It’s Round 6 of the Betfred Championship and it all starts on Saturday when current league leaders Wakefield Trinity host Toulouse Olympique at the DIY Kitchens Stadium.
It’s a return home for Trinity who haven’t played on home soil since Round 1, as they take on French side Toulouse Olympique and will look to make it six from six.
The sides last met in the Betfred Super League and have only met four times in history, where it’s currently two apiece. Most memorably, Toulouse forged an impressive comeback at the 2022 Magic Weekend to beat Wakefield 38-26, so the home side cannot afford to be complacent this time around.
Toulouse will also be boosted by their first home win in Round 5 and will now look to go back-to-back. But who will come out on top in this fiery Championship outing?
There’s a bumper Sunday of action when Batley Bulldogs take on York Knights at the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium. Both teams are level on points in the league table, with York having recorded their first win of 2024 last weekend.
A win for the Knights would see them overtake Batley, but a win for the hosts could see Mark Moxon’s men move to as high as sixth.
The Bulldogs are yet to experience a home win this year, so will be hoping to give their fans something to celebrate come Sunday, whereas York will be looking to make it two from two and kick-start their season.
The two newly-promoted sides will meet in Round 6 when Doncaster are at home to Dewsbury. Both emerged victorious on their home patches in last year's Betfred League One, and last time out the Rams went on the lift the league trophy at the Eco-Power Stadium, despite their defeat.
The two points on offer are crucial for both sides, as they will be determined to avoid that bottom two.
Sheffield Eagles produced the goods last weekend with a nilling over Halifax Panthers to maintain a 100% winning start. They will look to keep this up when they play hosts to Barrow Raiders in Round 6, but the Raiders will be looking to bounce back from their heavy defeat to the Dons.
Mark Aston’s men completed the double over Barrow last year and will be aiming for another win as they continue to compete at the top of the Championship competition.
Halifax will have to dust themselves down quickly and go again when they welcome Swinton Lions to town.
‘Fax were heavily beaten last weekend on their home patch by Sheffield, so will be doing everything they can to prevent a reoccurrence of this.
The Lions will be boosted by their big win over Dewsbury Rams last weekend and will be hoping to replicate something similar in Round 6.
Bradford Bulls will be out for vengeance on Sunday, as York Knights put them to the sword in Round 5. Bartercard Odsal should see a thrilling clash unfold between Bradford and visitors Widnes Vikings, as these two Championship heavyweights look to climb the league ladder.
Widnes suffered their first loss of the season last Sunday, as they fell short to Featherstone despite a second half comeback. They will be keen to returning to winning ways sooner rather than later, as the Championship table hots up.
The sides have already met once this year in Round 4 of the Betfred Challenge Cup with Widnes beating Bradford 12-26 away at Odsal. Can they repeat this emphatic win?
Six teams currently sit on four league points from 6th to 11th, meaning that anybody has the opportunity to move as high as fourth place.
One of these teams in the mix is Whitehaven, who will be hoping to keep up their fine home form in 2024.
Jonty Gorley’s men have won three out of four matches at the LEL Arena this year and will take on Featherstone Rovers in Round 6, who have won on their last nine visits to Haven.
The Rovers were responsible for ending Widnes' winning streak last Sunday and should look to continue this momentum when they pay a visit to Cumbria this weekend.
Betfred Championship Round 6 fixtures:
Wakefield Trinity v Toulouse Olympique
Batley Bulldogs v York Knights
Doncaster RLFC v Dewsbury Rams
Sheffield Eagles v Barrow Raiders
Halifax Panthers v Swinton Lions
Bradford Bulls v Widnes Vikings
Whitehaven RLFC v Featherstone Rovers
The full fixture list for the Betfred Championship and all of the relevant information and kick-off times can be found here.
Photo Credit: Doncaster RLFC
