Sheffield Eagles 22 Batley Bulldogs 12: Rowe double completes Eagles fightback

Sheffield were stunned as Batley's Gareth Moore saw his chance from dummy half and cut through the Eagles' line from 20 metres for a try. The scrum-half added the goal. Paul Handforth and Moore were controlling the plays for Batley with the forwards blasting their way through the middle.

Prop Rowe came on for the Eagles and put in some impressive runs but the Bulldogs' defence was in a mean mood.

The Handforth-Moore combination almost sent in centre Danny Maun but the Eagles' line defence held.

At the other end the home side were taking a battering and the pressure told with prop Dave Tootill following up a kick to touchdown soon after he came off the bench. Moore added the goal.

Tootill almost got his second try but he was held up over the line and half-time saw Batley go in with a 12-0 lead.

Sheffield were a different team after the break. They got on the scoresheet with winger Ashley Thackeray going in at the corner. Then Danny Mills repeated the dose at the other flag with Lindsay kicking the goal.

Batley just could not get in the game and but it was not until the final five minutes that the Eagles took the lead with Rowe scoring his first try to put the Eagles ahead. The prop produced a similar blasting run to score his second try and Tangi Ropati added the goals.

Sheffield: Taulapapa, Thackeray Ropati, Yere, Barnett; Lindsay, McDonald; Hepworth, Cook, Haley; Szostak, Exton, Hirst, Substitutes: Groom, Green, Corcoran, Rowe.

Batley: Batley: Campbell; Greenwood, Maun, Toohey, Brown; Handforth, Moore; Smith, Lythe, Hesketh, Walton, Gallagher, Lindsay. Substitutes: Wood, Potter, Martin, Tootill

Referee: M Thomason (RFL).