North Wales Crusaders look to bounce back from their first RFL league defeat in two years as they host local rivals Rochdale Hornets in Round 4 of the Championship West.
The last meeting between the two sides came last season as the Crusaders claimed a phenomenal 88-4 victory over the hornets in the Betfred Championship.
The two sides have been an ever presence in each other’s existence with both sides facing each other on at least one occasion in each of the last seven seasons – these fixtures ranging from Championship, pre-season festivals and Peacock Cup.
The Hornets have been a constant in the development and Championship/ Regional divisions since their inception and have gone on to become one of the competitions most consistent performers, which has resulted in a number of their players being poached by Super League sides for a dual-registration.
Though they are without a victory this season, the Hornets have been in impeccable form. In the opening round of the season they made the trip to take on table toppers, Hereford Harriers – in a game which saw them hold the lead for a period of time and pushed the Harriers to their limits. Most recently they pushed Widnes Vikings to their absolute max but were sadly unable to come away the victors, though the score was an extremely respectable 45-42, with the Hornets able to score 30 second half points in a very impressive performance.
Venue:
Deeside Leisure Centre, Queensferry, CH5 1SA
Pre-Match:
Supporters of both teams will be able to access the venue from 11am ahead of the scheduled 11:30am kick-off.
Match Squads:
North Wales Crusaders | Rochdale Hornets |
Wyatt Jones Sponsored by: Dragon Bet | Martin Dougan |
Mason Baker Sponsored by: Allington Hughes Law | John Waterworth |
Jess Booth Sponsored by: PAR Booth | Kyran Holt |
Jonathan Gill Sponsored by: West Kirby School & College | Paul Holt |
Lucie Roberts Sponsored by: Love Wrexham Magazine | Wes Groot |
Martin Turner Sponsored by: Intersol Global | Jake Brinksman |
Harry Jones Sponsored by: Lot 11 Café | Callum Young |
Sophie Bamford Sponsored by: Dragon Bet | Callum Crombie |
Jakub Wasieczko Sponsored by: Howdens | Angela Groot-Holt |
Matthew Turner Sponsored by: P&L Accountancy | |
Head Coach: Harry Jones | Head Coach: Pete Hird |
Match Officials:
Kim Abel, Phil Roberts