Championship/League 1 fixtures: Featherstone Rovers face appetising opener at the Bradford Bulls

The first round of the 2019 season, on Sunday, February 3, will also see Batley Bulldogs play host to Barrow Raiders and Dewsbury Rams visit Rochdale Hornets in Lee Greenwood’s competitive debut as coach.

Hunslet face a delayed start to their Betfred League One campaign.

The season opens with four matches on Sunday, February 17, but the Parksiders are not in action until a week later when they visit Doncaster.

The Championship’s Summer Bash will again be staged at Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road, on the weekend of May 18/19.

Saturday’s second game will see Rovers take on 2018 League One champions York City Knights.

Batley and Dewsbury meet in the penultimate match the following day.

Rovers are due to visit York in round 25 of the 27-game Championship season, on Sunday, August 18.

That could be the second game at the Knights’ new ground just outside the city centre on the site of their previous Huntington Stadium base.

York are set to open their new home three weeks earlier against Bradford Bulls and Rams are the scheduled final visitors to Bootham Crescent on Sunday, June 30.

Former Featherstone boss John Duffy will not have to wait long for a first reunion with his previous club.

Rovers visit Leigh Centurions, who appointed Duffy as coach last week, in round three on Sunday, February 17.

Former Leeds Rhinos coach Brian McDermott will make his debut in charge of Toronto Wolfpack when they visit York in round one.

Toronto’s first four home games will be played outside Canada, including their clash with Batley on Sunday, March 18.

No venue has yet been announced for that or their meetings with Sheffield Eagles – which could be played in Belgrade – and Swinton Lions, but they will take on relegated Widnes Vikings at Newcastle’s Kingston Park on Sunday, February 17.