Doncaster Rugby Club

Phoenix recorded their most notable victory of this campaign to date after coming on strong in the last twenty minutes to purge four tries against bewildered Oaks who didn’t know what hit them.

The side remained unchanged from the narrow victory at Rods the week previous bar the inclusion of Douglas at lock for the ever-cosmopolitan Skidmore.

It was Phoenix who drew first blood with almost their first roll of the die. The forwards won the ball at a line out twenty-five yards out and spun the ball out, where Burton found the gap broke through and off loaded to full back Gray under the posts with Stewart adding the conversion 7-0 within five minutes.

The next twenty was then the visitors turn and they commended possession and field placement and battered the Phoenix line playing a nine man game and it took stern defensive concentration to keep the visitors at bay with their only prize being three points from a penalty in front of the sticks.

When Phoenix got the ball into the backs hands they looked dangerous and made yardage through quick sniping counter attacks form the likes of Greenslade who made best use of Gray and Meadows in support. The score line remained unchanged to the break 7-3.

It was the visitors who then kept the pressure up opting for the nine-man game and blitzing the home side in the scrum and were justly rewarded with another three points from an infringement at the breakdown.

At this point it looked as if it was going to be another seat of the pants job for Phoenix with Oaks dominant in the pack and not giving the home side much quarter. Phoenix gave them selves a little breather by getting the ball down the hill barging it on down the left and recycling right for Farley to collect evade two tackles and touch down in the corner 12-6.

At this point with twenty to go I don’t think anybody expected what was to come but may be can be attributed to the introduction of Elliot at fly half and the Oaks pack running out of steam. The Phoenix score blitz came first in the form of Burton who received the ball from the pack on the left, cut an angle coming back and went over finding the gap after wrong footing the defence.

Next, Farley bagged a brace courtesy of a mis-kicked twenty two that fell straight into Dan Morris’s hands on the blind and who bombed down the blind with Farley looping round to cross the line unopposed.

It was then the provider’s turn to become recipient after a storming run from skipper Longworth ‘on the hoof’ for a thirty yard dash the ball passed out in the backs and then Morris coming in central to flop over ‘rugby league style’ with Elliot adding the two.

Final try of the day was again a forward, back combination from left to right with Farley receiving the ball wide dummying to make the break and off load to Poskitt on the wing to take the tally to 34 and two points in the bag.

On the final whistle Oaks looked shell-shocked and up to the sixty-minute mark were still in a very tight game but it would appear fitness in training is paying off and Phoenix head to Bramley in buoyant mood.

The seconds completed a double on the day at Osset with a hard fought 8-7 victory in the merit table courtesy of seasoned old pro Forey supplying the touch down