Championship round-up: Featherstone Rovers continue impressive start after Batley Bulldogs suffer second straight defeat

Rovers ran in 14 tries in a thoroughly one-sided affair and have now, ominously for the rest of the Championship, scored an impressive 172 points in their opening three games.

It didn’t take them long to open the scoring as Joey Leilua burst through a gap after only four minutes.

Two quick-fire tries from Thomas Lacans and Craig Kopczak gave Sean Long’s men an 18-0 lead after only 11 minutes. They were pegged back by Josh Rourke’s effort. But normal service was soon to resume as John Davies scored. There was still time for McKenzie Yei and Riley Dean to extend the lead before the half-time hooter.

The second half was the Gareth Gale show as the winger scored a terrific hat-trick, with Leilua grabbing his second. Jack Bussey, Connor Jones, Caleb Aikens and Luke Briscoe completed the rout.

On Friday night, Batley Bulldogs suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Sheffield Eagles. Anthony Thackeray, Vila Halafihi, Jesse Sene-Lefao, Ross Oakes, Ben Jones-Bishop and Aaron Murphy all got on the try sheet in a 36-0 victory.

24 hours later, Toulouse beat York City Knights by the same scoreline in France.

In the other Championship games on Sunday, the remaining three West Yorkshire teams recorded victories. At Odsal, Bradford Bulls edged past Widnes, 18-16. A few miles down the road at The Shay, Halifax Panthers beat a spirited London Broncos 26-18, while newly-promoted Keighley Cougars got their first points of the season thanks to a 44-24 triumph over Newcastle Thunder.

Swinton Lions, on the back of their comeback victory at Batley last weekend, got their second successive win after beating Barrow Raiders 20-18.