Sheffield Tigers 30 Fylde 33: A show of steel brings another away win

The entertainment and commitment levels were as high as the altitude at Dore Moor, where Fylde outscored the hosts by five tries to three.

A bonus-point win kept the title race alive, although champions-elect Sedgley Park’s bonus point victory at the other Sheffield club means they need one win from two games for the title.

The Tigers kicked off down the slope, with the wind at their back, and regained the ball immediately before launching a wave of strong carries.

An early heavy collision left Fylde’s Ben Gregory unable to continue, meaning Sam Parker was straight off the bench and into the fray.

The very next play saw the heavier Tigers pack shove Fylde over their line with Tom Calladine dotting down and Mark Ireland converting.

Fylde gathered their collective breath before forcing their way up the slope and into the game.

It looked like Dave Fairbrother had grounded the ball on the line after 20 minutes, only to be deemed just short.

Nevertheless, it mattered not as the ball was recycled to Tom Grimes, who chipped through, regathered and touched down to leave Fylde 7-5 down.

Fylde then went ahead on 28 minutes as Fairbrother rampaged through three tacklers to force his way over.

Greg Smith’s excellent conversion gave Fylde the lead at 12-7 before Ireland landed a penalty right on half-time to put the home team within two points.

The second half started perfectly for Fylde as they increased their lead on 41 minutes.

Matt Garrod’s lineout take was moved along the backline and then switched back to the blindside for Grimes to break clear, draw the last man and send Connor Wilkinson under the posts.

Smith’s conversion made it 19-10 but Fylde were unable to find their ruthless streak and gave away too many penalties for offside or breakdown offences.

Ireland kicked two penalties to make the score 19-16 before a series of further offences allowed Sheffield to move forward and set up a catch-and-drive lineout on 63 minutes.

They duly rumbled over without fuss and Ireland’s conversion gave them the lead again at 23-19.

However, one of the home players celebrated the try in what was deemed as an unnecessarily excessive manner towards a Fylde defender, to the point they were awarded a penalty at the restart

Smith sent the penalty kick to within 10 yards of the line and, from the lineout, a backs move allowed Grimes to come inside and score a converted try for a 26-23 lead.

Fylde upped their collective effort with another lineout seeing Matt Ashcroft tidy up at the back before Fairbrother broke up the middle.

He sent the ball out for Grimes to score his hat-trick try with Smith’s conversion putting Fylde 33-23 up.

Sheffield rose to the challenge again with another catch-and-drive lineout seeing Will Bennett the last man up, Ireland converting for a Tigers team which fully deserved a losing bonus point.

Sheffield Tigers: Mellor, Taylor, Goatley, Broadley, Wager, Ireland, Holmes, Bennett, Archer (Townsend), Bingham (Meek), Redfern, Hawksworth (Cartwright), Scott, Hughes (Baldry), Calladine.

Fylde: Carleton, Dorrington, Wilkinson, Rawlings (Lanigan), Grimes, Smith, Potts, Bowker (Higgins), Gregory (Parker), Ashcroft, Parkinson, Garrod (Robinson), Harrison, Higginson, Fairbrother. Unused sub: Turner.