It’s Round 7 of the Betfred Championship and the round kicks off with a battle of the undefeated between high-fliers Sheffield Eagles and Wakefield Trinity.
In arguably the stand out tie of the weekend, the top two will go head-to-head at Olympic Legacy Park on Friday night, but who will continue their winning streak, and who will succumb to their first defeat of the 2024 season?
Both sides are an impressive six wins from six, with Trinity having scored only two more points than the Eagles. With this Round 7 clash set to be a thriller, Olympic Legacy Park could be heading for a sell-out crowd.
As both teams are going strong, the Eagles have named an unchanged 21-man squad, whilst Trinity make just one change – Myles Lawford comes into the team to replace Harvey Smith.
It will also be a reunion for head coaches Mark Aston and Daryl Powell as the former Sheffield half-back pairing go up against each other - both determined to remain unbeaten.
On Saturday it’s a trip to West Yorkshire for Toulouse who face Dewsbury Rams at the FLAIR Stadium. The Rams come into this game on the back of four straight losses and have recently announced the resignation of head coach Dale Ferguson, with Paul March taking over the role until the end of the 2024 season.
Their opponents, Toulouse, also come into this game on the back of a loss to current league leaders Wakefield, as three late tries cost the French side following their valiant effort.
Toulouse have failed to find any real consistency and are yet to register consecutive wins in 2024. They have won the previous five meetings against Dewsbury however, and quite comfortably too.
Can March work his magic for the Rams, or will Toulouse triumph?
On Sunday York Knights will welcome Whitehaven to the LNER Community Stadium as they look to make it back-to-back home wins. There was little to separate the two sides last year - Haven pipping both the home and away fixtures by just two points.
The Knights have only managed to record one win so far this season but have come close on a number of occasions. With Haven on the back foot having lost their last four matches, will York be able to capitalise?
Meanwhile, Featherstone Rovers will take on a struggling Halifax Panthers and are seeking a fourth straight win, whereas ‘Fax are looking to avoid a fourth straight loss.
The Panthers have struggled in the opening rounds and have managed to secure just two wins out of six so far. They have won the last two meetings against the Rovers however, so will Liam Finn's men be able to make it three?
Elsewhere, Swinton have enjoyed a much better start in 2024 and could be on for their third consecutive win in Round 7.
The Lions will host Eamon O’Carroll’s Bulls, who have won their last eight away meetings against the Swinton opposition. Bradford will also be looking to bounce straight back from their devastating defeat to Widnes last Sunday, as they continue to cement their place in the top six.
Widnes, who will be boosted by their emphatic victory last weekend, are in action at home to Doncaster. The Vikings will be hoping to take the two points on offer in order to keep up with Wakefield and Sheffield at the top of the Championship table.
Doncaster, who are level on points with both Bradford and Swinton will also look to climb the league ladder even further, as the newly-promoted continue to impress.
The sides have already met once this year in Round 3 of the Betfred Challenge Cup, with the Vikings winning 50-16.
Finally, there is a clash in Cumbria as Barrow Raiders take on Batley. The Bulldogs have already tasted victory in Cumbria once this year when they travelled over to Whitehaven, and will be raring to go after their first home win against York in Round 6.
Barrow are back at home following a heavy defeat to a strong Sheffield outfit last weekend, but who will come out on top in Sunday's game?
Betfred Championship Round 7 fixtures:
Sheffield Eagles v Wakefield Trinity
Dewsbury Rams v Toulouse Olympique
York Knights v Whitehaven RLFC
Featherstone Rovers v Halifax Panthers
Swinton Lions v Bradford Bulls
Widnes Vikings v Doncaster RLFC
Barrow Raiders v Batley Bulldogs
The full fixture list for the Betfred Championship and all of the relevant information and kick-off times can be found here.
Photo Credit: Wakefield Trinity
