Reserve and Academy fixtures revealed

Fixtures for both the newly-formed Reserves Championship and the Academy under-18s Championship have been revealed.

The first round of the revamped reserves competition coincides with the opening weekend of Super League, with the first game seeing Castleford entertain Leeds on Thursday 30 January.

That will be followed by Hull KR v Wakefield the following day, in a game which will act as the curtain raiser to the same Super League clash, before the remaining first round fixtures take place on Saturday 1 February.

The Academy Championship, which has seen the age limit changed from under-19s to under-18s, kicks off a month later, as reigning champions Wigan host Hull KR on Friday 28 February.

The following day sees four other games take place, while round one finishes on Sunday 1 March as St Helens visit London.

Dave Rotheram, the RFL’s Interim Chief On-Field Officer told the RFL website: “We see the return of the Reserves League plus the change in the Academy Championship to an Under-18 competition as two positive steps in the game’s talent and performance pathway, helping us to develop more high-quality players for Super League and England.”

Reserves Championship Round One:

Castleford Tigers Reserves v Leeds Rhinos Reserves

Hull KR Reserves v Wakefield Trinity Reserves

Warrington Wolves Reserves v Newcastle Thunder Reserves

Huddersfield Giants Reserves v London Broncos Reserves

Hull FC Reserves v Bradford Bulls Reserves

Widnes Vikings Reserves v Wigan Warriors Reserves

St Helens Reserves v Salford Red Devils Reserves

Academy Championship Round One:

Wigan Warriors U18s v Hull KR U18s

Hull FC U18s v Bradford Bulls U18s

Castleford Tigers U18s v Warrington Wolves U18s

Huddersfield Giants U18s v Widnes Vikings U18s

Newcastle Thunder U18s v Leeds Rhinos U18s

London Broncos U18s v St Helens U18s

You can find the full list of fixtures via the RFL Match Centre by clicking HERE.