Twists and turns continued in the Betfred Championship Round 5 this weekend…
‘Fax were on fire as they maintained their unbeaten start to the 2025 Championship competition, with a nine-try haul over Batley.
Halifax were ruthless in attack and hit half a century through six different try scorers, with Ben Crooks, James Woodburn-Hall and Panthers’ current top try scorer Ben Tibbs all bagging braces.
It was another memorable afternoon for Doncaster as they held on to win against a formidable Toulouse on home soil.
Richard Horne’s men fell behind early on after a spell of Toulouse pressure, but a late first half revival saw the Dons go level at the break courtesy of Luke Briscoe’s 36th-minute try.
The sides were then evenly matched throughout the second half, but Bureta Faraimo’s match-winner 12 minutes from time ensured the Dons clinched an important victory.
London Broncos returned the winning ways with a strong win over a struggling Hunslet.
The Broncos raced into a 16-0 lead in the first forty, but had to work hard in the second half, as Hunslet kept them scoreless until the closing ten minutes.
Likewise, Bradford Bulls bounced back with a nine-try display against fellow Championship heavyweights Featherstone in a fiesty affair - which included a Kieran Gill hat trick.
Then, a Liam Harris-inspired York secured back-to-back wins for the first time in 2025 with a compelling victory in Cumbria.
After a competitive first half, the Knights led by 6 going in at half time, with two tries from Harris, and a try from Barrow's Ryan Johnston, converted by Brad Walker.
Mark Applegarth's men then took control of the game in the second half, with tries from Ben Jones-Bishop, Jesse Dee, Jude Ferreira, and a third from Harris meaning the Knights could secure a strong win, despite another Barrow try from Ellis Robson.
Finally, Oldham were victorious on the road for the first time in 2025 as they defeated Sheffield.
Betfred Championship Round 5 results:
London Broncos 26 Hunslet 6
Doncaster 10 Toulouse Olympique 6
Barrow Raiders 12 York Knights 36
Halifax Panthers 50 Batley Bulldogs 6
Featherstone Rovers 24 Bradford Bulls 48
Sheffield Eagles 8 Oldham 20
It’s a break away from the Betfred Championship action next weekend as the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Quarter-Finals take place. Fixture information can be found here.
The full fixture list for the Betfred Championship can be found here.
Photo Credit: Doncaster
