Game Preview: v Newcastle Vikings

Tue Aug 11 2026

Yorkshire Rams vs Newcastle Vikings

16 August 2026, 12:00pm

Graham Sports Centre, Durham

A Rams defender contests for the ball with a Vikings receiver

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One To Watch

#3 Kelvin Newsome

#3 Kelvin Newsome

Linebacker Kelvin Newsome has been one of the Rams' most impactful defenders throughout the 2026 campaign, earning Defensive MVP honours in the wins over Chester Romans and Sheffield Giants at home. His ability to force turnovers and make plays behind the line of scrimmage has been a constant feature of the Rams' defensive identity this season.

In the Playoff Semi-Final at Leicester, Newsome delivered a crucial fourth-quarter sack on the Panthers' quarterback that helped shut the door on a late comeback. Earlier in the regular season, his fumble recovery against Sheffield Giants set up a scoring play, and his key stops in the Wildcard Round against the Black Country Steelers helped keep the Steelers scoreless on offence.

With the Vikings' offence built around a potent running game and the arm of Ryan Vale, the Rams will need Newsome at his disruptive best to slow the Newcastle attack and create the kind of turnover opportunities that have defined the Rams' defensive season.

Last 5 meetings:

For all previous meetings, click here.

Summary

The biggest game of the 2026 season has arrived. The Rams travel to Newcastle for the NFC Division 1 Final, where the Newcastle Vikings stand between them and promotion to the Premiership. It is the third meeting of the season between the two sides, and the third time the Rams have had a shot at promotion in the last 3 years.

Yorkshire’s road to the final has been built on a dominant regular season and two gutsy playoff performances. After going 6-2 in the regular season — with both defeats coming against these same Vikings — the Rams dispatched the Black Country Steelers 31-3 in the Wildcard Round before edging past the Leicester Panthers 35-27 in a pulsating semi-final on the road. Elliot Jackson’s three-touchdown display at Leicester, backed by a relentless ground game and a defence that came up with crucial stops in the second half, showed that this squad has the steel required for knockout football.

The Vikings are the team of the season. Newcastle finished the NFC 1 North regular season with a perfect 8-0 record, scoring 344 points and conceding just 44. They have beaten the Rams twice already in 2026 — a 21-16 victory at Druid Park that ended in controversial fashion when a late pass was ruled an illegal forward pass, and a more emphatic 27-7 win at West Leeds in which Ryan Vale and wide receiver Aaron Wall combined for two explosive passing touchdowns in the second quarter. The Vikings have won four of the last five meetings between the two sides, and the Rams’ last victory in this fixture came back in July 2022.

But these Rams are a different proposition in the post-season. The defence that held the Steelers scoreless on offence and clamped down on the Panthers in the second half at Leicester has been the backbone of the campaign, recording five shutouts across the regular season. The question is whether that defensive intensity — led by Jonny Gritt, Kelvin Newsome and Nathaniel Derrick — can contain a Vikings offence that has tormented them twice already.

The stakes could not be higher. For the Rams, this is a chance to avenge a season’s worth of frustration against the only team to beat them and claim the biggest prize in NFC Division 1. For the Vikings, it is the final step towards a perfect season. Something has to give.