Looking ahead to all of this weekend's Northern Rail Cup action

Saturday 26 February

Featherstone Rovers v Widnes Vikings (6pm)

London-born prop Dave Williams could make his Featherstone Rovers debut after agreeing a one-month loan deal from Harlequins this week.

Williams, 24, made six Engage Super League appearances in 2010. Powell said: “I’ve had to do a fair bit of looking around to strengthen our pack, and Dave fits the bill. He’s a big rangy prop, with a lot to offer.”

Michael Haley (groin) is unlikely to play but Ian Hardman could recover from a quad injury to reclaim his place against Widnes Vikings.

Powell is looking for a repeat of his side’s 28-22 win at Barrow last week. He said: “It was the best victory since I’ve been at the club. We were unbelievably busted up.

“Now we can relax a little bit and go to play against Widnes. If we come up with the type of effort that we did against Barrow, then we take some beating.”

Steve Pickersgill returns for Widnes after serving a one-match suspension, while Dave Allen has got a “good chance” of featuring, according to Vikings coach Denis Betts.

The Vikings scored nine tries during last week’s 50-10 win over Rochdale, but Betts said: “I’m more happy about the fact we only conceded two tries.”

On Rovers, he added: “Featherstone are one of the best sides in the competition. It’s going to be a challenge, but we’re looking forward to it.”

Widnes are top of Northern Rail Cup Pool One due to a superior points difference, but a Featherstone win would ensure they finish in first place.

Toulouse Olympique v London Skolars (7pm)

Toulouse Olympique coach Gilles Dumas is likely to be without Rory Bromley, Tim Wynn, Constant Villegas and Ged Corcoran as he chases a victory that could take the Frenchmen into the last eight of the Northern Rail Cup.

Olympique are currently one point adrift of the top four, but third placed Dewsbury face fourth placed Barrow in a fixture that could open the door for Toulouse to sneak through.

Dumas’ team won 36-22 at Keighley last week, but the Toulouse coach was not happy. He said: “There was no discipline and the score didn’t reflect the game.”

However, London Skolars’ coach Joe Mbu was delighted with his side’s 16-16 draw with York.

Mbu said: “I was certainly pleased with the boys’ performance, but I was a little bit down because that game was there for us to win.

“We certainly felt we should have won, but it gives us confidence. We didn’t do what we wanted to do at Doncaster, but we came back, played a Championship team who have got great players with Super League experience, and should have beaten them.”

Mbu, whose squad is likely to remain unchanged for the trip to France, hopes his players will now believe they have the skills to take on anybody.

He said: “If there were any doubts at all, the players now understand they just need to keep working hard and doing what we’re doing.

“This week it’s a great occasion for the boys. We’ll get spirit from travelling together, and we’ll need a different level of focus and concentration. It will be different, but it’s a great learning curve for the boys.”

On Toulouse, Mbu added: “They front up really hard in the middle, they usually play with a lot of force and power, and the backs play with a lot of flair. That’s true throughout the French league.

“They’re going to tough, big, aggressive and come at us with some shape. They’ll test our defence and structure, and it will be good to see how we react.”

Sunday 27 February

Dewsbury Rams v Barrow Raiders (3pm)

Jordan Tansey is set to make his home debut as Dewsbury Rams face a do-or-die match with Barrow Raiders for a place in the Northern Rail Cup’s knockout stages.

Last week the Rams won 30-18 at Doncaster, meaning Warren Jowitt’s men can secure their place in the final rounds of the competition by beating Barrow on Sunday.

Jowitt said: “We had some ill discipline and handling errors against Doncaster, but on the whole we played really well. Our defence was good apart from three really poor efforts from certain individuals.”

Dewsbury’s only injury absentee is Pat Walker (broken arm). Jowitt has an otherwise fully fit squad as he tries to counter Barrow’s expansive style.

He said: “I’ve been watching a DVD and they do attack from anywhere. They’ve got a quality side on paper and every player in the team poses a threat.

“We’re going to have to be on our guard, but the most important thing for me is that we get our systems right and our defensive structure right.”

Raiders pair Gary Broadbent (knee) and James Nixon (groin) are both facing up to a fortnight on the sidelines after suffering minor injuries in last week’s 28-22 defeat against Featherstone.

Liam Campbell (foot) is also expected to miss out, but dual-registration trio Joe Wardle, Adam Walker and Gregg McNally are set to travel to the Tetley’s Stadium.

Barrow coach Garry Schofield said: “We’ve got to learn very quickly that we’ve got to take our chances. We’ve got to be more patient and build more pressure, and be clinical when opportunities arise.”

He added: “Dewsbury’s not an easy place to go. Warren Jowitt will have his team fired up, and it’s a must-win game for both teams.”

Gateshead Thunder v Swinton Lions (3pm)

Andy Morris (shoulder) is Gateshead Thunder’s major concern ahead of Sunday’s showdown with former Thunder coach Steve McCormack and his new-look Swinton Lions squad.

Current Gateshead coach Richard Pell said: “We need to get better in what we’re doing, because Swinton are going to be really well drilled. They’re one of the leading teams in Co-operative Championship One.”

However, Pell hopes home advantage can sway things in his side’s favour. He said: “It’s always a tough journey for teams to come up here.

“Sometimes it’s hard to stay focused on what you’re doing, and hopefully we can capitalise on that and start well. If we can take our poor starts out of our game, we’ll be a bit more confident and composed.”

Dana Wilson could return for Swinton after recovering from last month’s ankle operation.

Lions coach McCormack said: “We’re still a way off from where we want to be, but we’re showing some good signs. We’ve got a few things to work on.

“I’m quite happy with our performance levels at the moment, although we know they’ll need to improve over the coming weeks.”

Gateshead were beaten 60-6 by Batley last week, but McCormack said: “I prefer to look at their performance against Sheffield. I’ve watched that DVD and they were excellent. You never write off the people of Gateshead.”

Halifax RLFC v Batley Bulldogs (3pm)

Halifax RLFC have taken their preparations to a new level by flying out to Murcia for a five-day warm-weather training camp ahead of Sunday’s Northern Rail Cup fixture with Batley.

Last week’s game against Whitehaven was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, meaning Halifax have had all week to train without having any recovery period to factor into their schedule.

Coach Matt Calland said: “We should be better prepared for the Batley game as a result.”

Mike Ratu (broken arm) and Adam Rudd (shoulder) are definitely out for Halifax, while Lee Paterson (ankle) is also doubtful. Bob Beswick should be fit.

Injured Batley pair Adam Robinson and Chris Buttery are closing in on a return to action.

Jason Walton will not feature on Sunday as he serves the final week of a two-match suspension.

Last week’s 60-6 against Gateshead looked impressive on paper, but Bulldogs coach Karl Harrison was far from impressed.

He said: “We’re a million miles off where we should be with the ball. For whatever reason, we’re not gelling with the ball in hand.

“I’ve set the team and myself really high standards this season. We need to improve ten-fold to compete with Halifax.”

Oldham Roughyeds v Whitehaven RLFC (3pm)

Oldham coach Tony Benson must cope without prop Liam Gilchrist (groin), but David Ellison could return to bolster the Roughyeds’ front-row options.

Benson watched his men lost 29-20 against Swinton last week.

But he believes Oldham are heading in the right direction, despite only winning one of their three Northern Rail Cup fixtures so far.

He said: “We’re learning a long, slow lesson, but it’s early days yet and I’m sure we’ll learn it and be all the better for learning it.”

Whitehaven coach David Seeds has no injuries to deal with, but has been battling to prevent an outbreak of flu spreading throughout his squad.

Seeds said: “We’re trying to limit people with signs of it from coming to training, but we should be fine by Sunday.”

Haven’s scheduled fixture against Halifax was last week postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, and Seeds admitted to being frustrated.

He said: “It’s a shame that the Halifax game was postponed because we’d built up some momentum from the Sheffield game.

“People were upbeat with that performance and it’s a case of trying to keep the boys at that level ahead of Sunday’s game.”

Whitehaven now face three matches in six days, starting with Oldham on Sunday, Halifax on Wednesday and Lezignan on Saturday. “It’s certainly going to test us,” said Seeds.

Rochdale Hornets v Doncaster RLFC (3pm)

Rochdale Hornets trio John Cookson (shoulder), Wayne English (dead leg) and Dean Gorton (shin) are all expected to miss out on Sunday.

Hornets’ coach John Stankevitch said: “While we want to win the game this week, it’s about building momentum for the following week and I’m not going to take any unnecessary risks. If players aren’t 100 per cent, they probably won’t play.”

Jamie Peasnell is also out for four months after suffering a medial ligament injury just eight minutes into last week’s 50-10 defeat at Widnes.

Stankevitch added: “I’m not sure what Doncaster will be like. Last year they started the season poorly, but they got really strong towards the back end of the season. I’m not too sure what to expect on Sunday.”

Dons’ coach Tony Miller was proud of his side’s effort last week.

Dewsbury eventually emerged 30-18 winners at the Keepmoat Stadium, but Miller said: “Dewsbury are a division above us and you couldn’t tell.”

Miller is set to make a number of changes for the trip to Lancashire. He said: “Now we can’t progress in the Northern Rail Cup, we will give everybody the opportunity to prove themselves.”

Sheffield Eagles v Hunslet Hawks (3pm)

The return of three key men is set to boost Sheffield Eagles coach Mark Aston as he looks for a response to last week’s 68-6 mauling against Leigh.

Kyle Wood, Simon Brown and Alex Szostak are all ready to bolster Aston’s squad in a timely fashion.

Sheffield could still qualify for the knockout stages of the Northern Rail Cup, providing they beat Hunslet and other results go their way.

But Aston knows his side need a major improvement from last week’s display. He said: “At times at Leigh we looked clueless. The big concern for me was our attitude - we gave in a bit too easily.”

Hunslet coach Paul March has no injury concerns but will conduct some changes in order to make full use of his squad.

March said: “Whoever wins this game will probably go through, so it’s an important match.

“Sheffield haven’t played any pre-season friendlies this year, so it’s going to take them time to gel together.

You can’t read too much into their results. We’ve got to make sure we go there and play well, because they’re going to get better every week from now on.”

Workington Town v Leigh Centurions (3pm)

Jason Mossop (elbow) and Marc Shackley (head) are Workington Town’s major concerns, but joint coach Gary Charlton is keeping his fingers crossed.

“We’ll give them every chance,” he said. “We won’t rule anybody out until the physio or themselves say they can’t play.”

Town are aiming to bounce back from last week’s 30-0 defeat at Hunslet.

Charlton admitted: “We were very poor. Offensively we were the worst we’ve been since we took over.

“We were dominated around the ruck and we just kept on turning over the ball. We’ve got to keep hold of the ball – if we’ve got it, they can’t score – but I think we only completed about three sets all afternoon.”

On Leigh, he added: “They’re playing well. We know we’ve got to up our game. We’re expecting a good reaction from the boys, and a good challenge from Leigh.”

Leigh star Robbie Hunter-Paul is set to miss out after being hospitalised following a clash of heads with Sheffield’s Menzie Yere last week.

Leigh Centurions coach Ian Millward is hoping for a repeat of last week’s performance when Leigh beat Sheffield 68-6.

Millward said: “We played very, very well. Our go-forward was so strong and on top of that we had a pretty good kicking game.”

York City Knights v Keighley Cougars (3pm)

Ben Jones (arm) will be assessed during Thursday’s training session as York City Knights coach Dave Woods attempts to finalise his team for Sunday’s Northern Rail Cup tie with Keighley Cougars.

Scott Woods (concussion) is expected to be fit for Sunday after only playing 40 minutes of last week’s 16-16 draw against London.

Dave Woods said: “It was a poor performance. It wasn’t a professional display at all.

“London played really well; they worked hard and deserved the draw. But we weren’t at the races. It wasn’t acceptable.”

He added: “We’ve drawn a line under it, and we’re throwing it out. We need a good display just to repay the fans.”

Gavin Duffy (dead leg) is Keighley’s only doubt, but Cougars coach Jason Demetriou is promising to make a number of changes to his team.

Demetriou said: “I need players to have game-time. I can’t afford to go into the Co-operative Championship One season with five or six players who haven’t had any game-time, so I’ll be changing things around this week.”

Demetriou briefly joined York before agreeing a deal to become Keighley’s coach.

The former Wakefield star said: “They’re well coached by Dave Woods, and they’re looking forward to having a good year.

“Their last result wasn’t what they’ll be after, but they ran Featherstone close and that’s the quality we’re expecting on Sunday.”