IN arguably the biggest game in their short history, West Wales Raiders visit Bulls at the start of a brave new era.

The Raiders were only formed in 2015 and last summer, their owner, Andrew Thorne, took over ownership of South Wales Ironmen, a move which sees them line up in League One this season.

With the Ironmen now playing under the name of the West Wales Raiders, this meant they moved to Stebonheath Park in Llanelli, and played three games in the Kingstone Press League One Shield at the end of last season.

The ground has a rich heritage in rugby league, being home to the national side during the 1930s. It is famous for having the largest attendance for a rugby league game in Wales, outside of the Millennium Stadium, with 30,000 fans watching Wales take on France in 1935.

The Raiders have been busy in the close season and have just secured the signing of nine-cap Welsh international Steven Parry.

Following the capture of a player who was at Gloucestershire All Golds last season, Thorne declared: "Adding Steve to the roster is a great play from the club. Steve will add valuable experience in helping the club find its identity. We are hoping he will help the young players achieve the same as he has."

Another talented player is youngster Connor Farrer, who joined the Ironmen at the age of 17. Five years later, he has racked up 37 tries in 89 appearances as well as turning in some impressive performances for Wales.

However, he is one of five Raiders missing due to their participation for Wales in the Commonwealth Nines competition Down Under.

The Raiders' league season was due to start at home to Newcastle Thunder last Sunday but the game was called off at the last minute when a late check revealed a problem with the matchday medical equipment.

Thorne, who accepts his club could face a fine, apologised to players, staff and supporters of both his club and Newcastle, whose team had made the 312-mile trip the previous day.

He said: “The medication and equipment list was checked in the days leading up to the match, but it wasn’t noticed that one item was out of date.

“This came to light during the final pre-match inspection, and while we made every effort to rectify things, we weren’t going to be able to get the necessary drug until 5.30, which was too late.

“The situation was made even worse because Newcastle had travelled so far and came down the night before, and we also understand some of their fans would have made the journey on the morning of the match.

“We also had a good turn-out of our own supporters, and had done well hospitality-wise, and it goes without saying we apologise to everyone affected by the postponement.

“It’s certainly ruined what would have been our first home match as West Wales Raiders, and it’s certainly a lesson learned.”

A good way to bounce back from that disappointment would be to secure a surprise victory against the Bulls.

Although Bradford will be firm favourites to progress in the cup, can the Raiders use last week's embarrassing episode as fuel for a stunning upset?