A dramatic round of the RFL Championship saw a game delayed by a grenade whilst a Warrington Wolves loanee became a Salford Rugby League Football Club hero.
For those understandably questioning what they’ve just read and wondering if it is a typo, it’s not. The Championship clash between Goole Vikings and Whitehaven was delayed by over an hour because a grenade was found on the pitch with the bomb squad having to come and render the area safe.
News of the delay first came from Goole who took to social media to explain that an ‘incident at the Victoria Pleasure Ground is currently being handled by the relevant authorities’. That was later revealed to be because of a grenade being discovered with Haven coach James Newton speaking about the matter after his side’s 36-22 comeback win.
He joked: “If we’re going to play like that on the road every week then I wouldn’t mind if somebody would put a grenade on other grounds.
“The lads found out the news and there were changes to kick off, changes to the way we were going to prepare. We went back on the bus and to the services down the road but full credit to the lads who stuck to task really really well and they put that performance in off the back of it. I’m chuffed at the minute.”
Rugby League Championship round-up
Whilst that game kicked off later on Sunday afternoon because of the delay, the first game of the round took place on Saturday with unbeaten London Broncos stretching their lead atop the division after a 48-4 win over Sheffield Eagles.
Jason Demetriou’s side are averaging over 55 points per game whilst they’ve conceded less than 10 per match, showcasing their dominance in the second-tier.
It’s Midlands Hurricanes who are hot on their heels, albeit having played two games more, with Mark Dunning’s side winning 24-20 away to Workington to stick within a point of the Broncos as Ryan Johnson scored two tries in a standout performance.
One of the upsets of the round came as Hunslet defeated Newcastle 34-22 with the Parksiders picking up just their third win of the campaign whilst another big upset came when Salford defeated Batley.
They did so with a late 40-yard drop goal scored by Warrington Wolves loanee Leon Hayes, one of three Wire players on loan at the club this past week. Another of those loanees, Tom McKinney, scored in the first half.
Other results saw Widnes defeat Dewsbury, Oldham beat Halifax, Keighley hammer North Wales and Barrow beat Rochdale.
Championship round 10 results
London Broncos 48-4 Sheffield Eagles
Dewsbury Rams 10-20 Widnes Vikings
Goole Vikings 22-36 Whitehaven
Halifax Panthers 12-28 Oldham RLFC
Hunslet RLFC 34-22 Newcastle Thunder
Keighley Cougars 66-10 North Wales Crusaders
Rochdale Hornets 12-46 Barrow Raiders
Salford RLFC 29-28 Batley Bulldogs
Workington 20-24 Midlands Hurricanes
The results from Round 10 of the @Betfred Championship 👇 pic.twitter.com/xAL7qrm1Ei
— Rugby Football League (@TheRFL) April 12, 2026
