Second half surge not enough for Fax
Panthers fight back but Featherstone hold firm to progress
A STELLAR second-half display from the Halifax Panthers wasn’t enough to seal a place in the fifth round of the Challenge Cup as Featherstone Rovers ran out 29-16 winners at The Shay.
Brian McDermott’s side looked to be cruising after taking a 16-0 first-half lead, however a Panthers resurgence after the break forced Featherstone to dig deep in what proved to be an enthralling contest.
Halifax got off to a positive start, but despite enjoying three consecutive sets the Panthers were simply unable to find a breakthrough.
After holding out defensively, Rovers quickly showed their offensive abilities as the visitors powered over the whitewash with their first chance of the match.
Featherstone made the most of a numbers advantage down the left as Brandon Pickersgill released Gareth Gale who touched down in the corner.
With 20 minutes on the clock, Featherstone were in again courtesy of Connor Jones. Craig Hall’s first successful conversion gave McDermott’s side a 10-0 advantage.
Halifax struggled to come up with a response and were punished just seconds before the half-time hooter. Pickersgill was once again the creator as his pass allowed Luke Briscoe to score in the corner. Hall’s conversion gave Rovers a 16-0 lead at the break.
Simon Grix clearly had inspiring words at half-time. Their fresh attitude paid dividends on the scoreboard as
Louis Jouffret finally gave the home fans something to cheer about. The Panthers’ try stemmed from some immaculate build-up play as Titus Gwaze, Cory Aston and Ed Barber exchanged a flurry of passes before releasing Jouffret.
Joe Keyes added two more points with a successful conversion and as the momentum shifted, Featherstone began to make errors.
Just 10 minutes later, Halifax were on the board again.
Cory Aston broke to set-up good field position and Keyes played a long kick into the corner. Luke Briscoe and Lachlan Walmsley both jumped for the ball, but in the end, it was the Halifax man who prevailed and scored. Briscoe was determined to atone for his mistake and he did so three minutes later, with a try in the corner. Hall’s touchline conversion made it 22-10.
With 10 minutes remaining, Halifax needed something spe
cial and that was exactly what Walmsley produced.
With Featherstone deep in Halifax territory, Morgan Smith attempted to find Joey Leilua but Walmsley snatched the ball and raced 95 metres to score a sensational effort. Keyes’ conversion made it a six-point game.
Featherstone were keen to kill the game off and it took Smith two attempts to deliver the match-winning drop goal.
If that wasn’t enough, Rovers still had time to add one final try on the scoresheet as Pickersgill sealed the 29-16 victory.