With the Dewsbury/Halifax derby falling victim to the weather, there were five Betfred Championship games played on Easter Monday, the top game being the early afternoon kick off between leaders Toulouse Olympique XIII and the Toronto Wolfpack in the south of France.
There was also much anticipation of the visit of London Broncos to Leigh Centurions with the Broncos looking to overcome their Good Friday defeat to Toulouse which knocked them off the top of the pile.
Elsewhere Swinton were seeking their first points at Barrow, Featherstone travelled to Rochdale and Batley were on the road to Sheffield to take on the Eagles.
It was a nail-biter of a match in Toulouse where the Wolfpack ran out as 24-22 winners despite a spirited fight back from the home side which came close to overturning a big first half deficit.
Swinton got their first point of the season thanks to a draw at the Barrow Raiders but they remain anchored to the bottom of the table. After going behind to a Forsyth try on five, Toal scored twice for Barrow to give them a 12-4 lead before the Lions scored through Hansen on thirty-four to reduce the margin to 12-10 at the interval. A fifty-first minute Dallimore penalty doubled the Barrow lead but Hansen scored a second try five from the final hooter which, with Hankinsons conversion, gave the visitors a 16-14 lead. A last minute Dallimore penalty goal levelled the scores and shared the points.
Leigh and London had quite a battle at the Leigh Sports Village before Leigh secured the points with a 31-18 win. Hood had given the home side the lead with a converted try but when Kear scored just before the interval and Sammut converted the sides went in at 6-6. Thompson and Hansen scored in the first ten minutes of the second half to put Leigh 18-6 ahead before Cunningham halved the arrears on fifty-eight. Two tries in three minutes from Hood and Hutchison sealed the home win and a late Gee consolation only served to reduce the margin which lifted the Centurions to fifth, four points behind the Broncos in fourth.
The Eagles must have been hopeful of a perfect Easter when they took a 10-0 lead against Batley thanks to tries from Toole and Davies. Scott scored a four pointer for the Bulldogs before the break but it was three tries from Manning, Walker and Reittie in a seven minute period in the second half which established a 22-10 margin in favour of the visitors. Millar pulled one back for Sheffield but the final try of the game came on seventy-eight from Hemmingway to secure a 28-14 away victory.
Featherstone Rovers overcame the disappointment of their Good Friday loss to Toulouse with a comprehensive 42-0 win over a disappointing Rochdale Hornets. Newman picked up a sixteen minute hat-trick, punctuated by a Hardcastle try, to establish a 22-0 lead in as many minutes. Ridyard scored a four pointer on sixty-five to add to his five goals on the afternoon and then it was Briscoe’s turn to score a hat-trick, his coming in just nine minutes, to complete the big win.
Toronto, Toulouse, Featherstone and London occupy the top four spots but Leigh are now snapping at their heels. Halifax and Batley both have games in hand and victories would put them right in the mix for a Middle Eights place.
