DONCASTER 24 SHEFFIELD EAGLES 18
SPENCER ARNOLD, Club Doncaster Sports Village, Sunday

DONCASTER took the points from a hard-fought, intense and scrappy derby with a mixture of grit and determination – and four converted tries.

Both sides produced bright play from the off, but it was Doncaster who opened the scoring through a powerful effort from Muizz Mustapha, who bounced off several Sheffield defenders to cross over for the hosts. Connor Robinson added the first of four conversions from four attempts.

Several minutes of back-and-forth struggle for position followed, with penalties and errors forcing both hosts and visitors up and down the pitch.

That was until the Eagles managed to come up with a strong response. A perfectly-placed kick from Jordan Abdull found its way into the hands of Connor Bower, who went over before kicking the first of three goals from three attempts.

The half continued with intensity, with neither side willing to offer up too much space to their opponents, and despite some increasingly close calls, it was not until the final ten minutes that Sheffield managed to put themselves ahead.

A sailing ball in Doncaster’s right corner was picked out of the air by Billy Walkley, who then offloaded to Kieran Gill, allowing him to dart over the line.

But it didn’t take long for Doncaster to level, with Luis Johnson forcing his way through a gap in the Sheffield defensive line, and it was 12-12 at the turn.

The second half started in similar style to the first, with Doncaster scoring to put themselves back ahead. Johnson glided through some sluggish defence for his second.

However Sheffield hit back through some excellent play from Greg Eden, who managed to collect his own grubber and go across, with the extras making it 18-18 after 50 minutes.

As the back and forth between the rivals continued, yet again Doncaster came up with an answer fairly swiftly when Robinson powered through to add his name to the scoresheet.

Both sides defended doggedly to keep each other at bay, with Sheffield trying desperately to close the gap, only to be thwarted.

GAMESTAR: Despite featuring for the losing side, Connor Bower’s constant grit and determination shone throughout the affair. He was always the first to take a run or a tackle.

GAMEBREAKER: Connor Robinson’s try in the 54th minute put Doncaster ahead for the third time, and they were able to slow the pace down and hold onto their lead. 

MATCHFACTS

DONCASTER
18 Edene Gebbie
5 Luke Briscoe
4 Reece Lyne
30 Harvey Horne
2 Bureta Faraimo
6 Cory Aston
7 Connor Robinson
8 Brad Knowles
19 Connor Jones
10 Suaia Matagi
12 Alex Sutcliffe
22 Luis Johnson
17 Muizz Mustapha
Subs (all used)
14 Jacob Jones
21 Tyla Hepi
24 Watson Boas
29 Tom Whitehead

Tries: Mustapha (4), Johnson (36, 44), Robinson (54)
Goals: Robinson 4/4

EAGLES
28 Greg Eden
2 Joe Brown
19 Will Oakes
4 Kieran Gill
5 Billy Walkley
18 Lennie Ellis
27 Jordan Abdull
22 Masi Matongo
9 Corey Johnson
10 Martyn Reilly
11 Connor Bower
13 Jack Bussey
15 George Griffin
Subs (all used)
8 Conor Fitzsimmons
14 Reiss Butterworth
17 Harry Bowes
20 Lewis Peachey

Tries: Bower (13), Gill (29), Eden (50)
Goals: Bower 3/3

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 6-6, 6-12, 12-12; 18-12, 18-18, 24-18

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Doncaster: Luis Johnson; Eagles: Connor Bower

Penalty count: 4-3
Half-time: 12-12
Referee: James Vella