2026 Challenge Cup Discussion

[Perth Red]

Got to feel for Lock Lane, looks like Rovers will put out a strong team after playing reserves in friendly last weekend. .

 

[jason taylor]

London vs Bradford is going to be a very interesting game to watch.

 

[Perth Red]

Highest club score for Rovers is 100-6 from 35 years ago. You'd have to think thats at risk if we put out our full team.

 

[Taking The Two]

I really don’t like this new format. Two 100+ plus scorelines and a few more 70+ in this round. There will still be some silly scorelines in the next round too.

 

[Tigers1986]

What's the point of thrashing community clubs from bog average semi-pros actually accomplishing?

110-0, 88-0, it's just laughable.

And embracing a cricket score is sickening as a supporter tbh

 

[Taking The Two]

What's the point of thrashing community clubs from bog average semi-pros actually accomplishing?

110-0, 88-0, it's just laughable.

And embracing a cricket score is sickening as a supporter tbh

This is my thoughts on it. Sure, the amateur lads have a story to tell playing against Super League opposition but it’s borderline dangerous, it doesn’t really achieve much and I’m not sure how much money these clubs actually make when they invariably have to play at a neutral venue or reverse the fixture.

Commercially as well, I’m not sure what it offers. Yes, you’ll have people perpetuating the “miracle of the cup” spiel, which is ripped off from football, where shock results actually happen because there’s 110+ fully professional clubs in England, whereas in rugby league, we have 14. I’m not sure it’s really that enticing to broadcasters. You’ve got London v Bradford this year but ties like that are the exception rather than the norm and surely you would want a product of that sort of calibre to dangle in front of broadcasters rather than a mix of Hull KR’s squad putting 98 on some bricklayers and bus drivers.

 

[jason taylor]

This is my thoughts on it. Sure, the amateur lads have a story to tell playing against Super League opposition but it’s borderline dangerous, it doesn’t really achieve much and I’m not sure how much money these clubs actually make when they invariably have to play at a neutral venue or reverse the fixture.

Commercially as well, I’m not sure what it offers. Yes, you’ll have people perpetuating the “miracle of the cup” spiel, which is ripped off from football, where shock results actually happen because there’s 110+ fully professional clubs in England, whereas in rugby league, we have 14. I’m not sure it’s really that enticing to broadcasters. You’ve got London v Bradford this year but ties like that are the exception rather than the norm and surely you would want a product of that sort of calibre to dangle in front of broadcasters rather than a mix of Hull KR’s squad putting 98 on some bricklayers and bus drivers.

I don't disagree but what's the solution? Make the Challenge Cup professional/semi professional only, only involving teams in Super League and Championship?

I guess you could try to keep the community clubs involved by reformatting the 1895 Cup. Make that primarily community club focused and include the teams that lose first round of the reformatted Challenge Cup in the latter rounds of the 1895 Cup so you can still theoretically have a 'miracle of the cup' scenario. Though the problem with that set up is that going off this weekend's results you'd still probably see blowout scorelines.

 

[Taking The Two]

I don't disagree but what's the solution? Make the Challenge Cup professional/semi professional only, only involving teams in Super League and Championship?

I guess you could try to keep the community clubs involved by reformatting the 1895 Cup. Make that primarily community club focused and include the teams that lose first round of the reformatted Challenge Cup in the latter rounds of the 1895 Cup so you can still theoretically have a 'miracle of the cup' scenario. Though the problem with that set up is that going off this weekend's results you'd still probably see blowout scorelines.

I love the Challenge Cup, 2026 will be the 25th final I’ve been to and it’s my favourite day of the year. I think it’s a great competition, I do struggle to understand why people aren’t that interested in it considering the outcome of games is immediate and felt straight away. A defeat and you’re out, no Wembley and you come back next year. It’s not like league games where the full story emerges later in the year. It’s the season ticket culture here that’s killed it but that saddens me given what is at stake in a cup game

It’s not as easy as “just bundle the cup games in with season tickets”, so I’m not sure that there is a particularly easy win with the cup and the format. The cup has rules in place about gate receipts being shared so bundling cup games in with memberships/ST’s makes that all a bit messy, I suppose. Is there a way perhaps to have a pool of money generated (from sponsors and/or clubs own money) to share between clubs participating?

A group stage requires a wholesale change in the sport here and I’m not sure anyone is really ready for it. You cannot have 26-27 weekly Super League rounds and then another 3-4 weeks of group stage cup games before knockouts and play-offs. It just doesn’t work.

Before this expansion to 14, I hoped we would keep 12 in Super League, play everyone home and away (22 games) and then have a group stage in the cup made up of 4 groups of 5, playing each team either home or away. The 11 or 12 Super League teams (depending on Toulouse) and then the remaining sides made up of the previous years 1895 Cup winner and finalists and then 6 highest ranked sides from the previous year’s Championship. That way it incentivises the 1895 Cup and makes that a little more prestigious and gives clubs something to play for all year to try and get Challenge Cup rugby for the following year and even for those in Super League as the higher you finish, that corresponds with what pot you’d end up in and subsequently give a perceived easier draw. Those who don’t qualify for the Challenge Cup compete in the 1895 Cup, with a similar format to the CC, so that they have something to pay for and you’re guaranteed a different winner in the 1895 each year and community clubs can play in that against clubs of a more suitable level than being dumped on a field with former State of Origin players and blokes who played in the Ashes.

 

[Perth Red]

What's the point of thrashing community clubs from bog average semi-pros actually accomplishing?

110-0, 88-0, it's just laughable.

And embracing a cricket score is sickening as a supporter tbh

£’s. Lock lane are set to make £40k plus from playing HKR. That’s an awful lot of money for a community club.

 

[TomMath11]

The greatest knockout competition in world sports gets drawn on Monday 24th November, where rounds one and two will be drawn. Round Two holds some interest as the Championship sides, including Darren Lockyer's London Broncos, come into the draw.

The full list of teams in the First Round draw is as follows – divided into three sections for a regionalised draw:

North West (12 teams, 6 ties) – GB Police, Seaton Rangers, Orrell St James, Haresfinch, Blackbrook, Siddal, Waterhead, Thatto Heath Crusaders, Rochdale Mayfield, Leigh Miners Rangers, Wigan St Judes, Ince Rose Bridge

Yorkshire (12 teams, 6 ties) – Woodhouse, Brighouse Rangers, RAF, King Cross Park, Mirfield Spartans, Stanningley, West Hull, Hunslet ARLFC, York Acorn, Lock Lane, Dewsbury Moor, Heworth

National (10 teams, 5 ties) – Broncos (Northern Ireland), Aberavon Fighting Irish (Wales), Bedford Tigers, Hammersmith Hills Hoists, London Chargers, Wests Warriors (Southern Conference League), British Army, Royal Navy, Medway Dragons (London ARL), Telford Raiders (Midlands)

The Second Round draw will combine 17 First Round winners with the 21 Betfred Championship clubs, to produce 19 ties – which will again be regionalised as much as possible.

North West (8 teams) – Barrow Raiders, Oldham, Rochdale Hornets, Salford Red Devils, Swinton Lions, Whitehaven, Widnes Vikings, Workington Town

Yorks / North East (10 teams) – Batley Bulldogs, Dewsbury Rams, Doncaster, Featherstone Rovers, Goole Vikings, Halifax Panthers, Hunslet, Keighley Cougars, Newcastle Thunder, Sheffield Eagles
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National (3 teams) – London Broncos, Midlands Hurricanes, North Wales Crusaders

Always enjoy this stage of the competition. The regionalised draw really helps keep the early rounds competitive and gives the community clubs a proper moment in the spotlight rather than being thrown straight to the wolves.
North West looks especially tasty — plenty of local knowledge and rivalries there, which usually makes for tight games. Round Two is where things should really spark, though. Once the Championship sides enter, you start to see how well the amateur and services teams can test themselves.

 

[Tigers1986]

£’s. Lock lane are set to make £40k plus from playing HKR. That’s an awful lot of money for a community club.

Worth risk of injury and being annihilated? Please

 

[Taking The Two]

Well, that good feeling you get inside will find the next competition sponsor and broadcasters fighting over showing who gets to show such wonderful, heartwarming games.

 

[jason taylor]

So, the BBC have unsurprisingly chosen the Bradford vs London game to broadcast on Sunday February 8, 3pm kick off.
Hopefully it's a competitive match!

 

[Perth Red]

Worth risk of injury and being annihilated? Please

Guessing yove never been involved in an amateur club? If you had you’d know the answer is a very big yes!

 

[Taking The Two]

So, the BBC have unsurprisingly chosen the Bradford vs London game to broadcast on Sunday February 8, 3pm kick off.
Hopefully it's a competitive match!

I’m confident that it will be. London will be bang up for it and bang up for humbling a Super League side. Tickets £10/£5 as well, so should be a decent crowd.

 

[Taking The Two]

Guessing yove never been involved in an amateur club? If you had you’d know the answer is a very big yes!

“Never mind the fact many of you are self-employed, the club will get £20,000 from these internationals physically battering you for 80 minutes”.

Wonderful.

 

[marlins2.0]

“Never mind the fact many of you are self-employed, the club will get £20,000 from these internationals physically battering you for 80 minutes”.

Wonderful.

Ask the blokes themselves if they dare to dream. Something tells me they do.

 

[Taking The Two]

Ask the blokes themselves if they dare to dream. Something tells me they do.

That’s nice. That doesn’t keep the lights on and grow TV audiences and get sponsors.

 

[Perth Red]

“Never mind the fact many of you are self-employed, the club will get £20,000 from these internationals physically battering you for 80 minutes”.

Wonderful.

haha, those lads will be licking their lips at having a crack at the best RL club in England. How Theyll be telling their grandkids about the time they played the triple champions in front of 8k people.
The fact the club will get enough funding to last it for years is massive for Lock Lane.

 

[Perth Red]

That’s nice. That doesn’t keep the lights on and grow TV audiences and get sponsors.

The amateur and smaller prof clubs asked for this as a pay day to help them out.