Eagles leave Thunder firing blank

23/06/2023

Sheffield Eagles put their Toulouse disappointment firmly behind them with a 40-0 victory over Newcastle Thunder at the Olympic Legacy Park.

The return of Titus Gwaze was a try-scoring one with the forward having another all-action performance whilst half-backs Jack Hansen and Cory Aston linked up well.

Gwaze opened the scoring on 12 minutes as he put the bumpers up and ran straight into the heart of the Thunder defence, who had no answer. Aston converted.

Hansen, with an Aston conversion, doubled Sheffield’s advantage as the hosts showed their expansive side. Starting from a Tyler Dickinson offload, Bayley Liu got through a gap in Newcastle’s armoury and he had the half-back in support.

Hansen and Aston would combine for the Eagles’ third try of the afternoon - the former putting in a kick that was knocked on by Thunder and the latter picking up the pieces to touch down. A successful conversion meant Sheffield went into the break 18 points up.

Half-time - Sheffield Eagles 18-0 Newcastle Thunder

The highlight of the night came on 48 minutes when Vila Halafihi scored a magnificent individual try. Following a quick play-the-ball, Halafihi went on a scoot and grubbered past Rob Tuilatu to touch down. Aston made it 4/4 from the tee.

Three yellow cards were brandished as the hour mark approached, two for the visitors and one for the hosts. Kris Welham and Mitch Clark were sin-binned for their part in handbags while Curtis Davies went for a sit-down after the referee didn’t hear what he had to say.

Into the final quarter and Mikey Wood extended Sheffield’s advantage with a prop forward’s finish, right up the guts of the Newcastle defence. Aston, once again, on target.

Matty Dawson-Jones was next over the whitewash as he received a pass from Quentin Laulu-Togaga’e to go in at the corner. From the touchline, Aston converted.

Aston completed his brace on 68 minutes with another try from a Hansen kick. This one didn’t need a Thunder knock-on, the grubber was well weighted and bounced nicely for Aston. Conversion? Unsuccessful this time, can’t get the staff.

Full-time - Sheffield Eagles 40-0 Newcastle Thunder