Rugby League's Record Defeat but Crusaders Secure Survival
"A huge, dark cloud has been lifted from this place"
Despite holding an unfortunate record in rugby league history, the recent journey of the North Wales Crusaders is ultimately one of survival.
Their 134-0 loss to London Broncos marked the largest defeat suffered by any team in the top two divisions during rugby league's 131-year history.
This was the third occasion this season that the Crusaders conceded over 100 points in the Championship, setting another unwanted record.
However, these heavy losses were minor compared to the broader challenges faced by the club, which was just "hours from extinction" a few weeks earlier, when simply assembling a team was a significant achievement.
Sean Long was enjoying a family holiday in the spring when he received an urgent call to assist the club on the verge of collapse.
"So I'm in Center Parcs and my phone starts going," said Long recalling his sudden appointment to lead the struggling side. "We need a squad in three days. Where can we find them?"
With nine games played, the Championship club Crusaders were entrenched in crisis.
The previous owners had announced they would cease funding the Colwyn Bay-based club, which had won the League One title only months earlier.
Players had not been paid for weeks, and with contracts voided, many left the club, leading to the cancellation of two games.
A group of supporters and volunteers mobilized, forming a new company, NW Rugby League 26 Ltd, which was granted an interim licence by the Rugby Football League (RFL).
Long, head coach of the club's women's and development teams, had only days to assemble a team to fulfill their fixture against Goole Vikings on 9 May.
A previous incarnation of Crusaders competed in Super League from 2009 to 2011.
"We spoke to a lot of good people, player representatives, and I've pulled some players from the amateur game," said Long. "We got beat comfortably, but it really wasn't about that."
The Crusaders lost the game 80-0, conceding 15 tries.
"I've never come away from a game having lost by so many points [but] actually feeling like I'd won," he added. "One day I'll sit down and I'll probably write a little bit of a book about this craziness."
This sentiment is echoed by the club's former owner Jamie Elkaleh, who has returned as chairman.
"The fans have had a crazy time in the last few months," he said. "There's horror stories when you talk about kit going missing, paying for things and not getting it. But frankly, not knowing whether they're going to have a rugby team to support."
Elkaleh admitted the club was hours away from folding and becoming extinct.
"That was the bottom line. We had hours to make a decision," he added. "Are we going to try and set this up as a new company? Are we going to put a new team together? Are we going to be able to put days on like today? We took the chance. We said yes, and thankfully, so far, it's paid off. It's been hard work to this point, but the challenge ahead of us is tremendous."
Hours from Extinction
Deducted 12 points as punishment for financial failings and with a hastily reassembled squad, the 2026 season was no longer about contending in the Championship but about survival.
"The RFL have told us we need to basically show to them that we're financially viable, sustainable, to get a licence for 2027," explained Elkaleh.
"That gives us the right to actually compete in the future. Without that, there'll be no North Wales [Crusaders].
"We wouldn't be here unless we thought and felt in our hearts that we believe there's a place for rugby league in north Wales. The professional game needs it. They don't just want it, they need it.
"Welsh rugby is strong and we need to show the rest of the competition that it's here to stay."
North Wales Crusaders won the League One title in 2025
Crusaders' first home game under the new management saw them host Salford, a club familiar with financial difficulties.
Over 900 fans attended the match at Colwyn Bay's Eirias Stadium, with Crusaders promoting a family-friendly atmosphere, which the club aims to expand.
On the field, Salford convincingly won 86-0, followed by the record loss to London Broncos a week later.
Despite the heavy defeats, club officials and supporters are grateful the Crusaders have a future.
"When you just look at the scores you're not seeing what I'm seeing," said Long, now head of rugby after Mike Grady returned as head coach. "There's stuff that goes on when cameras aren't there, when eyes aren't there and we're moving in the right direction.
"I've got a good group of people in that changing room at the minute that are really passionate to get better."
Jamie Elkaleh has returned to North Wales Crusaders as chairman
Dubai-based Elkaleh initially became the club's majority shareholder in June 2024 before transferring control to The EggChaser Group later that year.
Now re-engaged with the club, Elkaleh remains optimistic about the future despite setbacks on and off the pitch.
He acknowledges that rebuilding trust is essential.
"The stage that we're at now is only possible because of volunteers and a group of people coming together, recognising the issue, grouping together and then putting a plan forward for the new company to really form and continue north Wales rugby," he said.
"We're trying to hopefully build a solid base, built on trust and actually try and rebuild the name of rugby league in Wales. It's a mess right now. We've got a lot of hard work to do."
A trip to Whitehaven next Saturday will be followed by a home game on 21 June against Halifax Panthers, a club that, like Crusaders, faced survival challenges after entering liquidation last February due to an unpaid tax bill.
More heavy defeats may occur, but each weekend the Crusaders compete represents a small victory for rugby league in north Wales.
