Reigning Northern Rail 9s champions Blackpool Panthers will face a testing round of group games when they defend their title at Fylde Rugby Club’s Memorial Ground on Saturday July 17.Pool 1: Dewsbury Rams, Rochdale Hornets, Swinton Lions, Gateshead Thunder.
Pool 2: Featherstone Rovers, Barrow Raiders, Oldham, Sheffield Eagles.
Pool 3: Keighley Cougars, Workington Town, York City Knights, Whitehaven.
Pool 4: Doncaster, Blackpool Panthers, London Skolars.
Pool 5: Halifax, Hunslet Hawks, Leigh Centurions.
Teams in Pools 1, 2 and 3 will each play three matches against their rivals in the same pool. The teams in Pools 4 will play three matches against the teams in Pool 5, who will play matches against each of the teams in Pool 4.
The top four teams in a composite league table based on the results from all five pools will then progress to the semi-final stage. All matches will last nine minutes each way.
The winners of the Northern Rail 9s will go on to represent The Co-operative Championships clubs at the Carnegie Floodlit 9s at the Headingley Carnegie Stadium in August.
The Northern Rail 9s takes place the day before Widnes Vikings and Batley Bulldogs compete in the Northern Rail Cup Final at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool on Sunday July 18
Tickets, priced at £9 (£5 concessions), can be purchased on the day or in advance from the RFL Ticket Office on 0844 8561113. Supporters purchasing tickets for the Northern Rail 9s will be given a promotional code to secure a discount for the Northern Rail Cup Final.
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