Doncaster RLFC seal ten-try haul in straightforward win at Swinton

The Lions were a better side than the one beaten heavily in South Yorkshire but once again they couldn’t live with the Dons’ power and pace. Not that the Dons were at their best. They will need to be better during the run-in if they are to overcome the challenges of the likes of Barrow and Oldham.

The Dons took an early lead when winger Buretta Faraimo, who celebrated his 36th birthday in midweek, touched down in the corner following some slick handling along the line in the Swinton 20. Connor Robinson added the extras.

The visitors continued to make the running with Muzzi Mustapha showing up well, and it came as no surprise when centre James Glover, who will probably never score an easier try, touched down on ten minutes to make it 10-0. There could have been more points had hooker Greg Burns been able to find support after splitting the Swinton defence.

The Lions came more into the game and came close to scoring out wide on 16 minutes. Prop Brad Knowles went close following a determined run when the Dons returned to the attack. Skipper Cory Aston then found Luis Johnson close to the line but the second-rower lost the ball in the tackle a metre out.

Aston had better luck when providing the scoring pass for centre Watson Boas to score from close range on 27 minutes. Robinson’s conversion extended the Dons’ lead to 16-0.

Swinton suffered a blow when stand-off Reece Briers limped off. But with Tom Ratchford continuing to pose problems with his running and distribution, they remained on the attack and it needed a try-saving tackle by full-back Tom Holmes to halt former Super League winger Patrick Ah Van who had brushed a couple of defenders aside after being put away by full-back Loui Roberts.

They were threatening again when Faraimo intercepted a pass close to his own line and took play to the halfway line before being stopped. The Dons stayed on the attack with Johnson touching down near enough for Robinson to secure his side a 22-0 interval lead which could have been even more emphatic had loose-forward Loui McConnell held on to a try-scoring pass by Aston.

Holmes made a trademark break for the Dons prior to Roberts making an even better run down the left for Swinton during an exciting start to the second half.

A dropped pass in midfield led to Mustapha racing in from over 35m out. With Robinson again tagging on the conversion the Dons led 28-0.

Things got even better for Richard Horne’s side when Glover touched down for another converted try after the Lions failed to deal with a kick to the line a couple of minutes later.

Glover had rather more to do to complete his hat-trick as the Dons continued to pile up the points. Despite the scoreline Swinton were not about to throw in the towel and would surely have banked their first points had the speedy Roberts picked out the right support when breaking through. A storming run by the impressive Suaia Matagi laid the foundations for a second try by Boas.

Holmes got away only to trip after rounding the last line of defence. The Lions’ joy was short-lived, however, as Matagi charged over at pace to bring up the half-century.

Faraimo kept the scoreboard ticking over, rewarding some neat handling when powering his way over for a second try on 78 minutes - though there did look to be more than a hint of a forward pass. Hooker Isaac Misky was sent-off for the second game in succession at the death.

Match Facts

Performance: 7/10

Entertainment: 7/10

Dons: Holmes, Faraimo, Boas, Glover, Briscoe, Aston, Robinson, Knowles, Burns, Matagi, J. Jones, Johnson, Mustapha, Subs: Smeaton, Misky, McConnell, Whitehead. 18th man: Pauli.