Sheffield Tigers were narrowly beaten 48-42 by Ipswich in a Premiership fixture on Monday, though the Tigers still claimed the aggregate point (93-87) and moved to the brink of securing a play-off place. Sheffield were forced to operate rider replacement for injured number one Jack Holder and conceded two 5-1 maximums early on, but fought back to keep the match tight until Ipswich edged a last-heat decider.

Danny King top-scored for Ipswich with 13, well supported by Tobiasz Musielak (12+2) and Adam Ellis (8+1), while Leon Flint led Sheffield's reply with 11, ahead of Josh Pickering (10+1) and Jye Etheridge (8+3), the latter pair combining for heat advantages during the middle stages. Team manager Simon Stead praised his side's effort despite the defeat, saying they "attacked the meeting brilliantly" and built momentum. Sheffield now need only to beat Northampton at home on Wednesday 10 September to mathematically confirm their play-off spot.