With the Betfred Championship season coming to an end, the play-off race is still wide open, so the T&A are back with a Monday morning ‘state of play’ round up.
We start of course, with the Bradford Bulls….
SHEFFIELD 12 BRADFORD 30
A scrappy affair down in South Yorkshire yesterday, but it was Bulls who produced the moments of quality when it mattered.
Leading by just eight points with 10 minutes to go following Matty Marsh’s converted try, two late efforts by Jorge Taufua gave the scoreline some gloss for the visitors.
It keeps them third, a point behind Toulouse, but their position looks extra-healthy given favourable results elsewhere yesterday.
They will seal a spot in the top-six with a win at home to Batley on Sunday.
Sheffield remain in the play-off places by the tightest of margins, as they lead Featherstone on points scored only.
SWINTON 28 FEATHERSTONE 8
It has been a poor season for Featherstone by their standards, but they had appeared to be hitting form at the right time, and looked primed to give anyone a good fight, even runaway league leaders Wakefield, in the play-offs.
But they collapsed at relegation-battling Swinton in remarkable fashion yesterday, throwing away an early lead to lose heavily.
That result handed the Lions their first league double over Fev since the 1960s and it leaves Rovers in seventh and JUST outside the play-offs with three games to go.
WIDNES 6 YORK 12
It was a great afternoon for the Knights in Cheshire yesterday, a tense away win allowing them to shoot above Sheffield and Featherstone into fifth.
They have recovered from a dreadful start to the campaign superbly, and few would bet against them making the end of season play-offs now.
That result leaves Widnes in fourth, three points behind Bradford, and it now looks to be a straight fight between Bulls and Toulouse for second spot.
Whoever gets that will join Wakefield in getting a bye through the first round of the play-offs, and an automatic home semi-final.
BARROW 24 TOULOUSE 36
Three straight defeats in August had left Toulouse at the mercy of the chasing pack, but they got back on track by beating Sheffield last Saturday, then followed that up by downing Barrow in Cumbria this weekend.
They wobbled in the second half, as their 22-point lead at the break was chipped away at, but they claimed the two points with couple of converted tries to spare.
As mentioned above, it puts them in pole position for that coveted second spot, with Bulls now their only realistic challengers for that berth.
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