KR and Knights prepare to go Dutch

Hull KR and York Knights will stage the most ambitious and exotic match of the 2025 Pre-Season this weekend when they square up at the NRCA Stadium in Amsterdam.

The fixture was announced last summer as part of the Robins’ mission to spread their brand, and with it the best of Rugby League.

A four-figure attendance is guaranteed for a match that has already provided a huge boost to the profile of Rugby League in the Netherlands – which has been growing steadily in recent years.

Hull KR have always insisted that their Dutch commitment involved much more than 80 minutes of action.

They’ve been staging coaching clinics, there are fan parties including a major event on Friday night, and matchday itself will be a Dutch version of the Sewell Group Craven Park experience which has become one of the most popular in the Betfred Super League.

The game has been given an extra twist following the draw for the Third Round of the Betfred Challenge Cup, when the sides will meet again at York’s LNER Community Stadium, if the Knights win their Second Round tie at Keighley next weekend.

Hull KR have named a squad including two members of last October’s Grand Final squad – Jack Broadbent and Kelepi Tanganoa – plus off-season signings Lee Kershaw, Eribe Doro, Bill Leyland and Leon Ruan.

There are also two trialists as the club casts its net domestically as well as overseas, with Aaron Powell and Luke Phoenix catching the eye when playing for England Universities - Phoenix having experience from the Leicester Tigers Academy.

For York coach Mark Applegarth, this will be a first competitive fixture of 2025, following the postponement of a scheduled fixture at Hunslet. Like Willie Peters, Applegarth has made a number of eyecatching signings ahead of the Betfred Championship campaign, including the former Super League Man of Steel Paul McShane, and another former Castleford man in Jacques O’Neill.

This will be York’s only opportunity to test their new combinations before next weekend’s tricky Cup tie at Keighley – while their Championship opener at Oldham on February 16 is also coming quickly into view.

The match will be streamed live here for £4.99, while Dutch fans will again be able to follow every match of the 2025 Betfred Super League season on SuperLeague+, with a special offer of £109.99 for the whole season (less than £1 per match) available until the end of January.

The game kicks off at 230pm local time (130pm GMT).