Featherstone 30 Dewsbury 32: Featherstone lose top-four spot as Rams gain league revenge

They outscored Dewsbury six tries to five but missed kicks proved costly with centre Paul Sykes kicking only three goals.

Half-backs Anthony Thackeray and Brett Seymour led Dewsbury’s fightback as they avenged a home defeat against Rovers earlier this season.

Thackeray scored two tries and Seymour landed six goals from six kicks as the Rams inflicted Featherstone’s sixth home defeat of the campaign.

Rovers looked set to follow their 37-18 mid-week win at Bradford with a fifth straight victory when they dominated the first-half. Ian Hardman, Sykes and Jamie Cording sent in Ben Blackmore at the corner before Reni Maitua plunged over for Featherstone’s second try.

The hosts did well to survive a spell of sustained Dewsbury pressure before Remy Marginet’s kick set up a try for Sykes.

Dewsbury hit back when a clever move involving Thackeray and Luke Adamson saw Toby Adamson score but Featherstone looked handily placed when Will Milner darted over from close range and Sykes added his second goal to put them 14 points ahead. Seymour kicked a penalty on the stroke of half-time to cut the gap and the visitors turned the game round in the second-half.

Thackeray bagged his first try and then put in Shane Grady.

The Rams snatched the lead when Aaron Brown stormed over.

Marginet and Hardman set up a try for Cording but Dewsbury struck a crucial blow when Thackeray intercepted Maitua’s pass and raced 80 yards to score.

Marginet’s converted try put Rovers only two points behind but they were reduced to 12 men when prop Ryan Verlinden was sin-binned for flattening Luke Adamson and the Rams held out.

Featherstone Rovers: Hardman; Blackmore, Sykes, Hitchcox, Sharp; Milner, Marginet; Baldwinson, Ellis, Verlinden, Cording, Maitua, Spears. Substitutes: England, Cooper, Foster, Bussey.

Dewsbury Rams: Fieldhouse; Morton, Grady, Walshaw, Pryce; Seymour, Thackeray; Hepworth, Wildie, Nash, Hale, L Adamson, Brown. Substitutes: Conroy, Smith, Farrell, T Adamson.

Referee: P Bentham (RFL).