds.
Sensationally led by Rob Hawkins, who finished with a record 72 points from ten tries and fifteen goals from 16 attempts, and with Jack Brown and Wayne Boardman orchestrating their waves of sustained attack, the Panthers overcame a sluggish start to dominate their opponents in all facets of the game.
After the singing of the traditional Challenge Cup anthem ‘Abide with Me’ and in front of a loud, impassioned, near sell-out crowd, Halifax forced a drop-out from the kick off but couldn’t capitalise.
Josh Butler led the counterattack and combined with Nathan Collins to take a return pass and open the scoring, with Collins goaling.
Tristan Norfolk proved elusive, a Panthers hand denying the Collins and Butler axis, with Butler just failing to gather a scoring pass.
Halifax opened their account on the back of it, with Brown just caught but Hawkins crossing and converting.
the Panthers’ defence was put under considerable pressure from Collins forcing a drop out, conceding a penalty, and back-to-one on the last, cracking when Butler went over, as Collins with a long pass set it up.
The Rhinos maintained the pressure, with Collins chasing his own kick and gaining a penalty, but he was deemed to have knocked on over the line when looking to extend the lead.
On the back of their first penalty, Halifax went wide and Hawkins rode Nathan Mulhall’s challenge to go over in the corner, landing the touchline conversion and a penalty from in front for the foul to put his side in the lead and from there they never looked back.
Leeds put on Tom Halliwell, with Joe Calcott charging down his kick and Jack Brown brilliantly sending Hawkins over for a genuine hat trick.
Halliwell was penalised in possession and Wayne Boardman kicked early for Brown to win the race to the ball, and on the next set Brown broke free and sprinted half the length of the pitch for his second try.
In the run up to the break, the Rhinos were twice penalised for double tag stripping, with Hawkins landing his sixth goal to establish a 20-point lead and there was still time for Brown to complete his genuine, seven-minute, hat-trick, with Boardman again the instigator.
‘Fax extended their lead in the first set of the second half, Brown kicking early for Hawkins to snare his fourth try
Leeds, with Norfolk back, responded when Butler completed his consecutive try treble, but Panthers forced a goal-line drop-out from the kick-off and Nathan Holmes sent Brown over out wide, Hawkins with the touchline goal.
Halifax then illustrated their dominance with a brilliantly manufactured last-tackle play that saw Finlay O’Neill go over in acrobatic fashion.
Butler claimed his fourth try for the Rhinos on the back of a penalty, Hawkins then stripping the Leeds defence for his fifth touchdown and immediately crossing for his sixth.
His seventh came seven minutes later, again chasing a kick and touching down despite colliding with a BBC cameraman, and the same modus operandi brought him his eighth and ninth scores in the next two sets.
Fittingly, the match ended with Hawkins weaving his way over for a tenth try, having given a magnificent solo performance in a superb team display.
GAMESTAR: Rob Hawkins was unplayable, using his blistering speed and evasion to claim ten tries and deadly accurate with the boot to finish with an astonishing 72 points, a highwater mark in the Wheelchair Challenge Cup final.
GAMEBREAKER: Halifax converted an eight-point try to give them the lead in the 24th minute and never looked back.
MATCHFACTS
PANTHERS
20 Wayne Boardman
2 Rob Hawkins
5 Joe Calcott
6 Jack Brown
9 Finlay O’Neill
Subs
4 Nathan Holmes
3 Cian Horgan
7 Tom Martin (not used)
8 Jordan Holt
Tries: Hawkins (8, 23, 28, 41, 52, 57, 64, 67, 69, 79), Brown (32, 34, 39, 47), O’Neill (49)
Goals: Hawkins 16/17
RHINOS
1 Nathan Collins
3 Josh Butler
4 Nathan Mulhall
8 Tristan Norfolk
10 Jodie Boyd-Ward
Subs
2 Cam Hills
7 Tom Halliwell
9 Verity Smith (not used)
13 Finley Butler (not used)
Tries: Butler (3, 16, 44, 52)
Goals: Collins 4/4
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 6-6, 6-12, 12-12, 14-12, 18-12, 24-12, 30-12, 32-12, 38-12; 44-12, 44-18, 50-18, 56-18, 56-24, 62-24, 68-24, 74-24, 80-24, 86-24, 92-24
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Players of the Match
Panthers: Rob Hawkins; Rhinos: Tristan Norfolk
Penalty count: 7-6
Half-time: 38-12
Referee: Ollie Cruickshank
Image: SWpix.com