Rugby League: Hornets to face Crusaders in pre-season friendly

Rochdale Hornets

Rochdale Hornets have finalised their first pre-season fixture of 2018 - they will take on League One outfit North Wales Crusaders at The Crown Oil Arena on Sunday 21 January.

It will be the final warm-up game for Hornets, as they will enjoy a free weekend before their Championship opener at home to Batley Bulldogs.

A further two games are planned prior to the visit of the Crusaders, with the final details of those fixtures currently being negotiated.

The last time Hornets faced a Crusaders side was back in 2016 on their way to promotion from League One, when they visited Glyndwr University Racecourse Stadium on Good Friday.

Hornets came away with the two points in a 42-16 victory, with Ben Moores appearing on the scoresheet.

Another Hornet also crossed the try line that day, however Earl Hurst’s try double came in North Wales colours as he will go head-to-head with his former team, along with Rob Massam.

Crusaders boast a number of former Hornets players in their ranks; Ryan Smith, Steve Roper, Warren Thompson, Dale Bloomfield and James Dandy will return to the Crown Oil Arena.

In their last meeting in Rochdale, Hornets snatched a dramatic victory thanks to a drop-goal from Danny Yates, that proved the difference in a 19-18 win.

With plenty of players on both sides coming up against their former team this is set to be a hotly contested friendly.

It will be the last chance for players to stake a claim to be in the 17 for the Batley clash two weeks later.