Round 17 of the Championship season is in the books in a round that has highlighted both the best and the worst of the competition.
Ahead of the 2026 season, the Championship and League One competitions combined to create an expanded division below Super League and as many had suggested at the time, it hasn’t worked that well.
Certain teams have benefited but the overall quality in terms of competitive match-ups seems to have dropped massively and this week characterises that with plenty of one-sided scorelines.
That said, there are still some games that prove why rugby league is the greatest sport and we saw one such example on Saturday when Barrow Raiders, at home to Dewsbury Rams, came from 28-0 down at half-time to win 39-28.
The Cumbrian outfit looked out of it when they headed to the sheds but a stellar second-half performance landed them a win to help them move to third in the table, just two points behind London Broncos.
Also two points behind the leaders is Newcastle with the Thunder beating Rochdale 66-0 in just one example of high-scoring nillings this week, the heaviest of which saw Halifax win away at North Wales 94-0.
It means that since returning from the brink, North Wales have conceded 80 or more points in all six matches, conceding an average of over 97 points per match whilst scoring an average of just 3.5 per game.
Widnes Vikings also won to nil against Hunslet as the 1895 Cup finalists moved fifth, keeping pace with fourth-placed Oldham who saw off Batley Bulldogs.
There were also wins for Swinton Lions, Goole Vikings, Salford RLFC and Sheffield Eagles, with the final three all posting 50 or more points in wins. Goole saw off Keighley Cougars, whose owners have since confirmed that they will step down at the end of the season.
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Championship Round 17 results
Midlands Hurricanes 6-24 Swinton Lions
Goole Vikings 50-16 Keighley Cougars
Barrow Raiders 39-28 Dewsbury Rams
Hunslet 0-48 Widnes Vikings
Newcastle Thunder 66-0 Rochdale Hornets
North Wales Crusaders 0-94 Halifax Panthers
Oldham RLFC 26-6 Batley Bulldogs
Salford RLFC 52-28 Workington
Sheffield Eagles 50-14 Whitehaven
Here are the results from Round 17 of the @Betfred Championship 👇 pic.twitter.com/0B455KxHes
— Rugby Football League (@TheRFL) June 21, 2026
