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30 April 2024
HALIFAX PANTHERS 12 SWINTON LIONS 28
IAN RIGG at The Shay, Sunday 28 April 2024
The Lions put in a stunning performance to condemn Fax to another defeat and move them further up the table. The first set was played out in the Lions half, but poor handling let them down. It was then visitors who took the lead in the fourth minute after they had forced a goal line drop out and from the pressure Jonny Vaughan found Mitch Cox on the right and he scored near the corner but the conversion from Dec Patton off the touchline struck the posts and bounced out. Fax Tried to hit back and had good pressure on the line with Ben Kavanagh and Adam Tangata going close but again handling let them down as good defence from the Lions. Greg Eden made a telling break down the left on eighteen minutes, but he too lost the ball. Jayden Hatton put the Lions further ahead on twenty minutes after a nice pass from Dan Abram and Patton converted in front of the Lions fans. Tee Ritson put Rhys Williams away two minutes later, but good defence held him out. More pressure from Fax before the Lions scored a bizarre try when Patton put a kick to the posts and Gibson followed it and it looked like it was going to sail dead but he jumped in the air as he was crossing the dead ball line and with his feet in the air knocked it backwards and Abram collected it as it came down to score under the posts and Patton converted. Eden had another chance just after the half hour but again could not control the ball and with seconds to go in the first half a nice, measured kick by Gibson went into the in goal and two Fax defenders seemed to leave it and Vaughan pounced on the rolling ball to score but Patton could not convert from the touchline.
A better start for Fax in the second half with Zack McComb being held up and from the third tackle the ball found Louis Jouffret who scored on the right and added the conversion to put them back in it. Ed Barber made a nice thirty metre break on fifty-five minutes taking a good tackle from Josh Eaves to stop his progress. Daniel Spencer-Tonks was then held up before the home side went back downfield but the Lions defence held strong and kept them out until Eden finished off a long ball pass in the corner and Jouffret converted. Kevin Larroyer was sent to the sinbin for an elbow on Eaves with eleven minutes left and Patton Added the penalty from thirty metres. The kick from the restart failed to go ten metres and the Lions made them pay when pressure on the line saw Eaves slip a nice pass to Gibson who crossed under the sticks with Patton converting. It was the Lions who had the ball for the last two minutes but couldn’t add any more points but sent their following home happy.
LIONS
1 Dan Abram
32 Tee Ritson
29 Jonny Vaughan
4 Jayden Hatton
5 Rhys Williams
6 Dec Patton
7 Jordy Gibson
34 Lucas Green
14 Josh Eaves
13 Mikey Wood
37 Matty Foster
12 Mitch Cox
16 Lewis Hall
Subs (all used)
35 Ben Hartill
8 Liam Cooper
15 Daniel Spencer-Tonks
21 Andy Badrock
Tries: Cox (8), Hatton (20), Abram (27), Vaughan (39), Gibson (72)
Goals: Patton 4/6
HALIFAX
6 Louis Jouffret
2 Greg Eden
17 Ben Tibbs
1 James Woodburn-Hall
5 James Saltonstall
23 Gareth Widdop
7 Joe Keyes
31 Kevin Larroyer
20 Tom Inman
8 Adam Tangata
11 Ben Kavanagh
12 Matty Gee
3 Zack McComb
Subs (all used)
13 Jacob Fairbank
15 Ryan Lannon
18 Brandon Douglas
26 Ed Barber
Tries: Jouffret (43), Eden (67)
Goals: Jouffret 2/2
Sin-bin: Larroyer (69) use of elbow
Penalties: 4-8
Half-time: 0-20
Referee: Mike Smaill
Attendance: 1,372