Betfred Challenge Cup Match Report | Swinton Lions 12-14 Sheffield Eagles

09/03/2024

Sheffield Eagles won by the narrowest margins as they secured their place in the Betfred Challenge Cup last 16 with a 12-14 victory against Swinton Lions.

After going behind in Manchester, the Eagles scored three successive tries through Bayley Liu, Kris Welham and Ben Jones-Bishop, before a late Rhys Williams try put the pressure on Sheffield, but they were able to hold out for the win in Manchester to seal our place in the Sixth Round of the competition.

Mark Aston named just a single change to his starting thirteen from last weekend’s win against Batley Bulldogs in the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Quarter Final, as Liu came in to start in the place of Joel Farrell.

It was the hosts who took the lead after only seven minutes as Gavin Bennion spotted a gap in the Sheffield defence and worked his way under the sticks to score the game’s first points.

Dec Patton added his extras to put the Lions into a six point lead at Heywood Road, the first of two successive kicks for the afternoon.

It didn’t take long for the Eagles to respond as Liu latched onto a good cut-out pass to the left, before spinning a Swinton man and went over to score from close-range.

After trailing 6-4 at the break, the Eagles went ahead only six minutes after the restart as Welham met Anthony Thackeray’s kick through the Swinton defence, before collecting the ball and going over to score to put us in front.

The hosts were reduced to twelve men after Matty Fletcher was sent to the sin-bin for conceding consecutive penalties, and Jones-Bishop capitalised as he crashed over in the corner to score after the ball was shifted towards the right edge on the next set.

Cory Aston added the extra two points from the touchline, taking the Sheffield Eagles into an eight-point lead.

Swinton scored a late consolation as Williams went over into the left corner to score, before Patton’s kick took the hosts to within two points of the Eagles with only three minutes remaining, but Aston’s side were able to hold on for a hard-fought victory as they sealed their place in the Sixth Round of the competition.

The draw for the next round of the competition will take place live on the BBC on Monday evening, as the twelve Super League sides enter the competition alongside the four winners of this weekend's 5th Round ties.

Attention now turns to next weekend’s Betfred Championship league opener against Toulouse Olympique as the Eagles get our league campaign under way next Friday under the lights at Olympic Legacy Park (7:30pm kick-off).

Swinton Lions: Abram, Chrimes, Spedding, Hatton, Williams, Patton, Gibson, Wood, Eaves, Bennion, Rodden, Cox, Hall

Subs: Roby, Case, Fletcher, Badrock

18th Player: Stevens

Tries: Bennion (7’), Williams (77’)

Goals: Patton (2/2)

Sin-bin: Fletcher

Sheffield: Marsh, Jones-Bishop, Welham, Glover, Dawson-Jones, Aston, Thackeray, Battye, Halafihi, Dickinson, Foster, Liu, Gwaze

Subs: Hansen, Roberts, Clark, Murphy

18th Player: Wood

Tries: Liu (16’), Welham (46’), Jones-Bishop (56’)

Goals: Aston (1/3)