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ISSUE 516 (JAN 2026) PICTURED – AVAILABLE FROM 19th DEC 2025
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It just wouldn’t be rugby league now would it, if we weren’t on the verge of kicking off a new season without some kind of off-field drama threatening to derail it. Here we are with the new-look Betfred Championship ready to get underway in January, but with two of its member clubs, Salford Red Devils and Featherstone Rovers, included in the fixtures but not certain to exist in order to fulfil them. If they do make the starting line, through some miraculous last-minute escape from financial oblivion, they will do so with makeshift squads and zero preparation. We have tried to make sense of what impact this will have on the competition in our club-by-club previews which you can find inside this issue. On a brighter note, and perhaps something to encourage fans of clubs who are currently experiencing hard times, we talk to Australian rugby league legend Darren Lockyer about his takeover of London Broncos, and their almost overnight transformation into Championship title favourites. It just goes to show that anything can happen in this sport.
Away from the professional ranks, there is also a significant upheaval, and the inevitable disagreements that go with it, in the grassroots game as the National Conference League faces reorganisation. We have further details inside.
Elsewhere this issue, you can find the draw for the 2026 Rugby League World Cup, the winners of this year’s Golden Boot awards, details of an interesting rebrand taking place in the women’s game and all your favourite regular features.
