Past matches against Toulouse Olympique

Past Matches against Toulouse Olympique

All past matches between Featherstone Rovers and Toulouse Olympique have been league matches in the Championship.

Fev v Batley: Teams and scorers

Fev v Batley: Teams and Scorers
Championship  Round 12

fevnut's blog: Fev v Batley

Match 14: Batley (Home) Championship

fevnut's musings

Referees (Again!)

On far too many occasions this year we have left matches frustrated by the standard of refereeing. So, instead of just moaning about it, we thought we should consider what needs to be done. The fact is that if the current situation continues we can see lots of fans being turned off the sport and that will to be to the huge detriment of everyone involved.

One bad performance you can put down to one whistle-blower having a bad day. It happens, and it always will. But we are not talking about one individual ref having a bad day. It seems to be rapidly becoming endemic. So, we have to ask, what is going on in the referees department at the RFL? What support are referees getting? What training is available to them? What help are they getting by way of video review to help them improve? Is the Match Officials department fit for purpose?

There is one area of ‘foul play’ that is creeping in more and more and is making the job of the referee much more difficult. And this is down to the players and, particularly, the coaches. We find the cheating that goes on in soccer to be sickening. But unfortunately it is creeping in more and more to Rugby League. In soccer it is nowadays referred to as ‘simulation’. A player basically trying to con the referee into awarding a free kick or penalty, and also attempting to persuade the official to use a card against an opponent. It used to be that such things were a real rarity in rugby league but unfortunately that is no longer the case. Over and over again you see tackled players holding on to their opponent in the hope of winning a penalty for holding down. Regularly, a tackled player will get up and move forward making it look as if he is being interfered with by the marker. And we are now even getting player’s going down holding their head to make it look as if they have received a high tackle when later study of the video reveals that no such thing occurred. Then, near the end of games, players on the winning side are feigning injury to attempt to use up as much time as possible.

We want to say that that it is ‘not Rugby League’ but sadly this type of behaviour is increasing every year.

So, what is to be done to rectify matters before our sport is ruined? Firstly, we believe that whoever is appointed as the next Chief Executive of the RFL should be as concerned with making the Match Officials department fit for purpose as he/she should be with future league structures. Secondly, we think it would be really good for the game if referees sin-binned any player who they see to be guilty of ‘simulation’. And for repeat offences they should use the red card. That would make both players and coaches stop to think if these abhorrent actions are in their own interest. I would rather see a spate of yellow cards than allow the current situation to continue. And let’s also have the referees marching teams ten metres down the pitch for any dissent. We are utterly fed up with how often players dispute a referees decision now. Oh for the days of Billy Thompson and Eric Clay, they wouldn’t have tolerated all this nonsense!

Challenge Cup Round 6

Several times this year we have seen journalists writing that the gap between the bottom of the Super League and the top of the Championship is closing and that this year’s Qualifiers will be much more perilous for the Super League teams. The 6th round of the Challenge Cup gives us a real opportunity to see whether indeed the top Championship clubs are capable of being competitive with Super League sides.

I can’t wait for the match between Fev and Hull FC. In the last two years we have failed to be truly competitive in the Qualifiers and this is our first chance to see if the ‘new’ John Duffy team can rectify that. To beat them will be incredibly difficult. As current holders of the Challenge Cup you can’t see Hull taking any tie other than completely seriously. But we will be really happy if this Fev team stand up to them in a very different manner to the way we performed against Leeds, Huddersfield and Salford in 2016 and Widnes and Warrington in 2017.

There are other ties which will test out the theory of top Championship sides being ready to compete with the Super League. We will be watching the following ties, in particular, with keen interest:

Toronto Wolfpack v Warrington Wolves

Leigh Centurions v Salford Red Devils

Championship Talk: A Knight's Tale

fevnut's blog is absolutely delighted to have received permission to bring you a regular column from Gareth Walker.

Gareth is a top rugby league journalist who has one very exceptional distinction. He chooses to write about matters pertaining to the Championship and League One.

Although this blog is devoted to Featherstone Rovers it is always good to read opinions about matters relevant to us, but not specifically about us. We hope you enjoy reading Gareth's column each week.

A Knights Tale

IF anybody doubted the potential and vibrancy that exists in BetFred League One, they should have attended Sunday’s Challenge Cup clash between York and Catalans.

         

The 3,081 present for an all-pay match with virtually no away support would shame a few Super League clubs, and was achieved on a fraction of their budget.

         

On the field, James Ford’s committed, expansive side gave the Dragons a terrific contest, were level just before half-time and only trailed by six points deep into the second half before eventually losing 34-22.

         

It was a terrific occasion and showcased exactly why clubs at that level deserve both attention and resources, as opposed to the cuts in funding proposed by the Wigan chairman Ian Lenagan.

         

You couldn’t fail to be impressed by what you saw at Bootham Crescent - and the Knights are not on their own.

         

The obvious example in the third tier is Bradford Bulls, but the likes of Doncaster, Newcastle and Keighley are starting to achieve considerable things off the field.

         

Had Oldham not been beaten by Widnes in the 2001 NFP Grand Final, when they’d been cleared for promotion, who’s to say they couldn’t have achieved what a Salford, Wakefield or Huddersfield have since then, given those resources?

         

The Roughyeds could rise again, while Whitehaven have become the only League One team to make the last 16 of the cup after accounting for Championship Dewsbury and Rochdale.

         

After the Catalans match it was put to Ford what he would say to those who might disregard what goes on in the third tier.

          “There are some really good players in League One, and good clubs,” he responded.

          “You look at Bradford - and I know they get a little bit of stick - but they’re potentially an enormous club again.

          “York has potential, Doncaster, and there are some really good coaches in League One as well.

          “You look at some of the effort from people in part-time roles to promote the games and it’s fantastic.

          “You often hear a lot of negatives in rugby league, that the game’s dying and all that, but I don’t believe it for a second.

          “This is the best League One has been for a long time, and it’s the same for the Championship.

          “There are five full-time sides in the Championship - it certainly wasn’t that standard when I was playing in it or I’d have been in all sorts of problems.

          “Outside Super League the game is thriving and the more support we get the better we’ll get.”

This Week's Birthdays: April 29th to May 4th

This Week's Birthdays:
April 29th to May 4th

Each year we try to do something a bit unusual. This year we are celebrating the birthdays of players in the Super League, Championship and League 1. Here is the list for the coming week.

Sunday's referee: Fev v Batley

This Week's Referee

There have been many occasions when fevnut has been asked questions like: Who's the referee today? Have we had him before? Where's he from?

So we thought we would answer those questions in our blog.

Below you will find his record for this year.

You will notice that this week We haven't included a list of previous Fev matches. That's because we've never had him before!

John McMullen tends to award less penalties than most referees and is also low on his use of yellow and red cards. Usually, but not always) a sign of a good referee.

Teams and Scorers: Doncaster v Fev

Doncaster v Fev: Teams and Scorers
Challenge Cup Round 5

T’Other Side: Doncaster

T’Other Side: Doncaster

Doncaster 2018 shirts

LAST TIME OUT

Head Coach: Richard Horne

Doncaster began last season with Gary Thornton in charge. He left in May and after a month with Peter Green and Rhys Lovegrove acting as caretaker coaches they appointed Richard Horne to the head coach position. It is his first such job although he had been assistant coach at Hull FC since retiring.

It seems quite strange to think of Richard Horne at Doncaster as he spent his entire playing career (from 199-2014) at Hull and ended up playing 387 matches for them. His skills as a half-back brought him representative appearances for Yorkshire, Scotland and Great Britain. His connection with Hull FC still remains through a dual registration agreement.

Captain: Kyle Kesik

Hooker, Kyle Kesik is another one club player. Well almost! He began his career with Doncaster in 2009 and has now played 201 games for them. In 2010 he signed for Sheffield Eagles but only ever made one substitute appearance for them before returning to Doncaster in early March.

New Signings

Connor Bower is a 21 year old centre who Doncaster signed from Hull FC. So far this year he has scored 4 tries in 7 appearances. Liam Harris also comes from Hull, but this time it is Hull Kingston Rovers. He plays at scrum-half, making his début last year when he also played for York City Knights on dual registration. He is Doncaster’s main goal kicker. Richard Owen plays at either full back or on the wing. Richard Owen had his career disrupted by a court case which eventually resulted in ‘not guilty’ verdicts. He started his professional career at Castleford in 2007 and stayed there until he moved to Wakefield in 2014. He was released by Wakefield at the end of 2015. In 2016 he moved to Leigh Centurions. In his amateur days Richard Owen played for Featherstone Lions. Doncaster signed 20 year old loose forward or second row Brandan Wilkinson from Bradford Bulls. He is a Scottish international. Another new signing is Ryan Boyle (see the stand-out section)

Stand-Out Players

Prop-Forward, Ryan Boyle, began his career in 2005 with Castleford Tigers. In 2010 he moved to Salford but then returned to Castleford during the 2013 season. In 2016 he moved to Halifax and then onto Doncaster this year. He has played representative matches for England U18 and Ireland. Aaron Jones-Bishop is the younger brother of Wakefield player Ben and half-brother of Leeds player Jamie Jones-Buchanan. He plays on the wing. He started at Oxford in 2015 and then joined Doncaster the following year. He is a Jamaican international. Doncaster’s leading try scorer is Jason Tali. In 2015 he came to England to join Newcastle Thunder from PNG Hunters in 2015 and then switched to Doncaster in 2016. He is a Papua New Guinea international.

Dual Registration and Loan Players

Doncaster have a dual registration agreement with Hull FC. Hull players who have so far played this year under dual registration are Jack Downs, Jack Logan, Hakim Miloudi and Cameron Scott. They also have Ross Osbourne and Jack Sanderson on loan from Hull FC. It is unlikely that these players will be available for Doncaster as they would then become cup-tied and unable to play for Hull FC in the cup later in the year.

The Fev connection

Three members of the current Featherstone squad have previously played for Doncaster. Mitch Clark played for them in 2015 and Jansin Turgut in 2015 and 2016 (both years on dual reg from Hull FC). Matty Wildie played for the Dons in 2013 and 2014. As Mitch Clark and Jansin Turgut are on loan it is unlikely that they wwill be allowed to play in the Cup.

There are four people at Doncaster who have a Fev connection. Liam Welham was at Fev in 2010 and 2011. Brad England was at Fev in 2015 and played in 5 games, scoring a try away at Leigh. Charlie Martin had a short loan spell from Castleford but never got to play for the first team. The final one of the four is Doncaster Chief Executive Carl Hall who played for Fev in 1998 and 1999 and was the club captain in 1999.

Championship Talk: Up for the Cup

fevnut's blog is absolutely delighted to have received permission to bring you a regular column from Gareth Walker.

Gareth is a top rugby league journalist who has one very exceptional distinction. He chooses to write about matters pertaining to the Championship and League One.

Although this blog is devoted to Featherstone Rovers it is always good to read opinions about matters relevant to us, but not specifically about us. We hope you enjoy reading Gareth's column each week.

Up for the Cup

THIS weekend sees four Super League clubs enter the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup, providing several Championship and League One sides with the opportunity for a shock.

          The first two games of the weekend, Widnes versus Coventry Bears and Warrington against Bradford Bullstake place on Saturday.

          But York City Knights and Oldham both have Sunday home ties against top flight opposition, and eight other non-Super League sides are looking to progress to the last 16 today.

          York’s home game with rock bottom Catalans Dragons is arguably the tie of the day, and will be streamed live by the BBC.

          The Knights have unveiled a smart heritage shirt for the clash and their recent record of successfully promoting matches should see an above average crowd at Bootham Crescent.

          Although James Ford’s side will undoubtedly be outsiders, the struggling Dragons are hardly high in confidence at present and there is enough top flight experience in the Knights ranks to worry Catalans.

          Oldham’s home game against Hull KR - which is played at their former home of Bower Fold, Stalybridge - is a return leg of the 2016 cup meeting between the clubs, when the Roughyeds stunned their Super League opponents.

          That fact alone will mean that Tim Sheens’ men are on their guard, eager to avoid a repeat of history against the League One club.

          Plenty of that Oldham side are still at the club under the same coach in Scott Naylor, and it has all the ingredients of a cup cracker.

          Elsewhere, Leigh Centurions host London Broncos in a tie between two of the top Championship clubs.

          The Centurions emerged victorious in the recent league meeting between them, and home advantage will make them slight pre-match favourites.

          Another team making a quick return journey to a venue is Toronto Wolfpack, who must play away despite being drawn at home, and that means going back to Craven Park, where Barrow held them to an 8-8 draw in February.

          Raiders lost at home for the first time in two years against Featherstone on Sunday and will be keen to re-establish their fortress reputation as quickly as possible.

          Rovers themselves are unlikely to have it all their own way at Richard Horne’s Doncaster, while Whitehaven’s reward for dumping out Championship Dewsbury is a home clash to another Championship side in Rochdale.

          Don’t rule out a shock in at least one tie of what looks a fascinating round.

This Week's Birthdays: April 22nd to 28th

This Week's Birthdays:
April 22nd to 28th

Each year we try to do something a bit unusual. This year we are celebrating the birthdays of players in the Super League, Championship and League 1. Here is the list for the coming week.

Sunday's referee: Doncaster v Fev

This Week's Referee

There have been many occasions when fevnut has been asked questions like: Who's the referee today? Have we had him before? Where's he from?

So we thought we would answer those questions in our blog.

Below you will find his record for this year.

You will notice that this week We haven't included a list of previous Fev matches. That's because we've never had him before!

Matt Rossleigh is the only referee on the RFL panel who is a member of the Southern referees society.

Fev players need to be careful with their discipline. Matt Rossleigh has used his yellow card a lot this year!

Past Matches against Doncaster

Past Matches against Doncaster