Match Reports 14th-15th March 2026

SCUNTHORPE 31 – SHEFFIELD 55 

Scunthorpe entertained top of the table Sheffield who were coming into the game with a 100%-win record in National 2 North.

This game didn’t quite live up to the spectacle that was on show in Paris later in the day, but it was an extremely entertaining affair that saw Tim Robinson’s men give the South Yorkshire outfit a run for their money.

Sheffield started in the manner they have been used to and after a series of penalties at six minutes they were on the scoreboard, it was their try machine Christian Hooper who finished off a flowing move on 6 minutes with a try converted by Callum Posa.

Sheffield scored another try two minutes later almost from the kick off, they went left with the overlap, the left wing Hooper went down his flank, passed inside to Felix Crapper who scored under the posts, Posa converted Scunthorpe 0 Sheffield 14.

Sheffield were on fire and things were looking very ominous for the home side and their supporters.

Suddenly The Greens kicked into gear and in the space of eleven minutes they scored three tries.

From the kick-off, Scunthorpe managed to get the ball they rumbled on, Sheffield gave away a penalty and from the quick tap and good ball retention eventually Olly Arnold secured the ball and drove over, Will Dark converted 7:14.

In 17 minutes a piece of sublime skill and execution saw Jack Murr score an unbelievable individual try, he received the ball in midfield on the halfway line, he dodged and weaved his way through several defenders, threw an outlandish dummy to a Sheffield player, beat another three players before scoring underneath the posts to rapturous applause from both sides, Will Dark converted and surprisingly, though justifiably so, Scunthorpe were level at 14-14.

Marcus Payne then scored the third in ten, this also came from a penalty to Scunthorpe, once again, they moved the ball wide, then they kept banging away at the resolute defence and eventually Payne drove over to score, Will Dark missed the conversion as The Greens nudged into the lead at 19-14 much to the surprise of all in attendance.

The shell-shocked Sheffield boys were not done and quickly rallied to get their very efficient game plan back on track. They too ran in three tries in 11 minutes as their power and pace really put Scunthorpe to the sword to take a 19-33 lead with half time looming.

However, Scunthorpe were not done as Laurence Pearce back in his old back row berth was replaced with Rory Rendal-Tyrell.

Just before half time James Dyson picked up from No8 and went blind, Joey Mowbray made good ground, the perfect pass put Lewis Talbot in space on the 22 and he raced into score in the corner, Will Dark  missed the extra two as The Greens went into halftime in the unexpected position of being only nine points behind at 24-33, not only that but they secured their bonus point try within forty minutes. 

The Sheffield coach must have given his side a rocket during the interval because they came out all fired up and scored within a minute of the restart, it was that man Hooper again and he showed why he is the league’s top finisher, Sheffield stretched the lead to 24-38.

Scunthorpe were not done and came back yet again showing real guts and resilience. It was another of the club’s home-grown talent Dan Longden who scored this time, it came from another penalty to Scunthorpe, and they shunned the kick to the corner and opted to run the ball, the ball went along the line, and the young student Longden cut a beautiful angle straight through the defence and under the posts, Will Dark converted and the Greens were now in losing bonus point territory.

This was an epic performance for the Lincolnshire underdogs but with still half an hour to go there was a lot to do, gradually Sheffield’s physicality and fitness began to show through, Scunthorpe to a man had tackled their hearts out and defended valiantly but unfortunately the tank was empty as the league leaders cruised away to score three further tries, Hooper claiming his hattrick to seal the victory at 31-55.

As the full-time whistle blew one would have thought that the Scunthorpe boys had won the game with the amount of celebrating.

However, it was fully justified as the players showed much resolve, working as a team, against the odds, matching their opponents man for man for an hour in this game.

Here is one for the stats: Scunthorpe are the only team in this league to cross the Sheffield try line five times in a game, something that all those connected to this great club are very proud of.

If Scunthorpe can take this form into next week’s visit to Billingham on the artificial pitch, then anything could happen!

Match Report written by Steve Williams

MOM –