Round 15 of the Betfred Championship gets underway with a Cumbrian derby on Sunday at 2pm as Barrow Raiders travel to Derwent Park to take on Workington Town.
The home side went into Round 14 in a buoyant mood following their first win of the season which came over London, but a sobering 46-0 loss at the hands of Batley means they still linger at the bottom of the table - results elsewhere did go their way though, and a win could potentially drag them out of the relegation zone.
Rivals Barrow enjoyed a fine outing on the weekend - a comfortable 44-4 win against Widnes has given them breathing room from the teams below in their hunt for a play-off place. Paul Crarey's men were electric - a brace from Jarrod Sammut helped them on their way, while Tee Ritson also ended his unwanted four-game streak of no tries with a brilliant double.
The next game of Round 15 sees Batley Bulldogs host Newcastle Thunder. Two comfortable wins in a row against Workington and Whitehaven got the Bulldogs back on track after a heavy defeat against Leigh, and they’ve moved back up to fourth after rivals Halifax were defeated.
Newcastle remain in tenth after a third loss on the bounce, with Sheffield Eagles proving too much to handle last time out despite a strong second-half performance from Thunder. The Tyneside outfit have never actually beaten Batley, and will need a strong performance against an in-form side to rectify that this weekend.
About two miles away, Dewsbury Rams host London Broncos in a clash with huge stakes. The Broncos ran out 36-12 victors when the sides met in the capital last month, with both sides now desperate to put an end to their respective losing streaks.
The hosts suffered a 18-26 home defeat to fellow strugglers Whitehaven last time out, meaning that the Rams are now dangling above the relegation zone by a thread – a win this weekend would of course keep those below them at arm’s length once again, but London Broncos will be keen to make sure that doesn’t happen.
The Broncos were agonisingly close to pulling off a shock defeat away to York on the weekend – an impressive first half saw them lead comfortably at the break, but the play-off hopefuls won it late on after a thrilling second half.
It’s 7th vs 8th in the Steel City as Sheffield Eagles host Bradford Bulls. The two sides are level on points after both winning two of their last three games, and will be looking to close the gap on those in the play-off spots, with the hosts having played a game less.
The Eagles have won the last two meetings between them, including a 14-28 victory at Odsal in Round 2 back in February.
It could be a momentous day for Quentin Laulu-Togaga’e, who is one appearance from making it 200 for Sheffield Eagles following his return to the club.
Bradford were on the end of a heavy defeat to Featherstone last time out – can they bounce back and leapfrog their opponents into seventh?
Elsewhere, Whitehaven welcome Halifax Panthers to the LEL Arena after picking up a vital win away to Dewsbury last week. The Cumbrian side have managed to separate themselves from the relegation scrap for now, and sit four points ahead of twelfth place.
Whitehaven have only won one of their last ten meetings with Halifax – a 19-6 victory towards the back-end of last season.
The Panthers will take some confidence from their one-sided head-to-head record against their opponents, but they may still be licking their wounds from a 36-0 loss on the weekend – Halifax were well beaten by a dominant Leigh side and slipped down to fifth place.
Sunday’s Betfred Championship action comes to a close on Merseyside, with Widnes Vikings hosting York City Knights.
The hosts were beaten heavily in Round 14 – a 44-4 defeat away to Barrow Raiders has left Widnes off the pace in ninth, now four points behind Bradford and Sheffield, who they were level on points with just a few weeks ago.
The Vikings failed to capitalise on their dominant win against Whitehaven in Round 11, and have lost their last three. A new era is on the horizon for Widnes who have confirmed John Kear as their next permanent head coach, but his reign doesn’t get underway until July.
York remain third after responding to their loss against Halifax with consecutive wins, including a narrow victory over London Broncos last time out – the Knights were 6-18 down at the interval, but a ruthless showing in the second half saw them score thirty points to secure a big win.
We round things off with an absolute cracker on Monday night – Leigh Centurions host Featherstone Rovers in a top-of-the-table showdown, live on Premier Sports.
Only a point separates the two sides at the top of the Betfred Championship, with Featherstone getting the better of Leigh when they met in Round 2, but Leigh settled a score at Tottenham by taking home the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup.
The hosts haven’t dropped a single point since their defeat to Featherstone at the start of the season, in fact, their only loss in that time came at the hands of Betfred Super League outfit Hull KR.
The Centurions’ relentless form has not only made them an irresistible watch, but almost impossible to overlook – one would argue that no one wants to play them right now, but you can guarantee it’s a fixture that Brian McDermott and his men will be relishing.
Featherstone sit atop the division for a reason – an outstanding side that have had no issues with putting teams to the sword all season long. They remain the only team in the Betfred Championship yet to suffer defeat this year and have scored more points than anyone else, thanks in part to the division’s joint-top try scorer Ryley Jacks and the top points-scorer in Craig Hall.
It’s not quite winner takes all yet, but both sides will want to make a statement – someone will find themselves sitting pretty at the top of the league come Tuesday and in the driving seat as we approach the business end of the season.
Can Rovers avenge their Tottenham heartbreak and extend their lead at the top of the division, or will the Leythers send a message across the Pennines?
Betfred Championship Round 15 Fixtures
Sunday:
- Workington Town vs Barrow Raiders - 14:00
- Batley Bulldogs vs Newcastle Thunder - 15:00
- Dewsbury Rams vs London Broncos - 15:00
- Sheffield Eagles vs Bradford Bulls - 15:00
- Whitehaven vs Halifax Panthers - 15:00
- Widnes Vikings vs York City Knights - 15:00
Monday:
Leigh Centurions vs Featherstone Rovers - 19:45, live on Premier Sports
