The Rams travelled to Druid Park to face the Newcastle Vikings in their first road game of the 2026 season, a contest played without BAFRA officials that would end in heartbreaking fashion.

The Vikings won the toss and deferred, but could not capitalise on the opening possession, going three-and-out before punting with a short return. The Rams’ first drive also stalled when they failed to convert on third down, and disaster struck when the Vikings blocked Dan Haywood’s punt, recovering the ball on the Rams’ 4-yard line. Newcastle needed just one play to punch it in, and the PAT was good to make it 7-0.

Nathaniel Derrick fumbled the ensuing kickoff return out of bounds, leaving the Rams to start from their own 12. Undeterred, Michael Rojas connected with Ben Dolan on a big pass down the middle on the very first play. A holding penalty and a fumble set the offence back to 2nd & 25, but Dolan hauled in another long pass to extend the drive. The Vikings went offside but Rojas completed another pass to move the chains regardless, before finding Matt Snell for a big touchdown. The PAT was good to level the score at 7-7.

Newcastle responded by running the ball effectively into the Rams’ half as the first quarter came to a close.

The Vikings continued to move the ball on the ground in the second quarter, with their quarterback getting involved on an option play. Their running back fumbled in the red zone but recovered, setting up a long 3rd & goal that became even longer after a delay of game penalty. Despite the setback, the Vikings completed a pass to the 3-yard line for a 4th & goal and their running back punched it in. The PAT was good to put Newcastle ahead 14-7.

A short kickoff was recovered by the Rams, and a facemask penalty moved them into Vikings territory. A bad snap caused a fumble, but Rojas showed his composure by scooping the ball up and completing a pass for a first down — only for a holding penalty to wipe it out. The Rams were forced to punt again, and it was another short one from Haywood, handing the Vikings excellent field position in the Rams’ half. Newcastle went back to the ground game, mixing in passes that ended in an incompletion and a scramble. The Rams defence held firm to force a 4th & 4, but a costly offside by the defensive line gave the Vikings new life. Newcastle capitalised, running the ball in for another touchdown. The PAT was good to extend the lead to 21-7.

Rojas completed a pass and scrambled in the dying seconds but time ran out, and the Rams went into halftime trailing by two scores.

The Vikings kicked short again to open the second half, but the return was well fielded. Jono Bell-Davis came alive with a series of powerful runs, and Rojas sneaked it in for a touchdown after the Vikings jumped offside on the 1-yard line to gift the Rams a free first down. The PAT was blocked, making it 21-13.

A huge tackle in the backfield forced the Vikings to punt, which was downed deep in the Rams’ half. Another big pass moved the sticks for Yorkshire, but penalties stalled the drive and the Rams had to punt — a much-improved effort from Robbie Green. The Vikings ran the ball once more and were forced to punt, with Tyler Broad providing a good return to set the offence up in Vikings territory as the third quarter ended.

Rojas opened the fourth quarter by connecting with Snell on a 30-yard pass up the middle to move inside the 10-yard line. A sack pushed the offence back on second down, and the Rams settled for a field goal from Trishmpriyo Sarkar to cut the deficit to 21-16.

The Vikings’ next drive stalled when a screen pass on third down was stopped short by Richard Wroblewski, forcing another punt for a touchback. Rojas scrambled for a first down on 3rd down to keep the next drive alive. A pass interference call on Newcastle gave the Rams good field position, and a personal foul on Henrique Baptista-Borges moved the ball all the way to the Vikings’ 13-yard line. The Rams could not find the end zone, however, turning the ball over on downs when a pass on 4th & 2 fell incomplete.

Newcastle came out running from their own end zone, and on 3rd down their quarterback scrambled for a first down. The two-minute warning sounded, and the Rams burned their final two timeouts to force a Vikings punt.

With time running out, Rojas launched a big pass to Snell on a scramble to get inside the red zone. But the stand-in referees called an illegal forward pass penalty and ruled that the game was over, bringing a controversial end to a hard-fought contest.

The defeat drops the Rams to 1-1 on the season in frustrating circumstances, left to wonder what might have been had the final play been allowed to stand. The Rams will look to bounce back when they travel to face the Chester Romans in two weeks’ time.