It’s a big weekend for rugby league in Wales, all over the country, and over the Irish Sea.
In North Wales on Saturday, all roads lead to Parc Eirias in Colwyn Bay where North Wales Crusaders take on Oldham in the men’s Betfred League 1 (kick-off 5pm).
Crusaders will be boosted by the return of Pat Rainford who has served his six-match-suspension picked up against Cornwall earlier in the season. Oliver Davies arrives in North Wales on a four-week loan deal from Betfred Championship side Halifax Panthers.
The entertainment gets underway at 3pm on Saturday by way of a performance from local band Audio Drones. Tickets are on sale for the clash costing just £10 adults and free for under 16’s. You can secure your tickets by clicking here.
In South Wales, the JES Rugby League Conference kicks off its 21st season with South Wales Jets starting their defence of the title as they entertain Bridgend Blue Bulls, the side who have won exactly 50 percent of the Grand Finals so far. Kick-off at Penallta RFC is 2.30pm and there’s a curtain raiser at noon when the WRL Junior Leagues officially kick off for 2024, when the Jets and Bulls U13 sides face off.
The other game in this league on Saturday is at Hendreforgan Playing Fields in Gilfach Goch where South Wales Saints christen the first match in their new home as they host local rivals Rhondda Outlaws. Kick-off is also at 2.30pm.
Both Swansea Rams v Cynon Valley Cavaliers and Aberavon Fighting Irish v Torfaen Tigers have been postponed and will be rearranged later in the season.
Over in Dublin, Wales U16 travel to take on Ireland (kick-off 2pm). It’s the first game in this year’s Four Nations tournament that was won by Wales last year. But with a number of last year’s Wales squad moving up to the U19s, just Samuel Dickenson, Joseph Johnson, Morgan Marozelli, Finlay Walker, Jake Sheppard and Owain Martin remain part of the squad for a second successive season, having played their part in winning the inaugural competition last year. Ireland will prove tough opponents and Wales will need to work hard to continue with their one hundred percent win record over Ireland at this level. Team news and updates will be posted on social media and on the fixture page here.
On Sunday, there’s Wheelchair Rugby League to enjoy at Deeside Leisure Centre where Crusaders Celts are hosts for the latest triple header in the WRL Wheelchair Development League.
Crusaders Celts are currently second in the league following their tight win over Cardiff Blue Dragons last week, and the capital side will be on a revenge mission in the final game of the day at 12.25pm when the two sides meet.
The day starts at 10.30am when the Celts face Hereford Harriers, who are surprisingly at the bottom of the table at time of writing. Hereford then take on Cardiff in game two of the three.
Back in South Wales, there are many more junior rugby league matches on Sunday to enjoy as the U12, 13 and 14 competitions all launch this weekend. There are also matches at U8-11 levels but those are non-competitive this year (not part of a league system). Please go to the “South Leagues” section of this website to find your local club.
Wherever you go, please enjoy the match and tag in our socials to let us know you’ve been there.