Challenge Cup Descends into farce

[Perth Red]

Some ridiculous stuff happening over in the Uk with the CC. First off the draw was allegedly on live at 6.45pm on Monday. They had it on the BBC with Offiah drawing out the balls. Something looked a bit suss when he kept getting the teams mixed up. Then turns out that somebody had texted the draw at 10.30am that morning and it was posted on the internet at 12.30pm! The RFL are denying it and saying it was a lucky guess (someone has worked out the odds are 40,000/1 of getting it totally right!).

Then to compound the misery Hull FC have been playing an ineligible player for two rounds of the cup. If they are not kicked out of the comp it will just about add the icing on the cake of the destruction of one of the games most revered competitions. Not much the RFL seems to be be getting wrong at the moment but this is very damaging to the credibility of the comp.

 

[Sood]

Interesting to see that they are crap at running the game over there 2.

 

[Perth Red]

Also rumoured that there was in fact 4 draws made until the RFL got the one they were happy with! Hence why Offiah was talking about ties that didn't come out in the final edit!

 

[nadera78]

f**k me, RL supporters don't half enjoy a conspiracy theory. We've been hearing this crap for years about how Wigan and Saints are engineered to meet, as are Leeds and Bradford. blah, blah, blah!

 

[Knight87]

isn't the Challenge Cup the D-grade knockout event (like the FA Cup) to give the minnows some chance of winning, whereas the Super League is the premier sporting league event in Europe?

 

[Perth Red]

Not sure anyone would class either the CC or the FA cup as a "D grade event"!

The CC has lost some of its lustre (mainly due to moving around whilst Wembley was being rebuilt and the rise in prominence of the GF) and the crowds in the early rounds are nothing to write home about but it still sells out Wembley every year and many players site it as the highlight of their career, winning at Wembley.

 

[deluded pom?]

Pathetic administration by Hull yet again in allowing Thackray to play in not one but two rounds when he was signed after the CC deadline. The problem is if they get kicked out who replaces them if anybody. Do Bradford get a bye? Unlikely as this game is pencilled in for tv coverage. Do you reinstate Widnes? Unlikely as Rochdale could claim the same place. For me, the worst that will happen is that Hull will be fined. AS I read the rules though the signing deadline only covered the next three round of the CC i.e rounds three, four and five which means Hull KR could play Michael Dobson in the CC against St Helens even though he's only just signed for them!

 

[Dr Crane]

isn't the Challenge Cup the D-grade knockout event (like the FA Cup) to give the minnows some chance of winning, whereas the Super League is the premier sporting league event in Europe?

You're joking, surely.

 

[roughyedspud]

i'm kind of happy because in 1 of the 4 draws oldham got wigan @ home...lol

but this is nothing new,the warm balls theory has been around as long has we've been able to boil a kettle and trust me as a oldham fan i believe we've been on the end of a few bent draws..between 1986 & 1995 we went to 4 semi finals. drew wigan twice (warm balls) and lost to warrington in 1990 but we scored a try from a kick through in the dying second to win it but was ruled offside....

our 1995 semi was the first i heard about multiple draws theory..in the hat were oldham,fetherstone,wigan & leeds...now it does'nt take a genius to figure out which final the RFL wanted...wigan v leeds...but apparently the 1st draw turned out oldham v fetherstone & wigan v leeds...so it was re-drawn but the same out come came out again so it was redrawn a 3rd time,which resulted in a oldham v wigan & leeds v fetherstone semi finals..thats a keeper said the RFL...lol basturds


ps. is the worlds premier knock out RL competiton...and last seasons return to wembley resulted in the final becoming the highest attented RL in the world (85,000+)

for those that did'nt know..

 

[Cumberland Throw]

i'm kind of happy because in 1 of the 4 draws oldham got wigan @ home...lol

but this is nothing new,the warm balls theory has been around as long has we've been able to boil a kettle and trust me as a oldham fan i believe we've been on the end of a few bent draws..between 1986 & 1995 we went to 4 semi finals. drew wigan twice (warm balls) and lost to warrington in 1990 but we scored a try from a kick through in the dying second to win it but was ruled offside....

our 1995 semi was the first i heard about multiple draws theory..in the hat were oldham,fetherstone,wigan & leeds...now it does'nt take a genius to figure out which final the RFL wanted...wigan v leeds...but apparently the 1st draw turned out oldham v fetherstone & wigan v leeds...so it was re-drawn but the same out come came out again so it was redrawn a 3rd time,which resulted in a oldham v wigan & leeds v fetherstone semi finals..thats a keeper said the RFL...lol basturds


ps. is the worlds premier knock out RL competiton...and last seasons return to wembley resulted in the final becoming the highest attented RL in the world (85,000+)

for those that did'nt know..

Check your facts there old son.... the World Record crowd for rugby league is over 100k ,

 

[roughyedspud]

never said anything about it being a world record,which officially the aussies hold @ just shy of 110,000...but unofficially we hold with over 120,000 for a challenge cup replay @ bradford......i know my records sunshine..


what i ment was the challenge cup final was the largest attended RL event THAT YEAR bigger than both the NRL GF and the sydney leg of the SoO series

 

[Cumberland Throw]

Should of written that then ......cobber

Ps Meant is meant to be spelled meant not ment

 

[deluded pom?]

never said anything about it being a world record,which officially the aussies hold @ just shy of 110,000...but unofficially we hold with over 120,000 for a challenge cup replay @ bradford......i know my records sunshine..

The 1954 replay attendance has never been confirmed as 120,000+, the official attendance is listed as 102,569. Do you REALLY know your records spud? ;-)

 

[t-ba]

The 1954 replay attendance has never been confirmed as 120,000+, the official attendance is listed as 102,569. Do you REALLY know your records spud? ;-)

Thus the 'unofficial.' That's when they stopped counting.

 

[deluded pom?]

But you can only go by official records no matter how many people gatecrash the party.

 

[t-ba]

But you can only go by official records no matter how many people gatecrash the party.

Thus the 'unofficial.'

f**k me I need to stop procrastinating. Time for another Red Bull run.

 

[kier]

The 102k is the gate reciepts - given that several turnstiles got demolished because of the numbers of people trying to get in the 120k is a more than reasonable estimate.

google photo images of the ground at the time - awesome crowd

 

[roughyedspud]

personally i think 120,000 is a conservative estimate

cos that is ridiculous

 

[deluded pom?]

Which one is you spud? ;-)

 

[roughyedspud]

my dad says he was there as it goes...