Halifax thrash Leeds as 10-try Hawkins stars in Wheelchair Challenge Cup final
BBC Sport · C · trust 28/100
Tries: Hawkins 10, Brown 4, O'Neill Goals: Hawkins 16
Rob Hawkins scored 10 tries as Halifax Panthers thrashed Leeds Rhinos to earn their sixth Wheelchair Challenge Cup final triumph and retain the trophy.
The first half was dominated by Leeds' Josh Butler and Hawkins of Halifax, who both registered pairs of tries in a topsy-turvy opening period, while a flowing move allowed Hawkins dot down in the corner to complete his hat-trick.
The Panthers continued to pile on the pressure and Jack Brown completed a hat-trick of his own before half-time, while Hawkins scored his fourth try within seconds of the restart.
A free-scoring game continued as Butler bagged his third and fourth tries for Leeds either side of Brown's fourth and Finlay O'Neill scoring, with Hawkins bringing up his tally to 10 tries to wrap up a thumping final win.
Victory for Halifax was their second in succession having beaten London Broncos in last year's final, while they also won the first four editions of the competition from 2015 to 2018.
Three-times winners Leeds started brightly courtesy of some fine work from Butler, yet it was the combination of Hawkins and Brown that meant Halifax came back to build a 26-point lead at the break.
And that trio continued their dominance into the second half during a match which contained 19 tries in all.
Yet it was Hawkins in particular who had Leeds stunned, scoring 72 of Halifax's 92 points in a scintillating showing.
Halifax: Boardman, Hawkins, O'Neill, Calcott, Brown, Holmes, Horgan, Holt, Martin.
Leeds: Collins, J Butler, Mullhall, Norfolk, Boyd-Ward, Hills, Halliwell, F Butler, Smith.
Read the original at BBC Sport →
Open in TruthVane →