06 March 2022

Featherstone Rovers backed up last week’s cup win over Halifax with a 22-12 comeback victory in the Championship. Following a scoreless opening 20 minutes, Halifax eventually stunned the crowd into silence as Louis Jouffret powered over the whitewash. The Frenchman grounded the ball in the corner as his side took a 6-0 lead courtesy of a successful Joe Keyes conversion. The Panthers could manage to keep the hosts at bay for only the next 10 minutes as, inevitably, Brian McDermott’s men found a way through. Gareth Gale was the man to put Rovers on the scoreboard as he dived over in the corner after receiving a looping pass from Matty Wildie. Craig Hall was unable to convert meaning Halifax became the first team this season to lead Featherstone at the halfway point. Shortly after the restart, Halifax extended their advantage to eight points as Cory Aston powered over the try line. The former Rovers player was on the end of a quick off-load before crashing over to the right of the posts. Keyes made it 12-4 with a second successful kick. Things went from bad to worse for the hosts just 60 seconds later as Wildie was sent to the sin bin for a late hit on Ben Kavanagh. But, despite the man advantage, Halifax failed to add more points on the scoreboard.

Instead, it was Featherstone who found their second wind and began to make in roads, starting with a fortunate effort for Morgan Smith. With Rovers parked on the Halifax tryline, Smith produced a quick grubber kick into the goalline area. The bounce of the ball appeared to take Jouffret by surprise as the Frenchman failed to clear the danger, allowing Smith to jump on the loose ball and move the hosts within four points. Halifax needed the momentum to swing and they almost came up with a moment of magic as Jouffret broke down the left. However, just as the Panthers seemed destined to score, the full-back pulled up with a hamstring injury which forced him to give the ball to Walmsley. The player was outnumbered down the wing and the move eventually came to nothing. Featherstone could sense the tide turning and they took full advantage as Hall crossed the whitewash and converted his own try to put his men ahead for the first time. The 34-year-old wasn’t done there as he added eight more points in the final five minutes to seal a dramatic victory in front of a bumper crowd.