Round Six of the Betfred Challenge Cup is here! The four remaining Betfred Championship clubs have now been joined by all 12 Betfred Super League teams. Here is a look at all eight cup ties taking place this weekend.
The magic of the cup continues when Batley Bulldogs welcome Castleford Tigers to the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium in their Round 6 clash and what should be a tasty West Yorkshire derby.
It is also a reunion for Craig Lingard, who returns to his former club for the first time since making the switch to the Tigers head coaching role in Super League. Lingard spent the entire of his playing career with the Bulldogs spanning two decades and went on to coach the side for four seasons, where he guided Batley to a Million Pound Game and an AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Final during this time.
The two sides last met in 2014, where Castleford won comfortably in Round 4 of the Challenge Cup. There’s been eleven cup meetings between the sides in total and the Tigers have won their last 13 away meetings with Batley – the hosts’ last home win being in a 1961 Championship match, 63 years ago.
The Tigers are still seeking their first win of 2024, having suffered five straight defeats in Super League, so could see the Challenge Cup competition as a real opportunity to kick-start their season. Likewise, the Bulldogs will be hoping to cause a huge upset on their home patch.
It’s Champions versus the Championship when Sheffield Eagles travel to an unbeaten Wigan Warriors on Friday night. Their last meeting came in the form of a 2010 Challenge Cup match at Bramall Lane - where the Warriors triumphed 34-50 in a high-scoring Round 4 tie.
But fans will mainly remember the famous 1998 Challenge Cup Final in which the Eagles magnificently beat a star-studded Wigan side 17-8. And it was Sheffield stalwart Mark Aston who was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy for his performance in this memorable final, and he will now lead his side to the DW Stadium – a rare opportunity for Sheffield to test themselves against the best.
On Saturday, current holders Leigh Leopards will begin their defence of the Challenge Cup this weekend against one of their former Championship rivals.
The Leopards will go head-to-head with Featherstone Rovers at the Leigh Sports Village, in what is set to be another blockbuster cup contest shown live on The Sportsman.
Adrian Lam’s men made history last season, as they lifted rugby league’s most historic trophy for the first time in 52 years – in their first year back in the top flight. It was a magical season for the Leigh club, as they will look to reiterate similar success this time around.
But James Ford’s men should not be underestimated in this competition. They have already overcome a strong Wakefield Trinity in a gutsy Fifth Round encounter and will be looking to cause another upset against last year's winners.
Their last meetings came in the second tier in 2022, where Leigh completed the double over Featherstone. They also met in the 1895 Cup Final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium of that same year – Leigh triumphing 16-30, just one year before their Challenge Cup win.
As both teams enter this cup match on the back of emphatic league wins last weekend, it set to be an unmissable clash between the two heavyweights.
The final Championship versus Super League club tie will see Halifax Panthers host Catalans Dragons at The Shay. The Panthers are no stranger to successful cup stints in recent years, their most recent Challenge Cup one being a 2019 semi-final against St Helens - where they produced an extremely impressive and spirited performance against the 2019 Super League Champions.
Interestingly, ‘Fax’s Louis Jouffret will come up against some of his France international team-mates in the Catalans outfit – and it will also be interesting to see how the Panther’s high-profile recruits in Gareth Widdop and Greg Eden (if selected) will go against an ambitious Dragons.
There’s only one previous meeting between the Panthers and Dragons - they met in the 2017 Super 8s Qualifiers, where Catalans won 0-24.
The all-Super League ties will then see the stand-out tie of the round, Leeds Rhinos versus St Helens, streamed live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport on Friday night. As two sides both rich with history where the Challenge Cup is concerned, it promises to be a showpiece event.
Leeds are 14 times Challenge Cup winners, with St Helens closely behind on 13. They are both recent winners of the competition – the Rhinos lifting the trophy in 2020 and Saints doing the same the following year.
But the Challenge Cup has arguably been a piece of elusive silverware for these two sides in recent decades – with the Rhinos experiencing a gap between 1999 and 2014, and similarly, St Helens between 2008 and 2021. It is a trophy meaning so much to both sides, but who will want it more on the night?
The two teams have faced each other 21 times in the Challenge Cup history - Leeds winning 11 ties against St Helens’ 10. They also met in Round 5 of Super League last Friday, with St Helens emerging victorious 8-18. With back-to-back trips to West Yorkshire on the cards for Paul Wellens' men, will they pull off back-to-back wins?
There's another Round 5 replay, as Warrington Wolves meet London Broncos in the Sixth Round, but this time it will be at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. There are no previous Challenge Cup meetings between the two sides, although the Wolves will have the momentum heading into this tie – following a 4-58 rout of the Broncos in the capital last Sunday.
Last year’s Challenge Cup Finalists Hull KR will play hosts to Salford Red Devils, which is predicted to be another competitive fixture. The sides have already met once in the league this year, with Salford taking the spoils on home soil. With Paul Rowley's men now on the road, the Robins will undoubtedly look to enact revenge.
Willie Peters' side suffered Wembley heart-break last year, as a Lachlan Lam drop-goal in golden point clinched it for the Leigh Leopards in the most dramatic of circumstances. But the Robins' journey to the big stage would also cause Salford heart-break along the way - KR winning 28-10 against the Red Devils in a home Quarter Final tie in 2023. Will history repeat itself with home advantage once again?
Over in Huddersfield, the Giants and Hull FC have been drawn to play against each other in Round 6. They last met in 2022’s Challenge Cup Quarter Final, where Ian Watson’s men won 24-16. This was the year Huddersfield went on to be Challenge Cup Finalists at Tottenham, before agonisingly losing out to Wigan in the dying moments of the game.
Hull FC haven’t enjoyed cup success since their back-to-back Wembley wins in 2016 and 2017, and it is Huddersfield who have won their last four home meetings with Hull FC.
Betfred Challenge Cup Sixth Round fixtures in full:
Hull KR v Salford Red Devils – Friday 22 March, 8pm
Leeds Rhinos v St Helens – Friday 22 March, 8pm (BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport)
Wigan Warriors v Sheffield Eagles – Friday 22 March, 8pm
Batley Bulldogs v Castleford Tigers – Saturday 23 March, 3pm
Huddersfield Giants v Hull FC – Saturday 23 March, 2pm
Leigh Leopards v Featherstone Rovers – Saturday 23 March, 2pm (The Sportsman)
Warrington Wolves v London Broncos – Saturday 23 March, 5.30pm
Halifax Panthers v Catalans Dragons – Sunday 24 March, 3pm
The Men's 2024 Betfred Challenge Cup Final (KO 3pm) is part of a Finals Day triple-header at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 8 June, alongside the finals of the Betfred Women's Challenge Cup (KO 11.45am) and the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup (KO 5.45pm). Plus, there will be the traditional Year 7 Boys’ Champion Schools Final at 10am. Tickets are available online now from only £20 Adults and £10 Under 16s, with family packages also available.
