The Championship Chat: The Qualifiers Round 3

Leeds make it three from three
Leeds Rhinos were given a game by London Broncos in Ealing but the Super League side had too much in their locker as they ran out 42-28 winners. The visitors were only eight points up at the break after a brace from Tom Briscoe as well as singles courtesy of Liam Sutcliffe and James Segeyaro. London got on the scoresheet through Rhys Williams and James Cunningham. In the second half, Jordan Lilley, Mitch Achurch and Kallum Watkins all scored tries inside a six-minute spell which saw Leeds take the game away from the Broncos. However, Andrew Henderson’s men didn’t back down as they got on the board for the second half thanks to a Nick Slyney try before Briscoe went over for his hat-trick score. Iliess Macani and Elliot Kear both crossed for the capital club before the end of the game to make the scoreline very respectable.

Salford’s misery continues
Hull Kingston Rovers beat Salford Red Devils 29-12 at the AJ Bell Stadium on Friday night. The visitors got off to a flyer with tries from Josh Mantellato and James Greenwood prior to the hosts hitting back courtesy of Mason Caton-Brown. Ken Sio extended the Robins’ lead in the 28 minutes while Mantellato also kicked two penalty goals in the first half. Gareth O’Brien cut the deficit after the restart but Hull KR stayed strong and they sealed the game 13 minutes from time with an Albert Kelly drop goal. Thomas Minns rounded off a good evening at the office with the final four-pointer of the match in the 76th minute.

Leigh conquer Championship rivals
Another good round of matches for Leigh Centurions as they won their third game on the spin. Neil Jukes’ men got the better of Featherstone Rovers 30-18 at the Big Fellas Stadium and the former were 12-8 up at the break. Leigh’s tries came from Reni Maitua and Mitch Brown, inside the first seven minutes of the game before Featherstone hit back through Josh Walters and a Kyle Briggs penalty goal. In the second period, Matty Dawson and Micky Higham both got on the scoresheet either side of the hour mark to wrap up the game but Featherstone did keep battling and they cut the deficit courtesy of Jack Ormondroyd on 70 minutes. With moments left in the match, Gareth Hock crossed the whitewash to send the Leigh fans home very happy.

Huddersfield beat Batley
Huddersfield Giants picked up their second win in the Middle 8s with a 58-28 win against Batley Bulldogs at Fox’s Biscuits Stadium. Batley drew first blood with a penalty goal from Dominic Brambani but Huddersfield went on to notch 48 points down the slope to end the game as a contest. Tom Symonds and Ryan Brierley both scored braces while fellow teammates Leroy Cudjoe, Gene Ormsby, Eorl Crabtree, Jake Connor and Joe Wardle all touched down for Rick Stone’s men. In the second half, Shaun Squires and Dave Scott got on the scoresheet for Batley prior to Huddersfield striking back through Cudjoe and Brierley. It was the hosts who finished the stronger of the two sides and they even picked up three tries without reply to end the game on a high. Squires, Chris Ulugia and Scott were the final try-scorers for John Kear’s valiant side.