Nick Wright previews this weekend's clash between York City Knights and Hull FC
Alex Reid looks at whether the once ever-present appearance of English clubs in the later stages of the Champions League is set to become a thing of the past
Craig Dobson looks at QPR's decision to sack Neil Warnock and replace him with Mark Hughes
James Tompkinson reviews an excellent pre-season victory for the York City Knights against Yorkshire rivals Leeds Rhinos
On the first day of matches we see a repeat of last year’s grand final with Super League Champions Wigan Warriors taking on St Helens on Saturday evening. Wigan took home the silverware for the first time since 1998 so will be eager to defend their title against their rivals St Helens. No doubt we will see a fantastic match to start the season.
The weekend also features more local rivalries with Hull FC versus Hull Kingston Rovers, Castleford Tigers against Wakefield Trinity Wildcats and Leeds Rhinos against Bradford Bulls - games which I doubt any Rugby League fan will miss!
There is also a repeat of the 2009 Carnegie Challenge Cup final as Huddersfield Giants take on Warrington Wolves. Catalans Dragons versus Harlequins RL and Salford City Reds against Crusaders complete the weekend programme of match ups, with four games scheduled for the Saturday and three on Sunday.
RFL Chief Executive Nigel Wood commented: “This opening round of fixtures represents an outstanding way of kicking off the 2011 season in style. The overwhelming majority of fans told us that they wanted to see local rivalry matches and I’m sure thousands of loyal Rugby League supporters will be excited by the prospect of watching seven superb encounters in Cardiff at the start of next season.”
The Magic weekend fixtures are as follows:
Saturday 12th February 1pm, Huddersfield Giants v Warrington Wolves 3pm, Catalans Dragons v Harlequins RL 5pm, Castleford Tigers v Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 7pm, Wigan Warriors v St Helens
Sunday 13th February 12noon, Salford City Reds v Crusaders 2pm, Leeds Rhinos v Bradford Bulls 4pm, Hull FC v Hull KR
You must log in to submit a comment.
