Pre-Season Friendlies Round-Up (20-21 January)

More teams were in action this weekend ahead of the upcoming Rugby League campaigns, where a set of enticing pre-season fixtures took place in adverse weather conditions across the country. 

Youthful St Helens and Wigan Warriors sides were in action at the weekend, with Saints hosting Betfred Championship outfit Swinton Lions at the Totally Wicked Stadium. 

Fans were able to see a glimpse of the future as a young Saints side took to the field in what was their first run out of 2024, but an experienced Swinton would go on to triumph in the end. 

It was also a valiant effort from the Wigan Warriors outfit that travelled to face Betfred League One’s Midlands Hurricanes on Sunday. The reigning Betfred Super League Champions were put to the test against a spirited Hurricanes, in a scoring affair between the two sides. 

Two tries in quick succession would put the Warriors ahead at the break and although the Midlands would go on to regain the lead at the start of the second half, Wigan overcame this with two more back-to-back tries. 

In the final attack of the game, the Hurricanes would finish on a high as Sam Bowring burst through the middle to score. The extras were added and this would bring the final scores to 20-24, with Wigan only just holding on to a hard-fought victory. 

Meanwhile, Halifax continued their form when they travelled to neighbours Keighley, grinding out a 16-6 win. 

Huddersfield Giants also enjoyed a 36-0 win over Dewsbury - their first fixture of 2024 and one week after their pre-season camp in Spain. It was a special and poignant day at the FLAIR Stadium on Sunday, as the Rush brothers, Giants’ Kieran and match official Liam both took to field in front of their proud family members - as requested earlier on in the week. 

Doncaster then handed a number of non-competitive debuts to their high-profile signings in their pre-season fixture against Hull FC. This included England international Reece Lyne, former Hull man Craig Hall and fiery forward Pauli Pauli. The Dons went toe to toe with the Super League outfit, as fans witnessed a flurry of tries on the day, but the top tier side would prove too strong in the end. 

All eyes would turn to Castleford Tigers v London Broncos at the weekend, and it was all square at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle when the Broncos travelled to the Tigers, where an even contest took place. 

Both teams had named a strong squad to face one another, highlighting a potential taste of what’s to come when they play each other in the Betfred Super League later on this year. 

The Tigers would lead 14-6 at the break, with halfback and playmaker Danny Richardson making his comeback from injury in front of a home crowd. But Broncos’ Oliver Leyland and new recruit Hakim Miloudi would hit back, where a scrappy encounter between last year’s survivors and the newly promoted would end in a deserved draw. 

Over at Craven Park, Barrow sealed a third consecutive win in their series of pre-season fixtures. Heading into their AB Sundecks 1895 Cup next week, the Raiders have wins over Rochdale, North Wales Crusaders and Hunslet firmly under their belts, and will have confidence and momentum on their side.

Elsewhere two derbies matches were postponed at the weekend, with a frozen pitch preventing Rochdale v Oldham from going ahead, and adverse weather conditions in Cumbria resulting in Workington Town v Whitehaven being cancelled and set to be rescheduled at a later date.

Full results from this weekend’s pre-season fixtures:

St Helens 18-28 Swinton Lions

Midlands Hurricanes 20-24 Wigan Warriors

Keighley Cougars 6-16 Halifax Panthers

Dewsbury Rams 0-36 Huddersfield Giants

Doncaster RLFC 24-42 Hull FC 

Castleford Tigers 14-14 London Broncos

Barrow Raiders 16-6 Hunslet RLFC

Rochdale Hornets v Oldham RLFC (postponed) 

Workington Town v Whitehaven RLFC (postponed)

There are more pre-season fixtures taking place this weekend and fans can find all the relevant information and kick-off times over in the Rugby League Match Centre.

The First Round of the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup competition also gets underway at the weekend, and all the relevant fixtures information can be found here.