REPORT | Sheffield 22 Dons 20

After a nail-biting victory over Barrow Raiders last time out, Doncaster RLFC headed down the road to South Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Eagles on Sunday.

Tries from Luke Briscoe, Connor Robinson, Josh Guzdek and Bureta Faraimo weren't enough, as the Dons went down 22-20 in the smallest of margins at the Olympic Legacy Park. 

Dons coach Richard Horne handed debuts to Jeylan Hodgson and Lewis Baxter, who both joined earlier in the week from Hull FC and Leigh Leopards, respectively. In the Eagles camp, winger Ben Jones-Bishop made his 350th career appearance. 

It was a tough start to the contest for the Dons. Alex Foster looked to have knocked on, but the decision went the way of Sheffield, who earned a penalty, and in the following set consequently scored in the corner through Matty Dawson-Jones who picked up Cory Aston's looping pass. 

Making home advantage count, the Eagles turned the screw in the opening quarter. Forcing countless goal-line dropouts, the Dons had to defend numerous sets which started to fatigue the travelling side. Sheffield extended their lead on 20 minutes. Ex-Hull KR man Matty Marsh was the provider, breaking through the line before finding James Glover on his outside shoulder who crashed over the line.

However, not letting a challenging start ping them down, Doncaster responded after a stint in possession. Connor Robinson's looping kick was spilt by Dawson-Jones, who saw Luke Briscoe beat him to touch the ball down over the line. Robinson nailed the kick from touch, and it was game on in Sheffield. 

The Eagles wouldn't let the Dons celebrate for too long, though. Minutes after conceding, Cory Aston spotted a gap in the defence, leading to a 2 v 1 which saw Alex Foster go in for a walk-in to extend Sheffield's lead. There would be time for the hosts to add another before the break. A loose ball in attack from the Dons was collected by Aston, who raced 50m downfield to score. A tough opening stanza for Horne's men, who trailed 22-6 as the teams headed back into the sheds. 

Needing to score first to keep in the game, the Dons started lively. Loanees AJ Wallace and Lewis Baxter got us on the front foot, and when Pauli Pauli managed to get an offload away with four would-be Sheffield defenders on his back to find Connor Robinson close to the line. The Dons playmaker's vision to be ready for the pass paid off as he danced his way over to get our second of the afternoon.

On the front foot, it was all Doncaster in the opening stages of the second half. Winning all aspects of the contest, barring the scoreline, Horne's men would get over for another, thanks to former Eagles man Josh Guzdek. The fullback hit a powerful line after Reece Lyne saw him in space, and Guzzy was on hand to step Matty Marsh and jink his way over under the sticks. 

With tensions rising, the Dons had a barrage of attacks on Sheffield's line. Seeing an eye for the line, Bureta Faraimo rushed into the dummy-half before scooting over out wide to get the away side within two. Robinson couldn't level the sore as his conversion attempt hit the post, meaning the Dons trailed by two with just under ten to play. 

With another nail-biting finish ahead, the Dons had their moments. After earning a penalty 30m out and wide of the sticks, Robinson couldn't level the scores in the dying embers. The contest went to the final play, Reece Lyne came agonisingly close to stealing a last-second victory, but the Eagles held firm to claim the two points and the South Yorkshire cup. 

Up next for the Dons is the visit of French outfit Toulouse Olympique next Saturday at the Eco-Power Stadium (7:30 pm). 

Sheffield Eagles

Matty Marsh, Ben Jones-Bishop, Kris Welham, James Glover, Matty Dawson-Jones, Cory Aston, Jack Hansen, Eddie Battye, Vila Halafhi, Tyler Dickinson, Alex Foster, Joel Farrel, Evan Hodgson

Bench: Titus Gwaze, Mitch Clark, Bailey Lui, Jesse Sene-Lefeo

Tries: Dawson-Jones, Glover, Foster, Aston

Conversions: Aston (3/4)

Doncaster RLFC 

Craig Hall, Luke Briscoe, Reece Lyne, Brad Hey, Bureta Faraimo, Watson Boas, Connor Robinson, Brad Knowles, Jeylan Hodgson, Suaia Matagi, AJ Wallace, Brett Ferres, Loui McConnell

Bench: Alex Holdstock, Pauli Pauli, Josh Guzdek, Lewis Baxter

Tries: Briscoe, Robinson, Guzdek, Faraimo

Conversions: Robinson (2/5)