RUGBY : New Crusaders coach Brian Noble will be reunited with one of his former clubs in Bradford at next season’s engage Super League Magic Weekend in Edinburgh.
New Crusaders coach Brian Noble will be reunited with one of his former clubs in Bradford at next season’s engage Super League Magic Weekend in Edinburgh.
Noble was handed an early-season return to Wigan – the club he left just last month – when the majority of the regular season fixtures were published on Wednesday.
And when the programme was completed with a draw for the seven Murrayfield fixtures on Wednesday afternoon, the 48-year-old learned he would pit his new side against the one he coached from 2001 to 2006 and led to three Super League titles.
Champions Leeds were drawn against neighbours Wakefield while St Helens will play one of last season’s most improved teams in Hull KR.
The other fixtures were Hull v Harlequins, Warrington v Salford, Wigan v Huddersfield and Castleford v Catalans Dragons.
All seven matches will be played at the Edinburgh venue over the weekend of May 1-2. A decision will be made in due course on which days the games will take place and in which order, but four will be played on Saturday and three on Sunday.
The Magic Weekend concept is now in its fourth season after two years in Cardiff and last May’s event in the Scottish capital.
Derby matches were used to help sell the first two events but a draw was used in 2009.
The latest draw was split into two parts with last season’s bottom six sides pulled out against each other first before the games for the top eight teams were determined.
