Doncaster RLFC discover 2025 Championship fixtures

Even though the Dons claimed a rare victory over one of the Championship’s big hitters when avenging a heavy home defeat at the start of the season, they could hardly have had a tougher start.

Rovers only just scraped into the play-offs last season after releasing the bulk of the side which had finished top of the table the previous year prior to crashing out of the promotion play-offs.

But they have been arguably the most active club in the close season and in addition to bringing in former Dons player-coach Paul Cooke as assistant to James Ford, they have also made a number of what look to be astute signings.

Although the game will signal the start of the league campaign both sides will have been in cup action in previous weeks.

With the league being reduced to 13 teams next season every club will have a blank weekend with the Dons sitting out the second round of fixtures the following week – not something head coach Richard Horne, who would likely have preferred to sit a round out when the Eco-Power Stadium is unavailable during June and July – will be particularly happy with.

The Dons are also called upon to travel in their second league game where they will face Hunslet who came up from League One via the play-offs.

Despite finishing last season strongly, it would be a surprise if they retained their place in the division given their limited budget.

The Dons’ first home league game of the season doesn’t come until March 23 when they entertain Widnes Vikings, another of the sides expected to be challenging for a play-off spot come September.

The visit of last season’s runners-up Toulouse the following weekend will no doubt revive memories of last season’s encounter between the two sides which ended in a famous victory for the Dons.

Whether Toulouse will be as strong as last season could depend on the level of local government funding.

That game is followed by a visit to York to face a Knights side who are expected to be in contention for honours after finishing last season strongly during which time they avenged a heavy defeat at the Eco-Power Stadium on the opening weekend of the campaign.

Local rivals Sheffield Eagles, who won all three games against the Dons last season by narrow margins, are the next visitors to the city by which time they will have hoped to have put their disastrous form in the last couple of months of the 2024 campaign behind them.

The Dons will be hoping to repeat their impressive win against Barrow last season when they travel up to Cumbria the following week before entertaining last season’s League One champions Oldham, who look to have put together a squad capable of emulating their success last season following their return to the Championship.

Two more home games follow against relegated London Broncos, who have lost the majority of the squad which finished last season strongly, and fancied Bradford Bulls, before a run of five successive away games which could go a long way towards deciding their fate.

Horne’s side end the season with a glut of home games with only trips to Bradford and Oldham interrupting a run of six games in the city.

But with Featherstone and York among the visitors there will be no room for complacency.