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Preston Grasshoppers return to action tomorrow afternoon as National Two North rugby resumes at Lightfoot Green, with Hull RUFC the visitors for the first fixture of 2026. After a three-week break since the festive programme, Hoppers will be looking to pick up where they left off at the end of December and turn a positive spell into momentum for the second half of the season.
The league table shows how important that momentum could be. Hoppers come into the weekend sitting 8th with 31 points from 14 games, while Hull travel in 12th with 16 points from the same number of fixtures. With mid-table still tightly packed, a strong home performance would help Hoppers keep pushing up the standings, while Hull will be desperate for points as they look to climb away from the lower places.
Hoppers finished 2025 with a December return that highlighted both grit and togetherness. Eight points from two big performances, a hard-earned home win over Rossendale and a battling draw away at Fylde , was a welcome reward, and the Fylde result in particular underlined the fight in the group, coming back after trailing 19–0 at half-time in front of a huge Christmas derby crowd. That spirit has been a key theme within the camp this week.
Hull arrive on the back of a difficult first half of the season, but they remain a dangerous opponent with an array of talented players and plenty of experience in the squad. Their final outing before the break was a derby defeat at home to Hull Ionians, and they will see tomorrow as a chance to reset and start their own climb up the table. Hoppers will be well aware that results and league position mean little once the whistle goes — Hull will bring physicality and urgency, and the home side will need to match it from minute one.
The sides met earlier in the season in dour conditions at Hull, with Hoppers coming away with a 10–3 victory, but no-one will be expecting a straightforward repeat of that battle. Hoppers have stressed the importance of focus and intensity across the full matchday squad, and they know Hull will arrive determined to turn the contest into a scrap if it keeps them in the fight for crucial points.
Sammy Russell leads Hoppers tomorrow afternoon, captaining the side in the absence of Josh Longson, who is sidelined through injury for the next few weeks. With the pack and backline packed with familiar faces, Hoppers will be looking to impose themselves at home, play with clarity, and make Lightfoot Green count as they open the new year. Hull, led by Mike Jobling, will be equally intent on making their trip north worthwhile, and with both sides needing points for very different reasons, it has all the ingredients for a proper National Two North contest.
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