Must-win for both as Bulls meet Vikings in Championship ‘Clash of the Titans’

Bradford Bulls and Widnes Vikings are two historically successful sides in the sport of Rugby League, boasting a long list of major honours between them including Grand Final victories, World Club Challenge triumphs and Challenge Cup wins. But now, the two sides find themselves floundering in the Betfred Championship and this weekend meet at Odsal in what is a must-win game for both.

Bradford currently sit fourth in the table with 14 points and a win percentage of 77.8% having played nine games. Despite already having gone on a seven-game winning run in the 2021 campaign. Led by John Kear, the Bulls have only lost two games this season to date – on the opening day against Sheffield Eagles and away to fellow Yorkshire outfit Featherstone Rovers earlier this month.

Rovers have won nine from nine but for Bradford, that 44-0 drubbing away at ‘Fev’ brought an abrupt end to their winning run and was in fact their last game having had last weekend’s trip over to France to face Toulouse cancelled. The Bulls are quite comfortably in the play-off spots, but a win this weekend will be needed if they are to have any realistic ambitions of achieving promotion come the end of the season.

Meanwhile, opponents Widnes sit just outside the play-off spots in seventh with nine points from ten games, but the Vikings have had a torrid start to the campaign given what their expectations may have been prior. Until last weekend, their only points had come from wins against the current bottom three sides in the Championship – Swinton Lions, Oldham and Dewsbury Rams – as well as a draw on the opening day away at Newcastle Thunder.

Two well-earned points did come last weekend, however, at home to fellow play-off contenders Sheffield Eagles in a 30-20 victory. If the Vikings are to make the top six this season, more consistency needs to be added to their game, and they need to ensure that they are keeping within touching distance of those spots.

Many believe it may already be too late with five defeats, it may well be if the Vikings don’t return home with the points from Bradford on Sunday.

Squads

Bulls’ Head Coach Kear has named his 21-man squad for Sunday’s ‘Vikings invasion’ and there are three changes to it from the defeat to Featherstone a fortnight ago. Both Dan Fleming and Aaron Murphy return to the squad having missed the previous two matches through injury, while Cameron Berry also features in the squad.

In turn, out go Ethan O’Hanlon, Ellis Robson, and Thomas Doyle. The Bulls’ fans had been given assurances by those at the club that a new halfback would arrive at the Odsal in time for the Widnes game, but no new signing has been confirmed.

Meanwhile, Simon Finnigan has named a Vikings squad consisting of one man less due to some of his players currently being in self-isolation. Widnesian Joe Edge drops out, replaced by Jake Spedding on the latter’s return from a bicep injury. Hooker Brad O’Neill is out though, having been recalled from loan by parent Super League outfit Wigan Warriors.

Notably, the Black and Whites’ long-serving halfback Danny Craven is in the squad this weekend fresh off the back of signing a new two-year deal with the club which also sees him earn a testimonial at the DCBL Stadium for over 10 years of his service. Craven made his debut for Widnes in 2010 and barring loans, has never left the club.

Head-to-Head

As mentioned at the start of this preview, the two clubs in Sunday’s fixture have been historically successful, so the Head-to-Head record could be taken from their respective ‘Golden Era’s’, but both are now different clubs entirely in terms of stature and have fallen from grace.

The Bulls were the first of the duo to lose their top-flight status, relegated in 2014 and having been down to League 1 since too. For Widnes, the Super League stay ended with relegation in 2018, so to give an overview of recent history, the fairest way is to take it from when both sides dropped out of the top flight.

Since then, in the space of now close to three years, there have actually only been two meetings and they came in the 2019 Championship campaign. As for winners and losers, it’s a tie. The Vikings prevailed at their home (25-20) while the Bulls returned the favour and triumphed 62-0 when Widnes came to town.

That year, Widnes avoided the drop to League 1 despite entering administration and being deducted 12 points as a result. Bradford meanwhile failed to qualify for the play-offs by a single point.

Both teams this campaign are looking up though, and whatever happens on Sunday, we should be in for an exciting game.

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