VIRTUAL PREVIEW: SWINTON LIONS v HALIFAX
28 March 2020
Swinton Lions face Halifax RLFC in their second virtual match after last week’s resounding success.
Swinton Lions face Halifax in their second virtual game after last Sunday’s dramatic 36-34 win against Oldham at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Halifax would have been Swinton’s opponents this weekend if it wasn’t for the season postponement due to COVID-19 but the game none the less goes ahead on Sunday at 3pm, just in slightly different fashion than normal.
Last Sunday’s game at a virtual AJ Bell Stadium was very well received and more than just a bit of novelty entertainment.
It was an enthralling game between two big rivals and the game had just about everything.
The fans commenting their opinions on the live stream and on our twitter updates, were really getting into it.
We are hoping for similar excitement this Sunday as the Lions look to keep their unbeaten virtual record intact.
FORM GUIDE
Swinton Lions’ season had already been incredibly disrupted even before the season’s suspension, having had both their home games postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
However, since their opening day victory away to Whitehaven, Swinton have lost two league games in a row and dropped down the table to 10th place.
Whilst Halifax’s season so far has been similarly mixed and having played a game more than Swinton, they find themselves in 8th place.
Halifax have won two and lost two of their opening four games but since winning their opening game of the season, they have won just once in their last three matches.
Therefore, this game is set to be another close and unpredictable one, with neither side the clear favourites for victory.
MATCH STATS
Swinton were victorious the last time these sides met in the Betfred Championship when they won 32-12 at Heywood Road in August last season but Halifax edged out a tightly contested game 18-16 earlier on in the campaign.
In the 2018 season it was Halifax who had the better of the Lions, winning both games with relative comfort.
However, just like last campaign, in 2017 Swinton lost the first meeting early on in the season but got their revenge in the later meeting with a narrow 31-12 win.
LAST 5 MEETINGS
Swinton 32-12 Halifax (CHR25, 11/8/19)
Halifax 18-16 (CHR5, 24/2/19)
Swinton 4-46 Halifax (CHR17, 10/6/18)
Halifax 18-12 Swinton (CHR11, 8/4/18)
Swinton 13-12 Halifax (CHR19, 21/6/17)
Halifax 38- 28 Swinton (CHR8. 26/3/17)
TEAM NEWS
Stuart Littler has named an unchanged squad from the Oldham game to face Halifax on Sunday afternoon for this virtual match-up.
LIONS SQUAD TO FACE HALIFAX RLFC: Gavin Bennion, Billy Brickhill, Mike Butt, Mitch Cox, Rob Fairclough, Sam Grant, Frankie Halton, Jack Hansen, Lewis Hatton, Will Hope, Paddy Jones, Jose Kenga, Richard Lepori, Rhodri Lloyd, Ben Morris, Oscar Thomas, Luke Waterworth, Brandon Wood.
Written by Harry Dunnett
