WHAT would fish be without chips? Laurel without Hardy? Romeo without Juliet?

Three questions we’re unlikely to ever find the answers to because breaking up such double acts is simply unthinkable.

But sadly we will now find out what rugby league will be like without Featherstone Rovers.

No matter which team you support, or what rivalries you hold, I’m sure the majority of fans will agree that Thursday, 9th January was a sad day for rugby league.

Following Salford’s successful readmittance to the RFL after over a year of severe financial struggles for the old club, there were many who expected a similar outcome when Featherstone’s case was heard.

Rovers had voluntarily entered administration in December, with high hopes of starting afresh, but it was not to be, and a statement from the governing body on that fateful day read: “The Rugby Football League can confirm that Featherstone Rovers have not been granted RFL membership or entry into the 2026 Betfred Championship.

“The club fell into administration in December and the one submission received to take ownership of the club has not met the required governance criteria and RFL membership has been denied.

“The RFL will continue to work with the administrator and remains committed to supporting a sustainable return of professional rugby league in the town of Featherstone moving forward.”

Many questions followed about the logistics of the season and how the league table would be decided given that not all clubs were scheduled to play Featherstone.

Win percentage was initially mentioned when it came to the standings, but additional home and away fixtures between the sides Featherstone were due to play have since been announced, maintining a 24-game season for all clubs and allowing the table to be decided in the usual way.

It does mean fitting these games into an already packed season, but it was perhaps a needed decision to level out the campaign.

But all that aside, there was an overriding feeling of shock throughout the sport and Rovers fans were rightly devastated that they wouldn’t have a professional club to follow this year.

Plenty of fans were also asking why it looked like there was one rule for Salford, and another for Featherstone.

It seems that the RFL were damned if they did and damned if they didn’t.

The governing body came in for much criticism last year for deeming the previous Salford owners suitable and therefore granting them Super League membership.

I am sure I don’t need to remind anyone how that turned out, with Salford’s situation going from bad to worse throughout the year and ultimately ending with the Red Devils being liquidated.

The RFL clearly learnt lessons from that chapter and wanted to avoid a repeat of a sorry situation.

If they hadn’t seen enough from the prospective new owners, they had to veto the plans for the integrity of the game, club and competition.

It was always a risk by Featherstone’s hierarchy of Mark Campbell and Chris Hamilton to apply for administration, in the hope that they could be the ones to resurrect things ahead of the new season.

Unfortunately for everyone involved with the club, it was a risk that did not pay off, and now the supporters, who have stuck by Featherstone through all their previous difficulties, are the ones paying the price.

I suggested in this column last month that Salford, who technically didn’t exist at the time of writing, might have actually benefitted if they were to have a year out of the game to get their business in order. Now the same could be said of Featherstone.

The RFL’s statement did not rule out a future return for the famous old club, they were just not considered a sustainable option for 2026.

Now they need to use the coming months to get their house in order, get the necessary finances in place and build a competitive squad ahead of 2027.

I know people will fear that with no club to follow, fans will simply drift away, find other things to do on a Sunday afternoon and develop a new normal.

But while some will be lost, Featherstone have always had a fiercely loyal supporter base so I’d hazard a guess that the majority will be back as soon as the club is.

In fact, some of these supporters have even been talking to neighbours Hunslet, with experience of being a fan-owned club, about the possibility of taking a similar route.

And don’t forget, the Rovers faithful still have a side they can get behind, with the women’s team back in Super League this year and due to start their Challenge Cup campaign in April.

Even though the club remain in administration, I am led to believe the women’s team will carry on as normal as they are mainly a part of the foundation, a separate entity from the main club.

Apologies in advance if this next point sounds rather self-indulgent, but this very magazine made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend publication when the Covid pandemic took hold in March 2020. We knew we ran the risk of losing readers to other titles or other interests, but it was a risk we had to take at the time.

We didn’t return as a publication until January 2022 – after a gap of nearly two years – and even then we didn’t return to shop shelves, but we were greeted by the vast majority of our existing readers, and have also picked up many new ones along the way.

I honestly do think that if fans are passionate enough for the club, they will stick by them for good. Even if they have to go a season with no games, if that gap allows the club to come back stronger, they will wait and the results of that wait will taste even sweeter. 

First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 517 (February 2026)