Doncaster Rugby Club

Yorkshire 3

Moortown 19 Doncaster Phoenix 18

Phoenix were on their travels to Leeds ring road again this week to play a gritty Moortown who emerged winners after leading 16-0 at half time, 19- 18.

Changes saw Atkinson come into hooker with Dan Morris now out for the season (or worse!) after sustaining substantial knee ligament damage, Ryan Roodt returned at outside centre with coach Conway opting to go on the bench.

Despite the usual preparations, Phoenix took to the field and encountered a home side more hungry for the game and met gritty forwards backed by three quarters play orchestrated from their useful scrum half. This was evident in  the first scrum when Moortown hit the visitors with vigour and shunted them off the ball.

For a side who pride themselves on defence Phoenix conceded the inevitable try ten minutes in when the Farrar the scrum half took a quick tap from a free kick fifteen out threw a dummy and sailed in unopposed to score with Lewis adding the points.

The lead was further impacted from a penalty when the flanker made yardage allowing Lewis useful field position to capitalise from the infringement.

The only time Phoenix looked like scoring in the first half was when the width of the pitch was used with the ball spun to Foster who sprinted fifty yards to hauled down short of the line.

Things only got worse for the visitors when first Ryan Roodt sustained a serious shoulder injury and then conceded another penalty for the home side fly half to make the half time score 16-0 to Moortown.

With Phoenix knowing they hadn’t to performed to anything like the previous weeks Coach Senior introduced Kaihau to tighthead and the results were almost instantaneous when form the kick off the away pack battered the home try line with Kaihau collecting two yards out and barging over for five points.

Phoenix maintained the impetus and reduced the deficit further with a Ben Millar penalty 16-8.

With the introduction of Farley with fifteen to go he capitalised on some loose ball to kick the ball up field and gain a scrum five yards out. From the ensuing back row move the visitors tied the defence in to allow the ball to be spun to Conway who went over in the centre for a converted try and the lead reduced to a point.

Not to be outdone Moortown countered and were duly awarded a penalty for an infringement where Phoenix were guilty of not supporting the player and hence holding on allowing Lewis to knock another penalty over 19-15.

With five minutes remaining Phoenix attacked again and camped the home 22 where the home defence infringed and Phoenix opted for the penalty to reduce to gap to one with five minutes remaining.

Despite maintaining the pressure the home side held out and Phoenix could not breach the line to steal the points.

On the day this game was lost in the first half with a below performance, the day was also compounded with the injuries to Roodt and Coach Conway with a re-occurring knee injury. To that end Phoenix need to regroup and look to resume normal service when they entertain Northallerton at Castle Park next week.