DONCASTER 74 SWINTON LIONS 6
IAN RIGG, Eco-Power Stadium, Sunday

DONCASTER kept up the pressure at the top with an emphatic victory over luckless Swinton in wet conditions.

Richard Horne’s men maintain their grip on second place in the table, while the Lions have yet to win a game and lie second from bottom only because of Halifax’s twelve-point deduction.

Tom Holmes opened the scoring in the second minute after an early error from Swinton and Connor Robinson converted the try, setting the scene for a scoreline that would progress at almost a point a minute.

There were then a couple of chances for the Lions causing problems for the Doncaster defence, but the ball went to ground during the attack on both occasions.

Gav Rodden tried to intercept a Dons pass with the line open but the ball bounced off his chest.

Robinson then exploited a defensive gap to score under the posts on 13 minutes and he added the conversion.

There was more pressure from Swinton before Jacob Jones scored the third try after Doncaster made strong progress down the middle and Robinson converted again.

The home side were handling the conditions better and went further ahead when Edene Gebbie scored in the corner just after the first quarter finished.

Two minutes later Pauli Pauli scattered the defence to score another converted try.

Watson Boas was having an impressive game, and he set up Reece Lyne for the next score out on the right.

In the dying seconds of the half Isaac Misky and Robinson set up a second for Holmes and Robinson converted to make it 40-0 as the hooter sounded.

The Lions almost scored from the restart when Ellis Anderson broke clear, only to be grounded twenty metres out. But normal service was restored when Holmes broke down the right to feed Lyne to go in for his second.

Aaron Lynch intercepted a stray Doncaster pass to put his side in a good position and this set up a great position for Jordan Brown to cross from short range, Rodden adding the conversion for the Lions’ only six points of the afternoon.

Swinton’s case wasn’t helped by winger Anderson being sent to the sin bin for dissent on 54 minutes.

Pauli Pauli grabbed his second two minutes later from a Boas pass, and this was quickly followed by a second for Gebbie.

The Lions, to their credit, were not giving in, however, and almost created a second try just after the hour, but it was Doncaster who came strong again when Robinson made a break to send Titus Gwaze over under the posts and the try was converted.

Gebbie scored his third with five minutes left, going over in the left corner, and Robinson added his tenth conversion of the match.

In the dying seconds Robinson provided the assist for the last try when he sent Muizz Mustapha between the posts and Boas, playing his 100th game for Doncaster, added the conversion.

GAMESTAR: Connor Robinson scored 24 points and made many try assists.

GAMEBREAKER: From the start of the game Doncaster were too fast in the backs and too strong in the middles.

MATCHFACTS

DONCASTER
1 Tom Holmes
2 Bureta Faraimo
4 Reece Lyne
26 Mitieli Vulikijapani
18 Edene Gebbie
24 Watson Boas
7 Connor Robinson
27 Titus Gwaze
9 Greg Burns
25 Gadwin Springer
14 Jacob Jones
11 Sam Smeaton
13 Loui McConnell
Subs (all used)
15 Jordan Baldwinson
16 Paul Pauli
17 Muizz Mustapha
20 Issac Misky

Tries: Holmes (2, 39), Robinson (13), Jones (21), Gebbie (23, 59, 75), Pauli (34, 56), Lyne (36, 46), Gwaze (65), Mustapha (78)
Goals: Robinson 10/12, Boas 1/1

LIONS
2 Connor Parkinson
24 Ethan Fitzgerald
20 Adam Jones
11 Gav Rodden
3 Ellis Anderson
4 Aaron Lynch
1 Louie Roberts
10 Ben Killan
21 Tom Ratchford
15 Jamie Reddecliff
12 Aaron Willis
26 Charlie McCurrie
23 Deane Meadows
Subs (all used)
17 Trent Kelly-Duffy
18 Bobby Shingler
22 Jordan Brown
32 Cameron Bate

Tries: Brown (62)
Goals: Rodden 1/1
Sin bin: Anderson (54) – dissent

SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 10-0, 16-0, 22-0, 28-0, 34-0, 40-0; 46-0, 46-6, 52-6, 56-6, 62-6, 68-6, 74-6

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Doncaster: Connor Robinson; Lions: Gav Rodden

Penalty count: 3-5
Half-time: 40-0
Referee: Carl Hughes
Attendance: 1,170