The Betfred Championship made its return at the weekend, and here is a quick run-down of all the action…
Contenders Oldham made a strong start to their 2026 campaign with a 44-0 away success against local rivals Salford.
The Roughyeds had seven different try scorers on Friday night, with their squad’s experience helping them cruise to victory.
There was a big win for the Broncos on Sunday, with 4,380 fans in attendance for their Championship opener in the capital.
After a closely contested first half, Widnes Vikings were unable to stem the tide in the second half as London ran in 28 unanswered points to claim a convincing 44-12 victory at Plough Lane, and lay down a marker to the rest of the competition.
Meanwhile, Newcastle Thunder, who recently partnered with newly promoted Betfred Super League side York Knights, got off to a flying start as they banked their first win as a club since late 2023 (10-28).
It was a memorable afternoon for the Northeast side who defeated an aspiring Midlands Hurricanes outfit after 855 days without a win.
It was a Cumbrian Derby to forget for Workington Town, who were thumped by Barrow Raiders in Round 1 (40-0).
The third side from Cumbria, Whitehaven, fell short to Sheffield Eagles on home soil following a bruising battle (4-11).
Haven initially led after scoring 39 minutes in, before Kieran Gill’s quick fire double in the second half proved to be the difference, along with Jordan Lilley’s drop goal in the closing stages of the game.
Rochdale came from behind to beat Swinton in a gutsy affair (8-12), and across the Pennines it was Dewsbury, Doncaster and Keighley who came away with the two points in Round 1 – in the mistiest of conditions.
Jacob Hookem’s penalty kicks were vital in ensuring a Rams victory on the road against Hunslet (12-20), whilst the Dons kicked off their season with a narrow win over Halifax Panthers at the Eco-Power Stadium.
Tries from Reece Lyne and James Glover saw Richard Horne's side ahead in the first half, but the scores were level at the break as Ben Forster and David Nofoaluma managed to pull it back for the visitors.
But it was Connor Jones who found the try line for the hosts in the second half, and Cory Aston added a drop goal ten minutes from time to secure the points in their opening fixture (19-12).
Finally, Keighley started their season in style with a 32-18 win over Goole Vikings. George Flanagan starred for the Cougars on his 300th appearance, scoring a try and kicking a conversion on his special milestone.
Betfred Championship Round 1 results:
Salford RLFC 0 Oldham 44
Doncaster RLFC 19 Halifax Panthers 12
Hunslet RLFC 12 Dewsbury Rams 20
Keighley Cougars 32 Goole Vikings 18
London Broncos 44 Widnes Vikings 12
Whitehaven RLFC 4 Sheffield Eagles 11
Swinton Lions 8 Rochdale Hornets 12
Midlands Hurricanes 10 Newcastle Thunder 28
Barrow Raiders 40 Workington Town 0
The full fixture list for the Betfred Championship can be found here.
