2026 Season Review
Thu Aug 27 2026
The 2026 season will be remembered as one that came agonisingly close to something special. The Rams put together a 6-2 regular season, finished second in the NFC 1 North, powered through two playoff rounds and pushed the eventual champions to overtime in the NFC Division 1 Final. Only the Newcastle Vikings stood in their way all year, and it was the Vikings who ended the campaign at the last.
A flying start
The Rams opened the season in devastating fashion, dismantling the Glasgow Tigers 56-2 at West Leeds RUFC on 26 April. Jono Bell-Davis scored three times, Michael Rojas added three of his own, and Tyler Broad returned both a punt and an interception for touchdowns as all three phases clicked from the opening whistle. It was a statement of intent that set the tone for much of what followed.
The only blemish in the early weeks came on the road at Druid Park a week later. In a contest played without BAFRA officials, the Rams fell 21-16 to Newcastle in frustrating circumstances, the game ending on a controversial illegal-forward-pass call as Michael Rojas looked to launch a final drive into the red zone. It was a narrow, hard-fought defeat that dropped the Rams to 1-1 and left them chasing the Vikings for the rest of the regular season.
Defence sets the standard
The response was emphatic. The Rams reeled off five straight wins, and the defence was the story throughout. They shut out the Chester Romans home and away — 35-0 at Cheshire County Sports Club and 47-0 in the West Leeds return — keeping the Romans pointless for a fifth consecutive meeting. The Sheffield Giants were dispatched by the same margins, 47-0 at home and 35-0 on the road, to complete a second local double.
The home win over Sheffield on 7 June was perhaps the defensive high point of the year: three interceptions, two safeties and a pick-six from Kelvin Newsome, with Dan Haywood stepping in at quarterback to guide the offence after Michael Rojas left the field. Four regular-season shutouts in all told their own story, and the Rams conceded just 57 points across their eight league games.
Tyler Broad was a one-man turnover machine, picking off eight passes over the course of the season and returning three punts and an interception for touchdowns. Whenever the Rams needed a spark, it often came from him.
The Newcastle question
If there was a theme to 2026, it was the Vikings. Newcastle went a perfect 8-0 to claim the NFC 1 North title, and they proved to be the one side the Rams could not solve. After the officials-less defeat in May, the two met again at West Leeds on 5 July with top spot on the line. Despite a ferocious defensive first quarter — a blocked field goal and a full-field chase-down fumble recovery from Jonny Gritt among the highlights — the Rams could not contain the Vikings’ passing game and fell 27-7, confirming Newcastle as champions and the Rams as the division’s second seed.
The six regular-season wins were more than enough to secure a playoff place, and the Rams headed into the post-season knowing a rematch with their nemesis was a real possibility.
The playoff run
The wildcard round brought the Black Country Steelers to West Leeds on 2 August. A tense, defensive first half ended 3-0, but the Rams pulled clear after the break behind three Elliot Jackson touchdown runs and a composed display from Dan Haywood at quarterback, running out 31-3 winners without conceding an offensive touchdown all afternoon.
The semi-final at Leicester Forest RUFC was a very different test. The Rams and the Leicester Panthers traded blows through a 14-14 first half before Jackson took over, running in three touchdowns as the Rams pulled away for a 35-27 victory. Nathaniel Wyse capped the win with a fourth-quarter touchdown and a two-point conversion, sending the Rams into the divisional final.
Heartbreak in the final
That final, on 16 August at Graham Sports Centre in Durham, pitted the Rams against Newcastle for a third time. The Rams fought back from 14-7 down to lead 21-14 in the third quarter, Elliot Jackson again the driving force with three more rushing scores. But the Vikings levelled at 21-21 and, after a scoreless fourth quarter, forced overtime with a fourth-down completion on the final play of regulation. When Dan Haywood was intercepted on the Rams’ overtime possession, Newcastle ran in the winner to seal a 27-21 victory and the NFC Division 1 title. It was a heartbreaking end to a season in which the Rams had come so close.
Standout performers
Based on the touchdown and turnover data recorded for the season, several names stood out. Elliot Jackson was the engine of the ground game, scoring 11 rushing touchdowns and saving his best for the playoffs, where he ran in three in each of the three post-season games. Michael Rojas was a dual threat at quarterback, accounting for ten rushing and ten passing touchdowns, while Jono Bell-Davis added seven rushing scores of his own, several of them on his very first touch of the day.
Through the air, rookie Matt Snell announced himself with five receiving touchdowns and a string of Rookie MVP awards, and Faheem Hasan chipped in with four. On special teams, Trishmpriyo Sarkar was reliable throughout, converting 35 extra points and four field goals. And in Tyler Broad the Rams had a genuine game-changer, whose eight interceptions and four return touchdowns repeatedly flipped the field and the scoreboard.
Looking ahead
The Rams finished 2026 with an 8-3 record across the regular season and playoffs, a divisional runners-up finish and a run to the final that fell just short of the title. Newcastle proved the one hurdle they could not clear, but the Rams can take real pride in a campaign built on a dominant defence, a punishing ground game and the emergence of new talent. With a run to the divisional final now the benchmark, the target for next season is clear: go one step further.
Images courtesy of Robert Hall.