Skip to main content

Carl Forster’s North Wales Crusaders side will be looking to make it two from two this weekend as their second game of 2025 sees them travel to the North East to face Newcastle Thunder.

Having already progressed in the Betfred Challenge Cup with a 52-0 victory over Cornwall RLFC last weekend, Crusaders begin another road to Wembley this week as they face Newcastle Thunder in the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup, where an away tie at Goole Vikings awaits the winner.

In Opposition:

On the back of a difficult 2024 season, Newcastle Thunder are aiming for improvements both on and off the field in 2025.

Settled at their new home of Blaydon RFC just outside of Newcastle, Thunder have moved to improve their squad, retaining much of their talent from last season and adding a host of young players who carry great potential and could flourish as they make their first steps in the professional ranks.

Last Time Out:

Crusaders’ last meeting with Thunder came in June 2024 where Carl Forster’s side claimed a 42-4 victory in Betfred League One.

The first half saw tries from Ben Lane, Ben Evans, Rob Massam and Kieran Taylor gift the visitors a 20-0 advantage at the break.

A strong showing in the second period followed as Massam completed a hat-trick and Lane a brace adding to Shaun Costello’s effort to complete a 42-4 victory in the North East.

What The Coach Says: 

Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Forster said: “Newcastle are a different animal in comparison to what they did last season.

“The lads which they’ve retained now have a a full year playing and a full pre-season under their belts, and they’ve added to that core with players from Super League academy systems, in addition to that they have dual-reg.

“With that in mind, we’ll go up there on Sunday and show Newcastle all the respect in the world, just last weekend they’ve competed with Batley who are an established Championship side, and I think any side that goes up against Newcastle this year thinking they’re getting an easy game will get punished.”

Supporter Information:

Kick-off in Newcastle is at 3pm this Sunday, with tickets priced at £15 Adults and £5 for Under 18’s.

You can purchase tickets online from Newcastle Thunder by clicking HERE.

Leave a Reply