Pre-Season Round-Up (26-28 January)

Six Betfred Super League teams were in pre-season action again this weekend, with the start of the 2024 season just less than three weeks away!

Warrington Wolves entertained fierce rivals Widnes Vikings on Friday night, in a high-scoring affair at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. 

It was Sam Burgess' first non-competitive game in charge, as he selected a youthful outfit to face the Vikings, with the likes of Gil Dudson, Brad Dwyer and Leon Hayes also featuring. 

Our young Wolves linking up for the try of the night ? pic.twitter.com/zyjrRUVihw
— Warrington Wolves (@WarringtonRLFC) January 27, 2024

The sides hadn't met since 2018 and Widnes' seven tries and Warrington's eight would result in an entertaining 15-try spectacle, with both sides bursting with energy and showcasing some impressive attack, but perhaps not so much in defence. The Wolves would lead 34-16 at the break, but a determined fightback from the Vikings outfit made it a close and tense clash for the fans in attendance - the final result ending 46-40 to Warrington. 

Meanwhile, Wigan Warriors travelled to the DIY Kitchens Stadium to face a rejuvenated Wakefield Trinity side, in Matty Ashurst's Testimonial match. 

The Warriors would start bright with a 6-0 lead courtesy of a young Jacob Douglas touching down in the corner, before a physical encounter then unfolded between the two sides. A fresh-looking Trinity would go on to produce a strong performance, which included a trademark Jermaine McGillvary hat-trick on his debut for the Betfred Championship side, taking the scores to 22-12 in Wakefield's favour.

However, a repeated floodlight failure would result in referee Chris Kendall calling time on this entertaining clash - with the match abandoned on the hour mark. 

The match has been abandoned at the DIY Kitchens Stadium due to repeated floodlight failure. #WWRL pic.twitter.com/m33AQYvjvu
— Wigan Warriors ??? (@WiganWarriorsRL) January 26, 2024

Eyes then turned to the pre-season friendly between Huddersfield Giants and London Broncos, as both teams named a strong side to face one another, at the John Smith's Stadium. 

New recruits Rhys Kennedy and Jack Campagnolo featured for the Broncos for the first time, with Jack Murchie experiencing his first minutes as a Giant and bagging himself a try in the process, crashing through a gap in the London defence. 

The first 40 minutes would see a close and competitive contest, with Huddersfield narrowly leading 20-16 at the interval. The Giants would prove too strong in the second half however, as burst of tries, including a trademark hat-trick from the prolific Adam Swift resulted in a 50-16 final score-line - an enjoyable day for the home fans. 

62' TRY! - Adam Swift.

Excellent offload at the line by Halsall sees Swifty race in for his third of the afternoon.

? 36 - 16 ? | #CowbellArmy?? https://t.co/NRQaxNNGbf
— Huddersfield Giants ?? (@Giantsrl) January 28, 2024

Elsewhere, Hull KR hosted Betfred Championship outfit Sheffield Eagles at Craven Park. The young Robins were put to the test by Mark Aston's men, as the Eagles would go on to triumph 26-24. 

Similarly, a blockbuster derby in Bradford Bulls v Leeds Rhinos took place at Odsal on Sunday, with the Bulls dominating a youthful Leeds outfit, 34-8, for the Keith Howard Foundation Trophy. It was a glimpse of the future for the Rhinos, as Rohan Smith praised the efforts of his youngsters against a strong Bradford side. 

There's plenty more pre-season action taking place next weekend and beyond, in the build up to Round 1 next month.

Fans can find all the relevant information, dates and kick-off times for these pre-season fixtures over in the Rugby League Match Centre, as we eagerly count down to the start of the 2024 Betfred Super League campaign.