EDF Junior Vase

West Leeds 26 Doncaster Phonenix 27

(Includes Video)

Doncaster Phoenix travelled to Yorkshire 3 counterparts at Blue Hill Lane and recorded a 27-26 victory which sees them through to the last four of the competition and 80 minutes from Twickenham, as we speak Iain Lovell, Dave Townend, Dave Senior, Billy Farley, Will Hircock are looking to regain fitness to look to stake a place for the next game on 15th March.

The squad remained much the same as previous weeks with no noticeable changes and the impression of Smit’s on bus quiz settling down the nerves on the journey their – his style certainly is a new take on Anne Robinson! – despite Millar’s newly formed association with the Greenslade’s.

The conditions on the day were a pitch that suited the visitors but for the perpendicular gale blowing across the pitch making life difficult for both sides.

It was Phoenix who started the liveliest and opened the days scoring after receiving the ball and attacking down the right hand wing. From an emerging scrum Germain picked the ball from thirty yards out and charged up the wing to be hauled short yards out. From the ensuing ruck Elliot popped the ball to Morris who sprung like one of Barnes Wallace’s bombs to crash over from short range. Millar further delighted the Phoenix support with a cracking touch line conversion to make it 7-0 after five minutes.

Phoenix maintained their early dominance and the better of the next early exchanges with the backs being put in positions where a strong Leeds defence kept them at bay.

Having weathered the storm it was now the home side to take the upper hand and utilise their driving pack linked with their backs to take the dominance this resulted in their first try on left after stretching the visiting defence to reduce the deficit to two.

With them gaining the ascendancy and Phoenix guilty of being impetuous defence they then took the lead after a forward back combination and some sloppy Phoenix defence that allowed them to go over to the right of the sticks with the Number 8 converting for a 12-7 lead which is how it remained to the break.

On the turn round it was the visitors who again started the stronger with Warhorse Longworth leading the way from the front with Elliot linking to the backs that allowed them to apply the pressure. After ten minutes this interplay paid off when Phoenix went over courtesy of top try scorer Morris bagging his brace for the day and Millar banging over the points for Phoenix to regain the lead.

Interchanges were then even for the next few minutes but spirits were dampened when Oakley went high on the centre and was yellow carded for his efforts. However the visitors countered the initial onslaught from the reduction they countered superbly when the under pressure Morris picked from a receding scrum broke the defence and scampered at pace down the middle to pop to the supporting Elliot who then charged off to the left to go over in the corner, the best response you could ask for and a score line of 19-12 in favour of the visitors.

With the home side eager to make amends and in a mid field encounter the referee was then left with no option after the home side 2nd row high tackled (by the collar) a Phoenix player and was left with no option but a reciprocal card.

With the sides now even Phoenix maintained their slight dominance and some slick interchanges in the backs saw Brookfied twenty out take the switch which he then charged in (away from the posts! –much to Knightie’s dismay!) to increase the lead to 24-12.

With the home side sensing they need to reply they did respond accordingly and pressures the Phoenix try line and as a result of strong loose play their scrum half evaded some loose defence to go over to ensure a tight match.

Phoenix then applied the killer blow when they were awarded a penalty 35 out of which Millar coolly stepped up and knocked over the sweetest of penalties to ensure a 27-19 lead and a resulting 2 score requirement with minutes remaining.

Not to say that West Leeds weren’t up to the challenge and ended with early pressure but Millar’s kick was fatal and despite a converted try on the death Millar’s boot had secured the chance for Phoenix to ascend to Twickenham.

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