Championship RL results and round-up: Leeds Rhinos recruit catches the eye as Halifax Panthers hit with shock defeat

After yesterday’s dramatic clash between Newcastle and Dewsbury which saw the Rams surrender a 22-10 lead to trail 24-22 only to be saved a point by a late Paul Sykes penalty, their survival hopes were dealt a further blow as London Broncos came up with the shock result of the season.

Their struggles firmly behind them they opened up a six point gap between themselves and the Rams with a thumping of the in for Halifax Panthers today 38-10.

The Panthers have been the league’s form team recently but are likely rocked by the suspensions they’ve recently been hit with.

They were rattled by a brilliant first half in the capital from the Broncos as they stormed to a 20-0 lead. They’d go on to win 38-10 with Macani scoring twice.

That win leaves Whitehaven firmly as the team closest to the Rams in terms of the race for survival as they were beaten by the league leading Leigh 64-4 who continue to look unstoppable.

Krisnan Inu was the hat-trick hero today whilst highly rated Edwin Ipape scored twice. Leeds Rhinos’ latest recruit James McDonnell also got a try as he showed the Rhinos what they’ll be getting next year.

Another of the league’s form teams suffered the same fate as Halifax elsewhere today as Batley were beaten by the resurgent Widnes who have been revitalised by new boss John Kear.

The Vikings turned around an 18-6 halftime deficit to claim the win with five tries the last coming from Joe Edge which took their lead from 20-18 to 24-18 as they made it five wins from five.

In another close affair, Featherstone had just enough to defeat York 30-22 with former Warrington and Wakefield man Tom Lineham getting over for a try. His try in the 58th minute effectively sealed matters despite a late try from the Knights.

Elsewhere, Bradford’s woes continued as they were soundly beaten by Barrow Raiders 30-4 with potentially Super League bound Tee Ritson crossing for a brace as Jarrod Sammut also got a try.

The other fixture today was delayed in Sheffield as Workington struggled to get there. After their arrival it was one way traffic as Sheffield won 64-6.

Results:

Newcastle Thunder 24-24 Dewsbury Rams
Batley Bulldogs 18-24 Widnes Vikings
London Broncos 38-10 Halifax Panthers
Whitehaven 4-64 Leigh Centurions
Featherstone Rovers 30-22 York City Knights
Barrow Raiders 30-4 Bradford Bulls
Sheffield Eagles 64-6 Workington Town