Anglo-French Challenge set for free-to-air coverage

Featherstone’s Anglo-French Challenge match against Pia XIII will be broadcast free-to-air on Premier Sports.

Sky subscribers will be able to view the match at no additional charge on channel 433 from 3pm on Sunday, June 3.

The Anglo-French challenge sees the four best semi-professional clubs in the Championship go head to head with their French counterparts from the Elite One Championship.

Featherstone and Pia will battle it out at the Big Fellas Stadium for the right to be crowed European Champions, while Leigh, Sheffield and Halifax will aim to provide some English glory.

In an innovative move, the strongest semi-professional Rugby League competition in Europe will be determined by the results of all four Anglo-French Challenge matches.

Should the contest after all four games end 2-2 the best competition will be determined by aggregating the combined points scored in all four matches.

RFL’s director of communications Niel Wood said: “The Co-operative Championship has worked closely with the French Elite Division over recent years and this new tournament is a great progression for the two competitions.

“The fixture looks to be an exciting challenge to decide who will become the first European club title holders and I urge fans not to miss it.”

Wood also hailed Premier Sports for their gesture to allow Sky subscribers to watch the game for free. However cable customers will not be able to watch the match, as the channel is not yet available on this platform. 

Wood said: “Having the match available to watch free-to-air is a great initiative for the newly introduced Anglo-French Challenge and a great chance for fans to experience the high quality coverage of Premier Sports.

“It is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the talent that is a key part of both competitions and for fans to enjoy the cross-Channel rivalry that has long been a feature of European Rugby League.”

Premier Sports will also broadcast Leigh’s match with Avignon, however this will only be available to Premier Sports’ subscribers on Saturday.

Saturday June 2

Carcassonne v Sheffield Eagles, TBC

Leigh Centurions v Avignon, 2pm

Toulouse Olympique v Halifax, TBC

Sunday June 3

Featherstone Rovers v Pia, 3pm