Sheffield Eagles enjoyed a welcome return to the 1985 Cup, a competition they reached the final for last season, with an eight try display putting their local rivals Doncaster to the sword.
There were four changes made to the starting lineup as coach Craig Lingard looked to put an end to their three game losing streak.
The Eagles got the game underway and there were no scores in the first five minutes, the game going back and forth with no team seeming able to gain an advantage.
This changed after Doncaster’s Connor Robinson put a kick straight out of play, handing Sheffield possession and a chance to gain some territory. Directly on from this, the Eagles displayed some excellent handling skills, and a miss pass out to Chris Welham gave Sheffield the first try of the game. The conversion was excellently dispatched by Cory Aston to put the Eagles 6-0 up.
The following five minutes saw relentless Sheffield pressure, with some intricate running lines and delightful offloads seeing Ryan Millar break the line before unselfishly squaring it to Aston for an easy finish under the posts. Aston then slotted the conversion to make it 12-0 to Sheffield Eagles.
Twenty minutes in and Doncaster managed to arrest the Sheffield attack, flipping the momentum and piling the pressure on the Eagle’s defence.
Wave after wave of Doncaster carries were repelled by Sheffield, including a ball being held up over the line.
Sheffield’s defence held firm, and they were able to clear their lines, gaining some territory and forcing a penalty from Doncaster. Aston converts and the Eagles are up 14-0.
With ten minutes remaining of the first half, Sheffield seemed to get a little complacent, letting some tackles fall away, and allowing Doncaster closer and closer to their try line.
Finally, Doncaster’s constant waves of attack broke down the valiant Sheffield defence, with Pauli Pauli powering his way through to score Doncaster’s first points of the game, there was no stopping the big forward from there. The conversion was good from Connor Robinson, and Doncaster brought it back to 14-6.
The Eagles kicked it long from kick off, and it looked like Doncaster had made a mess of things at the back, letting the ball bobble around before it was picked up by Edene Gebbie.
Gebbie somehow managed to beat multiple defenders, powering his way out of tackles and slicing through the Eagles defence before offloading it to Harvey Horn for a lightning quick turnaround to this game.
The conversion is scored and in the blink of an eye the game is back within two points.
Looking to respond, a mistake from Doncaster gave the Eagles a penalty in the middle of the pitch, which, with some heavy carries, saw Corey Johnson reach his arm over the line and dot the ball down to give Sheffield some breathing space again. Aston scores the conversion, and ends the half at Eagles 20-12 Doncaster.
Early on in the second half, a spree of Doncaster penalties gave Sheffield possession in their opposition’s half, and some quick hands saw Kris Welham score right in the corner. The conversion was missed, making it 24-12.
A brilliant kick from Morgan Smith saw Gebbie fumble and Sheffield were in, great scramble defence from Doncaster stopped the try, but in delaying the play Alex Sutcliffe of Doncaster was shown a yellow card. Eagles chose to go for the points. The penalty was converted by Aston and the Eagles lead 26-12.
With Sheffield dominating the game twenty minutes in, a rare spell of possession for Doncaster resulted in a fumble at the back from the Eagles, handing Connor Robinson the ball on the try line to score against the run of play. The conversion was scored, and Sheffield’s lead was cut to 26-18.
Regaining some confidence after that try, Doncaster redoubled their efforts to get back into the game, but in their attempts to attack, a mistake saw the Eagles come away with the ball. From one end to the other in a flash, Titus Gwaze finished a lightning quick breakaway try, which was converted by Aston, giving Sheffield some breathing space once again. 32-18.
Ten minutes to go now, and Doncaster did not help themselves, a simple knock-on on their five meter line gave Sheffield possession in a dangerous position which they capitalised on, Gwaze grabbing his second of the game. Aston converts once again and it is 38-18 to the Eagles.
Only five minutes remaining, and Sheffield are enjoying themselves. Stretching the Doncaster defence left and right, a delightful kick behind the defensive line gave Welham a simple finish, dotting down for his second of the game, and, after another successful conversion, making it 44-18 to the Eagles.
A knock-on from Doncaster in the final minute really summed up their day, with the turnover in possession allowing James Glover to score with the final play of the game, and with the conversion from Aston, made it 50-18 to Sheffield Eagles, crowning a five star display over their South Yorkshire rivals.
A story of Sheffield Eagles dominance, their unrelenting pressure resulted in Doncaster giving away too many penalties, turning over possession too often and handing the Eagles too many opportunities to score, which they were clinical with.
Craig Lingard can take many positives away from this game, ending their poor run of form in style and turning over their rivals.
This sees them progress to the next round of the 1985 cup, where they have been drawn against Bradford Bulls away from home, a fixture which will be sure to be a challenge.
Final score: Sheffield Eagles 50-18 Doncaster RLFC
