YORK Knights will begin their 2025 Betfred Championship campaign with a trip to newly promoted Oldham on Sunday, February 16 (3pm).
The Rougheyds are back in the second tier for the first time since 2021, with Sean Long leading them to the Betfred League One title in style last season, their only defeat coming at Keighley Cougars.
It is the second consecutive year that the Knights have faced a newly promoted team on the opening weekend, having started their 2024 campaign with defeat at Doncaster.
The sides’ most recent meeting came in March, York running out 46-12 victors in their AB Sundecks 1895 Cup quarter-final at the LNER Community Stadium.
Richie Myler and Will Dagger both found the whitewash twice, whilst Myles Harrison, Liam Harris, Conor Fitzsimmons and AJ Towse also added their names to the scoresheet.
Oldham though should not be written off, their off-season recruitment including full-back Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e and experienced pair Iain Thornley and Matty Ashurst, who both helped Wakefield Trinity to a League Leaders’ Shield, 1895 Cup and Grand Final treble this year.
The Knights’ first home fixture pits them against Toulouse Olympique for the second season running, the French side making the trip over on Saturday, February 22 (6pm).
Sylvian Houles’ team have been beaten in each of the last two Championship Grand Finals and are again expected to be challenging at the top of the table after their second-placed finish this year.
Late tries from Joe Brown, Connor Bailey and Jesse Dee were not able to overturn the deficit as York were defeated 20-14 at the LNER Community Stadium in March, despite Toulouse’s Harrison Hansen and Sitaleki Akauola both being sent off.
But the Knights did break their 11-year winless steak in France in the reverse trip in August, tries from Brown, Nikau Williams and Dagger confirming a famous 20-12 victory.
