Match Report | Sheffield Eagles 50-18 Doncaster
02/03/2025
Sheffield Eagles ran in eight tries this afternoon as we secured a place in the Quarter Finals of the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup with a 50-18 victory against South Yorkshire rivals Doncaster.
Craig Lingard made four changes from the starting thirteen that started last weekend at Widnes Vikings. Ryan Millar started on the wing in place of Matty Dawson-Jones, whilst there were returns to the side for Connor Bower, Alex Foster and Blake Broadbent, who had all been missing through injury.
It was a dream start for the Eagles as they opened the South Yorkshire derby with two tries inside the opening fifteen minutes.
Kris Welham opened the scoring with his first try of the season after only six minutes after Jack Walker and Ben Jones-Bishop worked together to create an opening for the former Super League centre to score.
Walker got in on the action again minutes later as his dart for the line after spotting a gap through the Doncaster defence saw him play the ball inside for Cory Aston, who scored underneath the sticks.
With ten minutes to go before the break, Sheffield were awarded a penalty thirty-metres out from the Doncaster line. Aston opted to go and converted to take the Eagles into a three-score lead.
The visitors narrowed the score just before the break as back-to-back tries through Pauli Pauli and Harvey Horne in the space of the final four minutes of the half pulled the game back to 14-12, but a first competitive try for the Eagles by Cory Johnson as the hooter sounded saw us head into the break 20-12 in the lead.
Sheffield edged further ahead nine minutes into the second half as Welham’s second try of the afternoon saw him ground the ball towards the right corner.
The visitors were reduced to twelve men in the 54th minute as Alex Sutcliffe was sent to the sin-bin after holding down a Sheffield man in the tackle. Aston added a penalty from in front of the posts for a 26-12 lead.
The visitors responded with a try of their own to close the gap to 26-18 as forward Josh Bowden grounded the ball underneath the sticks as the clock hit the hour-mark.
But from there, the home side ran away with the game as they went on to secure victory with four more tries. Titus Gwaze scored a brace within quick succession, Welham completed his hat-trick in the right-corner, before James Glover’s try as the hooter sounded rounded off a 50-18 win for the Eagles, which sees us book our place in the final eight of the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup.
The Eagles face a trip to The Millennium Stadium next Sunday in Round 3 of the Betfred Championship as we set to take on Featherstone Rovers in our next match (3pm KO).
Sheffield Eagles: Walker, Jones-Bishop, Welham, Glover, Millar, Aston, Smith, Broadbent, Johnson, Dickinson, Bower, Foster, Gwaze
Interchanges (all used): Battye, Hodgson, Peachey, Bussey
18th Man (unused): Matongo
Tries: Welham (6’, 49’, 78’), Aston (14’), Johnson (40’), Gwaze (64’, 70’), Glover (80’)
Goals: Aston (9/10)
Doncaster: Gebbie, Horne, Lyne, Hey, Faraimo. Johnston, Robinson, Bowden, Burns, Matagi, Jones, Sutcliffe, Knowles
Interchanges (all used): Boas, McConnell, Pauli, Smeaton
18th Man (unused): Misky
Tries: Pauli (36’), Horne (38’), Bowden (60’)
Goals: Robinson (3/3)
Attendance: 648
Man of the Match: Titus Gwaze
Referee: M.Lynn
