The final round of the Betfred Championship

…with Betfred League One’s Preliminary Final also taking place on Sunday!

The final round of the Betfred Championship is here, and the stakes are higher than ever!

The final league standings are yet to be determined, with the likes of York, Featherstone, Sheffield and Widnes all battling it out for the three remaining Play-Off places.

At the opposite end of the table, will it be Barrow or Swinton who automatically survive? And which one will have to take part in the Championship Promotion Play-Off Final on Saturday 13 October?

First up it’s Toulouse and Batley on Sunday. With second place now secure for the French side, they will be hoping to carry through some momentum ahead of their Play-Off semi-final in two weeks' time.

Likewise, League Leaders Wakefield Trinity will want to end their regular season on a high, before their bye week into the semis - and will do so at home against Doncaster – a side who has really impressed in 2024 as the newly-promoted.

The standout tie of the round is undoubtedly York v Featherstone. The winner of this match will secure their spot in this year’s Play-Offs, while the losers will have to anxiously wait on the results from Sheffield and Widnes’ fixtures to see if they’ve made the cut.

It’s the Rovers who have won their last four away meetings with York, but Round 12 saw Mark Applegarth’s men pull off a stunning 24-34 victory at the Millenium Stadium – the Knights’ first league win over their opponents in 67 years.

With a Play-Off place on the cards, it’s set to be a blood and thunder battle between the two sides.

Sheffield will travel to Dewsbury for their final regular game of the season. It’s a must-win game for the Eagles in keeping their top six hopes alive.

Similarly, the implications are huge for both Barrow and Widnes. Widnes have to win to stand a chance of making the top six but must pray that other results go in their favour.

Barrow, who are at risk of finishing 12th, also desperately need the two points to confirm their place in the second tier next year.

The Vikings came up with a strong 44-8 win against their opponents earlier on in the year, but they should expect a tougher test this time around with everything on the line.

If Barrow were to lose and Swinton were to beat Bradford, then the Lions would leapfrog the Raiders into 11th.

This means Paul Craven’s side would finish 12th and have to compete in the Championship Promotion Play-Off against the winner of the Betfred League One Play-Off Final for the third and final place in the 2025 Championship competition.

Meanwhile, Whitehaven and Halifax will play their final match of the 2024 season. Haven will hope to go out on a high in front of a home crowd, but will almost certainly be joining Dewsbury in the third tier for 2025.

Elsewhere in Betfred League One, it’s the Preliminary Final between Rochdale Hornets and Hunslet.

It’s a repeat from just two weeks ago, when the Hornets defeated Hunslet 30-18 in Round One of the Play-Offs. With home advantage once again, will we see more of the same, or can Hunslet back up their emphatic semi-final victory from last Sunday?

The winners of this game will play Keighley Cougars in the Play-Off Final the following weekend, with the winners of that then facing the 12th-placed Betfred Championship side in the Championship Promotion Play-Off Final next month.

Betfred Championship Round 26 fixtures:

Toulouse Olympique v Batley Bulldogs

Wakefield Trinity v Doncaster RLFC

York Knights v Featherstone Rovers

Dewsbury Rams v Sheffield Eagles

Barrow Raiders v Widnes Vikings

Bradford Bulls v Swinton Lions

Whitehaven RLFC v Halifax Panthers

Betfred League One Preliminary Final:

Rochdale Hornets v Hunslet RLFC

The full fixture list and information for both the Betfred Championship and Betfred League One competitions can be found here.

Photo Credit: Featherstone Rovers