25 April 2022

Rovers endured a tough challenge at Bradford to maintain their unbeaten run in the Betfred Championship. Bradford started the game the brighter of the two sides, Elliot Hall with a barge over try on seven minutes showed a real determination from the hosts.  Rovers struck back ten minutes later, Ben Hellewell who’s found a rich vein of form in the centre, Hall crabbed across the field from right to left, before finding Hellewell who took the ball at pace to burst through the Bulls defence.  Hall converted to draw Rovers level as the first quarter of the game drew to a close. Hellewell found the tryline again in the twenty fifth minute, a quick play the ball after Craig Kopczak had been held up saw the ball flying through the hands of Ryley Jacks who found Hellewell running full tilt to carve a line through the Bulls defence, the conversion from Hall gave Rovers a try advantage as they headed into the changing rooms at half time.

Bradford again started the brighter of the two sides, Foggin-Johnson scoring in the corner with Dec Patton converting to draw the scores level. Minutes later, Jesse Sene-Lefao took to the field as an interchange, making his return after injury. JSL was pivotal as Rovers took the lead once again on 51 minutes, a deft offload finding Mark Kheriallah who weaved his way under the posts. Rovers went back to back through Ryley Jacks who took the ball in centre field, 20m out and ran a diagonal line to the corner to plant his first try of the evening. Ryley Jacks scored again minutes later, in one of the more unusual tries you’ll see this year.  Jack Bussey barged his way through the Bulls defence to make his way to the corner flag before passing the ball between his legs to find the waiting hands of Ryley Jacks who skipped over the line for his second.

Bradford continued to make the game an arm wrestle and showed dogged determination to bring themselves back into the game, Wallace scoring what could be considered a soft try with Patton adding the conversion to bring them back within ten points. Ryley Jacks put the game to bed once and for all in the closing minutes of the game, superb vision from Brandon Pickersgill to see the space behind the Bulls defence to place a kick that was chased and grounded by hattrick hero Ryley Jacks, his second successive hatrick.