It’s Round 9 of the Betfred Championship this weekend and it’s all to play for as the table starts to look interesting…
Toulouse will be looking to make it three home wins on the spin when they welcome Widnes Vikings to Stade Ernest-Wallon on Saturday.
It’s an eagerly-anticipated clash in the south of France as the Vikings look to cement their place in the top two and claim their fourth consecutive win. The French side have won the last four meetings against Widnes but have struggled to find consistency in 2024, so expect a tight battle in the blistering heat.
On Sunday, Sheffield Eagles are in action against Dewsbury at the Olympic Legacy Park. Mark Aston will be looking for an immediate response from his Eagles side after they fell to defeat at Bradford last Sunday and slipped down to third in the league table. Meanwhile, bottom-placed Dewsbury are still searching for their second win of the season.
Halifax are at home in Round 9 and will host Doncaster. The newly-promoted Dons have managed to record four wins out of a possible eight in 2024 and will look to make it five when they make the trip to face a struggling Panthers.
Liam Finn’s men are undefeated in their last eight home meetings with Doncaster, but the sides have not met since 2015 – where a lot has changed during this time.
Over at the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium, Batley will entertain Bradford in an enticing West Yorkshire derby. The Bulls will already be boosted by their emphatic win over Sheffield last weekend, despite missing a number of their first choice players.
They will hope to continue this momentum as Eamon O'Carroll's side set their sights firmly on a Play-Off place, whereas Batley will look to bounce back from their nilling at Doncaster and climb away from teams at the lower end of the table.
A cracking contest awaits when Swinton take on York Knights at Heywood Road. The Lions might have lost out to Wakefield last weekend but matched their opponents for the majority of the game and have plenty of positives to take into Round 9.
York on the other hand, come into this game following a huge win over Halifax and having improved their performance in recent weeks. The Knights beat Swinton twice last year and will be looking to secure back-to-back wins on Sunday.
Finally, it’s respective trips to Cumbria for West Yorkshire clubs Featherstone and Wakefield this weekend. Fev will travel to Barrow where they have won their last ten away meetings there, while table toppers Trinity will visit Whitehaven for the first time since 1998, as they look to maintain their 100% winning streak.
Betfred Championship Round 9 fixtures:
Sheffield Eagles v Dewsbury Rams
Toulouse Olympique v Widnes Vikings
Halifax Panthers v Doncaster RLFC
Batley Bulldogs v Bradford Bulls
Whitehaven RLFC v Wakefield Trinity
Swinton Lions v York Knights
Barrow Raiders 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: Simon Hall
