Featherstone Rovers 24-22 York Knights: Match Report
- sharonshortle
- Apr 18
- 3 min read
York Knights winning run in the Betfred Championship ended with a 24-22 defeat against Featherstone Rovers at the Millennium Stadium.
In a game of two halves, the Knights built a 16 point first half lead with tries from Joe Brown and two from Ben Jones-Bishop.
However Rovers took control of the second half and scored 24 points, before the Knights were able to respond with a try from Liam Harris.
Despite a chance to snatch the game right on the hooter, Mark Applegarth’s side run of three league wins came to an end.
After a bright start from the Knights, it was Featherstone who had the best of the early chances. Back to back penalties saw them camp on the York line, only for a knock on to relieve the pressure.
What proved to be a tight opening finally broke with a quarter of the game gone. Jesse Dee broke clear 40 metres out from the Featherstone line, and fed Joe Brown to gallop in for the opening try of the game. Harris converted.
More Knights’ pressure followed, and when Harris floated a pass wide to Ben Jones-Bishop to cross in the corner, they turned that pressure into more points, which Harris added to with a towering conversion.
There was more joy down the right as Jones-Bishop added a second in the corner, following fast hands from Harris and Kieran Buchanan to put him in from close range.
Penalties allowed Featherstone to build pressure on the York line with just two minutes left of the half, but some tenacious goal line defence meant York took a 16 point lead into the break.
Featherstone got the second half off to the ideal start, when early pressure saw them score the first of two quick tries. Connor Jones lept highest to collect Callum Turner’s kick, and Turner’s conversion closed the deficit to 10.
When Caleb Aekins showed some fast footwork just minutes later to dance around the defence for a try converted by Turner, Featherstone were firmly back in the game.
Rovers were starting to dominate, and they took the lead for the first time just short of the hour mark when Hampshire went in for a converted try, to go in front by two points.
King Vuniyayawa was next to score under the posts, stepping around the defence from 10 metres out, and York were struggling to get a hold back in the match against a team growing in confidence.
The Knights got their first points of the half with eight minutes remaining. Harris stepped through a gap and accelerated to score beneath the posts to bring them back to within two and set up a tense finish.
HIngano went close inside the last few minutes, and right on the hooter Jones-Bishop launched a kick down field to give York a chance with a chase, but they were unable to snatch the win.
Featherstone: Aekins, Olpherts, O’Connor, Hatton, Wynne, Jones, Hampshire, Springer, Jubb, Beckett, Hardcastle, Webb, Addy
Subs (all used): Turner, Wilde, Williams, Vuniyayawa
18th Player: Stevens
Tries: Jones (46), Aekins (48), Hampshire (57), Vuniyayawa (64)
Goals: Turner (4/4)
York: Brown, Jones-Bishop, Buchanan, Field, Galeano, Hingano, Harris, Martin, McShane, Ta’ai, Dee, Bailey, Thompson
Subs (used): Santi, Cook, Hudson, (not used) Reynolds
18th Player: Law
Tries: Brown (17), Jones-Bishop (23, 31), Harris (72)
Goals: Harris (3/4)
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