ESL ESL Challenge Cup - News and Views

[S J]

Coral Challenge Cup final - Leeds v Salford
Venue: Wembley Stadium Date: Saturday, 17 October Kick-off: 15:00 BST Coverage: Watch on BBC One; listen on BBC Radio 5 Live sports extra, BBC Radio Leeds & BBC Radio Manchester; live text, radio & TV coverage on BBC Sport website and app.

Salford duo Dan Sarginson and Jack Ormondroyd will miss out on Saturday's Challenge Cup final against Leeds after testing positive for Covid-19.

While the pair continue to self-isolate, the Red Devils welcome Niall Evalds back from injury.

Leeds winger Tom Briscoe, who signed a contract extension with the Rhinos on Wednesday, is poised to feature in his fifth Challenge Cup final.

On-loan forward Bodene Thompson is ruled out because he is cup-tied.

Salford's first Challenge Cup final appearance for 51 years has this week been overshadowed by the positive coronavirus tests returned by two players, their identities unknown until Salford named their 21-man squad on Thursday.

While Sarginson and Ormondroyd have been ruled out, both Lee Mossop and Mark Flanagan have been cleared to feature after initially returning inconclusive results.

After being retested, they were found to be negative and were allowed to rejoin the squad.

 

[S J]

Squads

Leeds Rhinos (from): Walker, T Briscoe, Hurrell, Handley, Lui, Gale, Seumanufagai, Leeming, Prior, Mellor, Martin, Dwyer, L Sutcliffe, Myler, Cuthbertson, Oledzki, Smith, L Briscoe, Donaldson, A Sutcliffe, Holroyd.

Salford Red Devils (from): Evalds, Welham, Inu, Lolohea, Brown, Mossop, Lussick, Dudson, Lannon, Pauli, McCarthy, Ikahihifo, Burke, Yates, Atkin, Flanagan, Greenwood, Williams, Kear, Roberts, Watkins.

 

[S J]

Leeds legend Rob Burrow has been named as chief guest "in absentia" for Saturday's Challenge Cup final between the Rhinos and Salford at Wembley.

Burrow announced in December 2019 that he had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).

 

[S J]

Coral Challenge Cup
Leeds (12) 17
Tries: Handley 2, Briscoe Goals: Martin 2 Drop-goal: Gale
Salford (6) 16
Tries: Williams, Pauli, Greenwood Goals: Inu 2

Luke Gale kicked a late drop-goal as Leeds rallied to beat Salford and win a first Challenge Cup in five years.

Ash Handley scored two of the Rhinos' three tries, while fellow winger Tom Briscoe broke a Wembley record with his seventh try in a Challenge Cup final.

Salford briefly led when Pauli Pauli and James Greenwood both scored to build on Wales winger Rhys Williams' stunning breakaway first-half try.

But Handley's second try to go to 16-16 was followed by Gale's one-pointer.

Gale was just wide with his first attempt at the sticks but when he had another effort, this one sailed over, to leave last year's beaten Super League Grand Finalists Salford heartbroken in their first Wembley final since 1969.

 

[S J]

 

[S J]

 

[S J]

LEEDS 17 (Ash Handley 2, Tom Briscoe tries; Rhyse Martin 2 goals; Luke Gale field goal);

defeated

SALFORD 16 (Rhys Williams, Pauli Pauli, James Greenwood tries; Krisnan Inu 2 goals) at Wembley Stadium. Referee: Liam Moore.

 

[S J]

The BBC has agreed an extended deal with the Rugby Football League to broadcast the Challenge Cup until 2024.

The new agreement will see the BBC broadcast the Wheelchair Challenge Cup final for the first time on its digital platforms as well as continuing to show the Women's Challenge Cup final.

The BBC will show the men's final, both semi-finals plus two matches from the quarter-finals and last 16 from 2022.

The BBC Sport website will continue to show games from the earlier rounds.

 

[S J]

League One side West Wales Raiders will welcome seven-time winners Widnes Vikings in the opening round of the 2021 Challenge Cup.

Bradford will take on fellow Championship side Featherstone when the competition gets under way in March.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, just 13 Championship teams and three League One teams will contest the early stages.

French side Toulouse opted not to participate in this season's competition, which begins on 20 and 21 March, while Super League clubs will enter at the third round stage on the weekend of 10 and 11 April.

Both the first and second rounds of the competition were drawn live on the BBC on Thursday, with former St Helens and England forward Jon Wilkin conducting the draw on his own due to Covid restrictions.

The other League One sides, Keighley Cougars and Barrow Raiders, were drawn against London Broncos and Oldham respectively.

Meanwhile, Whitehaven will take on Dewsbury, Swinton face newly-promoted Newcastle Thunder, Halifax meet former winners Batley while York travel to Sheffield.

Should West Wales progress past the first round stage of the competition, they will take on the winner of Whitehaven's tie against Dewsbury.

 

[The_Fanatical_Rooster]

I like to see Halifax and Oldham do well. I still remember Halifax playing St Helens in the 1987 Challenge Cup Final - the first one I can ever recall watching.

 

[Rabbits 21]

I like to see Halifax and Oldham do well. I still remember Halifax playing St Helens in the 1987 Challenge Cup Final - the first one I can ever recall watching.

My Dad was born near Oldham, in the soccer he supports Oldham Athletic

 

[Archie]

Any news ?

 

[S J]

Any news ?

Challenge Cup first-round: West Wales Raiders v Widnes Vikings
Venue: Stebonheath, Llanelli; Date: Sunday, 21 March Kick-off: 12:45 GMT
Coverage: BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport digital platforms

Former Wales fly-half Gavin Henson will make his rugby league debut in the Challenge Cup next Sunday for West Wales Raiders against Widnes Vikings.

Henson, 39, has signed a 12-month contract with the League 1 part-timers and has been in training with the Llanelli club for the past six weeks.

He has not played rugby since being released by the Dragons in 2019.

 

[S J]

The Challenge Cup first-round ties West Wales Raiders v Widnes Vikings and Featherstone Rovers v Bradford Bulls will be shown live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport digital platforms.

For all four teams the games mark a return to action after more than a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ties are scheduled for Sunday, 21 March.

The Raiders v Vikings tie kicks off at 12:45 GMT, with Rovers v Bulls following at 15:00.

The ongoing implications of the pandemic have forced changes to the structure of the 2021 Challenge Cup - no amateur Clubs in early rounds.

Instead, the 13 English clubs from the Championship - including Bradford, Featherstone and Widnes - have been joined by West Wales and two other clubs from League One.

The 12 Super League clubs will join the competition at the third-round stage in April, which will be followed by quarter-finals in May, the semi-finals on 5 June, and the final at Wembley on Saturday, 17 July - with the BBC showing two third-round fixtures, two quarter-finals, the semi-final and final.

 

[S J]

Betfred Challenge Cup
York City Knights (0) 0
Wigan Warriors (14) 26
Tries: Hardaker, Smith, Halsall, Hanley, Clubb Goals: Hardaker (3)

Wigan Warriors sealed their place in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals with a 26-0 win at Championship side York City Knights.

First-half tries from Zak Hardaker, Harry Smith and Sam Halsall gave the Super League team a commanding lead.

Umlya Hanley and Tony Clubb stretched the advantage after the break.

Both sides observed a minute's silence before kick-off in memory of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away on Friday.

Wigan, who have won a record 19 Challenge Cups, never looked back once Hardaker opened the scoring after sprinting towards the right-hand corner.

 

[S J]

Betfred Challenge Cup
Hull KR (22) 32
Tries: Ryan, Quinlan, Vete, Parcell, Kenny-Dowall, Abdull Goals: Abdull 2, Lewis 2
Castleford Tigers (6) 33
Tries: Trueman, Olpherts 2, McShane 2, Turner Goals: Richardson 4 Drop-goal: O'Brien

Castleford Tigers fought back to beat Hull Kingston Rovers 33-32 in the Challenge Cup after four periods of golden point extra time.

Rovers scored the first try through Ethan Ryan and added three more in seven first-half minutes to lead their Super League rivals 22-6 at the break.

Tigers responded, with Jordan Turner capping the visitors' comeback by levelling in the 80th minute.

Gareth O'Brien's 99th-minute drop-goal clinched Tigers' quarter-final spot.

Both teams observed a minute's silence before kick-off following the death of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

Hull KR began strongly and their pressure paid off when Adam Quinlan spotted an overlapping run on the right-hand side by Ryan who put his team into an early 4-0 lead.

But, having won their first two games of the Super League season, Castleford responded well as a driving run from O'Brien benefited Jake Trueman, who went over.

Momentum then swung back to the home side as Quinlan went over after being found by Jez Litten and three Castleford defenders could not prevent prop Albert Vete scoring soon after.

Matt Parcell stretched the lead to 16 points at half-time but Tigers reduced the deficit to 22-18 thanks to tries from Derrell Olpherts and Paul McShane in quick succession.