Championship/Challenge Cup round-up: Team news from Featherstone Rovers, Dewsbury Rams, Batley Bulldogs and Hunslet

Tom Holroyd. Picture by Jonathan Gawthorpe.

Callum McLelland and Luke Briscoe could make their second appearance of the season for Rovers at home to Halifax (6.15pm), but are also in contention for Rhinos Betfred Super League game at Huddersfield Giants which kicks off three and a quarter hours earlier.

Tom Holroyd is in a similar situation, having not played for either club last weekend, but Leeds’ Jarrod O’Connor drops out of Featherstone’s initial 21 after making his Championship debut last weekend.

Rovers are without star half-back Dane Chisholme who is beginning a three-game ban for an incident in their pre-season win over Leeds three weeks ago, so Louis Jouffret is likely to step in.

Callum McLelland. Picture by Jonathan Gawthorpe.

Batley Bulldogs and Dewsbury Rams will both aim to break their duck on Sunday after a losing start last week.

Bulldogs face a tough trip to Widnes Vikings. Coach Caig Lingard will select from the 17 beaten by Featherstone last week, plus Danny Bravo, Nyle Flynn, David Scott and George Senior.

Matt Gee, Michael Knowles, Frazer Morris and Morgan Punchard are all in contention for their first Rams appearance of the season, away to Swinton Lions (3pm).

Injury doubts Simon Brown and Nathan Conroy have been named in a full-strength Hunslet squad for Sunday's season-opener at home to Coventry Bears in the Coral Challenge Cup (3pm).

Danny Rowse, a half-back signed from Hunslet Club Parkside, is among the players in line for his competitive debut after impressing in pre-season.

National Conference side Thornhill Trojans are in Challenge Cup action on Saturday, against Doncaster at Dewsbury’s Tetley’s Stadium (2pm).

Rovers Squad: Albert, Blackmore, Briscoe, Bussey, Carey, Cooper, Ferguson, Ferres, French, Gale, Hall, Hardcastle, Harrison, Holroyd, Jouffret, Lockwood, McLelland, Parata, Susino, Sweeting, Worthington.

Bulldogs squad: Blagbrough, Bowman, Bravo, Brown, Everett, Flynn, Galbraith, Hooley, Leak, Lunt, Manning, Morton, Pick, Reittie, Scott, Senior, Tomlinson, Walshaw, Ward, White, Yates.

Rams squad: Annakin, Day, Dixon, Esslemont, Finn, Fleming, Gabriel, Gee, Johnson, Knowles, Magrin, Martin, Morris, Nelmes, Oakes, Punchard, Reilly, Ryder, Scott, Speakman, Sykes.

Hunslet squad: Hartley, Chrimes, Heaton, Ashton, Markland, Brown, Brambani, Kidd, Lee, Braham, Tonks, Straugheir, Halafihi, Conroy, Aldous, Andrade, King, Rowse, Ray, Hallas, Watson.