Featherstone inspired by cup history

Featherstone coach John Bastian will hope to use the club’s proud history in the Challenge Cup to inspire victory against Leigh this weekend.

Rovers travel to Leigh Sports Village to face the Centurions on Sunday in a highly-anticipated clash between two Championship heavyweights.

It is now more than 30 years since Featherstone last lifted the trophy in 1983, their third cup triumph, following on from wins in 1967 and 1973.

Bastian said: “The Challenge Cup is an extremely prestigious competition and there are a lot of legends who still come down to watch the games who talk about the years when Featherstone won the trophy,” said Bastian. “There is a lot of history surrounding the Challenge Cup here and that will help to inspire the players.

“We do have ambitions to get into Super League with promotion returning next year and we are taking steps towards that but the Challenge Cup is completely different to the league, it’s a one-off game – you get one chance and we want to get it right.

“This is such a big game between the two leading teams in the league and we are really looking forward to it. It is going to be a hugely competitive game and it is going to be a fantastic experience and atmosphere for the supporters.

“We are extremely confident ahead of the game. We have been working really hard to build a good squad and get to know each other and that includes the coaching staff.

“We have been focused on the league and have been going well but we did talk about the Challenge Cup when the draw was made and we have been allowing ourselves to look forward to it – it’s an intense but exciting prospect.”