2021 RFL League 1 results
The fixture list for the 2021 season was issued on 14 February 2021. The regular season comprised 18 rounds.[1]
The end-of-season play-offs featured the clubs finishing second to sixth in the regular season in a four round elimination competition to decide which team accompanied the team finishing first into the Championship for 2022.[2]
Four matches were postponed due under the RFL COVID-19 protocols and were not rearranged.[3]
All times are UK local time (UTC+1) on the relevant dates.
Regular season
Round 1
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
|  London Skolars | 24–44 |  North Wales Crusaders | 8 May 2021, 15:30 | New River Stadium | J. Vella | —[a] | 
|  Hunslet | 16–28 |  Workington Town | 9 May 2021, 14:00 | South Leeds Stadium | C. Worsley | |
|  Coventry Bears | 20–38 |  Barrow Raiders | 9 May 2021, 15:00 | Butts Park Arena | M. Rossleigh | |
|  Keighley Cougars | 44–18 |  Doncaster | 9 May 2021, 15:00 | Cougar Park | J. McMullen | |
|  Rochdale Hornets | 40–16 |  West Wales Raiders | 9 May 2021, 15:00 | Crown Oil Arena | M. Mannifield | |
| Source:[4] | ||||||
- ^ Matches played behind closed doors due to COVID-19 restrictions
Round 2
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
|  North Wales Crusaders | 18–26 |  Hunslet | 15 May 2021, 14:30 | Eirias Stadium | M. Rossleigh | —[a] | 
|  West Wales Raiders | 10–36 |  Coventry Bears | 15 May 2021, 15:00 | Stebonheath Park | L. Staveley | |
|  Workington Town | 50–16 |  London Skolars | 16 May 2021, 14:00 | Derwent Park | J. McMullen | |
|  Barrow Raiders | 40–18 |  Keighley Cougars | 16 May 2021, 15:00 | Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium | M. Mannifield | |
|  Doncaster | 30–22 |  Rochdale Hornets | 16 May 2021, 15:00 | Keepmoat Stadium | N. Bennett | |
| Source:[5] | ||||||
- ^ Matches played behind closed doors due to COVID-19 restrictions
Round 3
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance[a] | |||
|  Doncaster | 62–24 |  West Wales Raiders | 23 May 2021, 14:30 | Keepmoat Stadium | C. Worsley | 784 | 
|  North Wales Crusaders | 16–44 |  Workington Town | 23 May 2021, 14:30 | Eirias Stadium | T. Crashley | —[b] | 
|  Coventry Bears | 26–44 |  London Skolars | 23 May 2021, 15:00 | Butts Park Arena | L. Staveley | 210 | 
|  Hunslet | 6–29 |  Barrow Raiders | 23 May 2021, 15:00 | South Leeds Stadium | M. Smaill | 452 | 
|  Keighley Cougars | 36–43 |  Rochdale Hornets | 23 May 2021, 15:00 | Cougar Park | K. Moore | 700 | 
| Source:[7][8] | ||||||
Round 4
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance[a] | |||
|  West Wales Raiders | 10–52 |  London Skolars | 29 May 2021, 15:00 | Stebonheath Park | T. Crashley | —[b] | 
|  Workington Town | 24–26 |  Doncaster | 30 May 2021, 14:00 | Derwent Park | M. Mannifield | 942 | 
|  Barrow Raiders | 44–8 |  North Wales Crusaders | 30 May 2021, 15:00 | Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium | K. Moore | 1,915 | 
|  Coventry Bears | 38–30 |  Rochdale Hornets | 30 May 2021, 15:00 | Butts Park Arena | A. Sweet | 232 | 
|  Keighley Cougars | 40–0 |  Hunslet | 30 May 2021, 15:00 | Cougar Park | N. Bennett | 683 | 
| Source:[9] | ||||||
Round 5
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance[a] | |||
|  West Wales Raiders | 10–60 |  Barrow Raiders | 5 June 2021, 15:00 | Stebonheath Park | A. Sweet | —[b] | 
|  Workington Town | 34–20 |  Keighley Cougars | 6 June 2021, 14:00 | Derwent Park | G. Hewer | 942 | 
|  North Wales Crusaders | 36–12 |  Coventry Bears | 6 June 2021, 14:30 | Eirias Stadium | C. Worsley | —[b] | 
|  Doncaster | 46–12 |  London Skolars | 6 June 2021, 15:00 | Keepmoat Stadium | J. McMullen | 882 | 
|  Hunslet | 36–22 |  Rochdale Hornets | 6 June 2021, 15:00 | South Leeds Stadium | A. Moore | 483 | 
| Source:[10][8] | ||||||
Round 6
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
|  Barrow Raiders | 40–4 |  Rochdale Hornets | 12 June 2021, 15:00 | Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium | C. Worsley | 1,758 | 
|  London Skolars | 10–62 |  Hunslet | 12 June 2021, 15:30 | New River Stadium | K. Moore | 370 | 
|  Coventry Bears | 12–30 |  Workington Town | 13 June 2021, 15:00 | Butts Park Arena | T. Crashley | 198 | 
|  Keighley Cougars | 70–12 |  West Wales Raiders | 13 June 2021, 15:00 | Cougar Park | M. Rossleigh | 463 | 
|  North Wales Crusaders | 0–68 |  Doncaster | 13 June 2021, 15:00 | Eirias Stadium | J. Vella | —[a] | 
| Source:[11] | ||||||
- ^ COVID-19 regulations in Wales did not permit spectator attendance at matches on this date
Round 7
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
|  West Wales Raiders | 10–60 |  North Wales Crusaders | 19 June 2021, 15:00 | Stebonheath Park | M. Rossleigh | 285 | 
|  London Skolars | 14–24 |  Barrow Raiders | 19 June 2021, 15:30 | New River Stadium | J. Vella | 391 | 
|  Workington Town | 34–28 |  Rochdale Hornets | 20 June 2021, 14:00 | Derwent Park | C. Smith | 942 | 
|  Coventry Bears | 24–18 |  Keighley Cougars | 16 July 2021, 20:00[a] | Butts Park Arena | K. Moore | 387 | 
|  Hunslet | 18–18 |  Doncaster | 20 June 2021, 15:00 | South Leeds Stadium | L. Staveley | 527 | 
| Source:[13][14] | ||||||
Round 8
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
|  West Wales Raiders | 12–38 |  Hunslet | 26 June 2021, 15:00 | Stebonheath Park | C. Smith | 100 | 
|  Barrow Raiders | 24–24 |  Workington Town | 27 June 2021, 15:00 | Craven Park | T. Crashley | 3,146 | 
|  Coventry Bears | 16–34 |  Doncaster | 27 June 2021, 15:00 | Butts Park Arena | K. Moore | 275 | 
|  Keighley Cougars | 34–22 |  London Skolars | 27 June 2021, 15:00 | Cougar Park | B. Milligan | 548 | 
|  Rochdale Hornets | 38–28 |  North Wales Crusaders | 27 June 2021, 15:00 | Crown Oil Arena | J. Vella | 1,389 | 
| Source:[15] | ||||||
Round 9
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
|  Workington Town | 66–0 |  West Wales Raiders | 4 July 2021, 14:00 | Derwent Park | L. Bland | 942 | 
|  North Wales Crusaders | 34–28 |  Keighley Cougars | 4 July 2021, 14:30 | Eirias Stadium | M. Smaill | 437 | 
|  Barrow Raiders | 31–6 |  Doncaster | 4 July 2021, 15:00 | Craven Park | C. Smith | 2,005 | 
|  Coventry Bears | 46–44 |  Hunslet | 4 July 2021, 15:00 | Butts Park Arena | B. Milligan | 255 | 
|  Rochdale Hornets | 22–4 |  London Skolars | 4 July 2021, 15:00 | Crown Oil Arena | A. Sweet | 1,171 | 
| Source:[16] | ||||||
Round 10
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
|  West Wales Raiders | 18–30 |  Rochdale Hornets | 10 July 2021, 15:00 | Stebonheath Park | J. Jones | 318 | 
|  Workington Town | P–P |  Coventry Bears | Not rearranged[a] | Derwent Park | ||
|  Hunslet | 24–34 |  North Wales Crusaders | 11 July 2021, 15:00 | South Leeds Stadium | K. Moore | 404 | 
|  Keighley Cougars | 40–12 |  Barrow Raiders | 11 July 2021, 15:00 | Cougar Park | N. Bennett | 572 | 
|  London Skolars | 16–16 |  Doncaster | 16 July 2021, 19:00 | New River Stadium | M. Rossleigh | 575 | 
| Source:[18][8] | ||||||
Round 11
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
|  London Skolars | 46–30 |  West Wales Raiders | 24 July 2021, 15:30 | New River Stadium | J. Jones | 196 | 
|  Doncaster | P–P |  North Wales Crusaders | Not rearranged[a] | Keepmoat Stadium | ||
|  Barrow Raiders | 40–12 |  Coventry Bears | 25 July 2021, 15:00 | Craven Park | M. Smaill | 1,862 | 
|  Hunslet | 20–20 |  Keighley Cougars | 25 July 2021, 15:00 | South Leeds Stadium | C. Smith | 714 | 
|  Rochdale Hornets | P–P |  Workington Town | Not rearranged[b] | Crown Oil Arena | ||
| Source:[20] | ||||||
Round 12
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
|  London Skolars | 12–14 |  Coventry Bears | 31 July 2021, 15:30 | New River Stadium | L. Rush | 190 | 
|  Workington Town | P–P |  Barrow Raiders | Not rearranged[a] | Derwent Park | ||
|  Doncaster | 24–46 |  Hunslet | 1 August 2021, 14:30 | Keepmoat Stadium | M. Rossleigh | 1,179 | 
|  North Wales Crusaders | 72–4 |  West Wales Raiders | 1 August 2021, 14:30 | Eirias Stadium | J. Vella | 610 | 
|  Rochdale Hornets | 20–42 |  Keighley Cougars | 1 August 2021, 15:00 | Crown Oil Arena | J. Jones | 891 | 
| Source:[22][8] | ||||||
Round 13
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
|  West Wales Raiders | 24–24 |  Doncaster | 7 August 2021, 15:00 | Stebonheath Park | L. Rush | 180 | 
|  London Skolars | 34–38 |  Rochdale Hornets | 7 August 2021, 15:30 | New River Stadium | J. Vella | 208 | 
|  Barrow Raiders | 40–10 |  Hunslet | 8 August 2021, 15:00 | Craven Park | M. Mannifield | 1,918 | 
|  Coventry Bears | 16–32 |  North Wales Crusaders | 8 August 2021, 15:00 | Butts Park Arena | C. Smith | 378 | 
|  Keighley Cougars | 18–22 |  Workington Town | 8 August 2021, 15:00 | Cougar Park | M. Smaills | 774 | 
| Source:[23][8] | ||||||
Round 14
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
|  West Wales Raiders | 24–36 |  Workington Town | 14 August 2021, 15:00 | Stebonheath Park | K. Moore | 239 | 
|  North Wales Crusaders | 23–10 |  Barrow Raiders | 15 August 2021, 14:30 | Eirias Stadium | M. Smaill | 727 | 
|  Hunslet | 38–10 |  London Skolars | 15 August 2021, 15:00 | South Leeds Stadium | C. Worsley | 435 | 
|  Keighley Cougars | 46–18 |  Coventry Bears | 15 August 2021, 15:00 | Cougar Park | L. Staveley | 1,028 | 
|  Rochdale Hornets | 44–8 |  Doncaster | 15 August 2021, 15:00 | Crown Oil Arena | J. Jones | 882 | 
| Source:[24] | ||||||
Round 15
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
|  London Skolars | 14–34 |  Keighley Cougars | 21 August 2021, 15:00 | New River Stadium | L. Bland | 228 | 
|  Workington Town | 18–40 |  North Wales Crusaders | 22 August 2021, 14:00 | Derwent Park | C. Smith | 1,457 | 
|  Coventry Bears | 50–18 |  West Wales Raiders | 22 August 2021, 15:00 | Butts Park Arena | M. Smaill | 280 | 
|  Doncaster | 26–18 |  Barrow Raiders | 22 August 2021, 15:00 | Keepmoat Stadium | K. Moore | 1,019 | 
|  Rochdale Hornets | 34–34 |  Hunslet | 22 August 2021, 15:00 | Crown Oil Arena | L. Rush | 822 | 
| Source:[25][8] | ||||||
Round 16
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
|  Barrow Raiders | 38–24 |  London Skolars | 28 August 2021, 14:00 | Craven Park | L. Rush | 1,486 | 
|  North Wales Crusaders | 36–10 |  Rochdale Hornets | 28 August 2021, 14:30 | Eirias Stadium | M. Mannifield | 617 | 
|  West Wales Raiders | 12–42 |  Keighley Cougars | 28 August 2021, 15:00 | Stebonheath Park | J. Jones | 267 | 
|  Doncaster | 22–12 |  Workington Town | 29 August 2021, 15:00 | Keepmoat Stadium | C. Smith | 948 | 
|  Hunslet | 32–30 |  Coventry Bears | 29 August 2021, 15:00 | South Leeds Stadium | J. Vella | 353 | 
| Source:[26] | ||||||
Round 17
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
|  London Skolars | 18–35 |  Workington Town | 4 September 2021, 15:30 | New River Stadium | A. Sweet | 241 | 
|  Doncaster | 18–13 |  Coventry Bears | 5 September 2021, 15:00 | Keepmoat Stadium | K. Moore | 1,138 | 
|  Hunslet | 82–6 |  West Wales Raiders | 5 September 2021, 15:00 | South Leeds Stadium | L. Bland | 474 | 
|  Keighley Cougars | 34–14 |  North Wales Crusaders | 5 September 2021, 15:00 | Cougar Park | L. Staveley | 1,327 | 
|  Rochdale Hornets | 30–32 |  Barrow Raiders | 5 September 2021, 15:00 | Crown Oil Arena | J. Jones | 1,064 | 
| Source:[27] | ||||||
Round 18
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
|  North Wales Crusaders | 44–0 |  London Skolars | 11 September 2021, 14:30 | Eirias Stadium | B. Milligan | 560 | 
|  Barrow Raiders | 76–0 |  West Wales Raiders | 11 September 2021, 15:00 | Craven Park | J. McMullen | 1,922 | 
|  Workington Town | 14–32 |  Hunslet | 12 September 2021, 14:00 | Derwent Park | T. Crashley | 1,397 | 
|  Doncaster | 26–28 |  Keighley Cougars | 12 September 2021, 14:30 | Keepmoat Stadium | M. Mannifield | 738 | 
|  Rochdale Hornets | 50–22 |  Coventry Bears | 12 September 2021, 15:00 | Crown Oil Arena | M. Smaill | 693 | 
| Source:[28] | ||||||
Play-offs
Workington Town, who finished the regular season in second place, advanced straight to the qualifying semi-final in the second week of the play-offs. Teams that finished 3rd to 6th after the regular season played off in qualifying and elimination play-offs respectively. Keighley Cougars defeated North Wales Crusaders in the qualifying play-off and proceeded to the qualifying play-off against Workington Town, where they lost.[29][30] Doncaster defeated Hunslet in the elimination play-off which resulted in the latter being eliminated from the play-offs.[31] Doncaster then proceeded to defeat North Wales in the elimination semi-final which saw them advance to the preliminary final against Keighley.[32]
Team bracket
| Qualifying play-off | Qualifying semi-final | Preliminary final | Promotion play-off final | |||||||||||||||
| 2 |  Workington Town | 18 |  Workington Town | 36 | ||||||||||||||
|  Keighley Cougars | 16 |  Doncaster | 12 | |||||||||||||||
| 3 |  North Wales Crusaders | 14 |  Keighley Cougars | 26 | ||||||||||||||
| 4 |  Keighley Cougars | 28 | Elimination semi-final |  Doncaster | 28 | |||||||||||||
|  North Wales Crusaders | 34 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 |  Doncaster | 31 |  Doncaster | 48 | ||||||||||||||
| 6 |  Hunslet | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
Week 1: Elimination and qualifying play-offs
Week 2: Semi-finals
- ^ After golden point extra time
Week 3: Preliminary final
Week 4: Promotion play-off final
References
- ^ "Easter return for the Betfred Championship". www.rugby-league.com. RFL. 14 February 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
- ^ "Sky Sports to televise Betfred Championship Play-offs". www.rugby-league.com. RFL. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
- ^ Butcher, Tim; Spencer, Daniel, eds. (2021). Rugby League Yearbook 2021-2022. p. 296. ISBN 978-190134740-1.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round one". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3276. 10 May 2021. p. 32.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round two". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3277. 17 May 2021. p. 32.
- ^ "Coronavirus: Sports fans return as restrictions ease under third step of government road map". Sky Sports. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round three". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3278. 24 May 2021. p. 36.
- ^ a b c d e f Butcher, Tim; Spencer, Daniel, eds. (2021). Rugby League Yearbook 2021-2022. pp. 290–297. ISBN 978-190134740-1.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round four". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3279. 31 May 2021. p. 39.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round five". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3280. 7 June 2021. p. 32.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round six". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3281. 14 June 2021. p. 36.
- ^ "Betfred League 1 Update - June 18". www.rugby-league.com. Rugby Football League. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round seven". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3282. 21 June 2021. p. 36.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round seven". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3286. 19 July 2021. p. 36.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round eight". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3283. 28 June 2021. p. 36.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round nine". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3284. 5 July 2021. p. 36.
- ^ "Workington Town postpones game following positive Covid cases in the squad". ITV News. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round ten". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3285. 12 July 2021. p. 39.
- ^ a b "Betfred League 1 update - July 20". rugby-league.com. RFL. 20 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round eleven". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3287. 26 July 2021. p. 36.
- ^ "POSTPONED: Workington Town v Barrow Raiders | Barrow Raiders". Barrow RLFC. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round twelve". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3288. 2 August 2021. p. 36.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round thirteen". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3289. 9 August 2021. p. 36.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round fourteen". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3290. 16 August 2021. p. 40.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round fifteen". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3291. 23 August 2021. p. 36.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round sixteen". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3292. 30 August 2021. p. 35.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round seventeen". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3293. 6 September 2021. p. 40.
- ^ "Betfred League 1: Round eighteen". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3294. 13 September 2021. p. 38.
- ^ "Santi double provides crucial for Cougars". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3295. 20 September 2021. p. 14.
- ^ "Town on top after late drama". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3296. 27 September 2021. p. 20.
- ^ "Beharrell's return inspires Dons". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3295. 20 September 2021. p. 14.
- ^ "Dons hold off Crusaders' comeback". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3296. 27 September 2021. p. 20.
- ^ "Third Division 2021 - Workington Town - Rugby League Project".