Ahead of Sunday’s trip to Dewsbury Rams in Round 17 of the Betfred Championship campaign, we take a closer look at this weekend’s opponents.
FORM GUIDE
Dewsbury host the Vikings on the back of a tough run of form, most recently losing out to Whitehaven by just two points in a game which finished 20-18 last weekend.
Swinton Lions got off the mark with their first win of the campaign away at the Rams the week before, with Sunday’s opponents’ last win coming away at Oldham at the end of June.
The Rams are two places below Widnes in the current Betfred Championship standings in 12th, having won four of their 15 games so far – one less than the Vikings.
VIKINGS CONNECTIONS
Veteran Liam Finn spent some time on loan with the Vikings at the end of 2018 when Widnes were relegated from Super League.
Vikings forward Shane Grady spent three seasons with the Rams between 2014-2016 before leaving for Halifax Panthers.
ONES TO WATCH
Paul Sykes is always one to keep an eye on having been regarded as one of the top half-backs in the Championship for some years now and having already surpassed 50 points for the season.
Andy Gabriel is on ten league tries so far this season and will have to be kept quiet from the wing after scoring twice in the reverse fixture. Michael Knowles, a strong-running back rower, is another to keep an eye on.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Vikings have lost just one of their last four games in Dewsbury, the defeat coming last season, but before that they won two and drew one of their previous encounters dating back to 2010.
Widnes lost out at home to Dewsbury by 14 points to 22 in the reverse fixture, with tries from Ste Tyrer, Lloyd Roby and Matty Smith not proving enough to take the points. The Vikings will be looking to avenge the defeat by taking the points back to Widnes on Sunday.
STREAM INFO
There will be no Our League coverage for this weekend’s game, so the only way to watch the match is by following the Vikings up to Dewsbury, with details on how to purchase tickets available below.
The full match will be available to watch on Widnes TV from Monday.
TICKET INFO
General sale tickets are now available directly from Dewsbury Rams via their official website. Click the button below for full details on purchasing tickets for away fans.
