Doncaster Rugby Club

Yorkshire 3

Doncaster Phoenix 25 Baildon 7

Doncaster Phoenix completed a successful September by notching up 4 wins out of four in a gritty game at Castle Park.

With Henry Taylor away shooting and Vice Captain Adam Burton out with a hamstring it meant Roger Morris coming in at No 8, with Ryan Roodt staying on at wind and his brother Mike coming into prop giving Mike Liddle arrest on the bench.

Phoenix with the slope and sun to their advantage started off lively enough with the backs looking enterprising especially with Jazzanowski coming in at pace from full back. Therefore after the forwards had gained field position after nine minutes the ball was re-cycled for Rob Harrison to come from outside centre to barge over for the opening score with Ben Millar adding the spot kick.

The rest of the half saw even exchanges with Phoenix up against a gritty side who defended the backs well and looked dangerous when their fly half marshalled his three quarters testing the home defence.

Phoenix did increase their first half tally with Millar adding another six points from infringement s one being a fine forty-yard boot. Hence the score at half time was 13-0 to the good for Phoenix.

On the turn round it was the visitors turn to apply the pressure and battered the Phoenix try line for the first twenty of the second half and Phoenix had to come up with some tenacious defence to keep the visitors at bay. So it wasn’t a surprise that on 59 mins winger Richard Masham reduced the deficit when Baildon had stretched the home defence with Nick Lister banging over a long range conversion to make the score 13-6.

Phoenix then played to the strength in the rucking game and took the game to Baildon who were still strong in defence but on 85 minutes Roger Morris received the ball from the loose twenty out to barge through three Baildon defenders and dive over under the sticks allowing Millar a simple two points.

The game was sealed on the eighty minute mark when Phoenix were awarded a scrum five out after the impressive Greenslade had been held up over the line, from the scrum he took the ball broke blind and skipped over for the final play of the day and a 25-7 victory for the home side.

This was 100% for Phoenix in September and on the day the pack hadn’t functioned as well as they did at Aireborough, but still came away with the points with players of the day being Greenslade and Jazzanowski. Next week Phoenix hit the road again with a difficult encounter away at Yarnbury.