Challenge Cup Third Round draw made as Super League clubs all discover potential opponents

Ben Olawumi
Challenge Cup

The Challenge Cup

The draw for the Third Round of this year’s Challenge Cup has been made, with Super League clubs discovering their potential opponents – and there are some outstanding potential ties.

As part of the competition’s reinvigorated format, all 12 Super League clubs will enter in the last 32 (Third Round) this year.

Before Tuesday evening’s draw, the top-flight clubs knew they were guaranteed to be drawn away from home against a side from outside of Super League.

In this new format, Super League clubs will now need to win four matches to reach the Challenge Cup final, and the fifth – the final itself – if they’re to reign supreme in the competition.

As a result of most First Round ties being postponed over the weekend just gone, Tuesday night’s draw – which was made live on the BBC by RFL Vice-President Danika Priim and Betfred owner Fred Done – included a whopping 66 teams!

31 of those came from the community, with 23 from the Championship and League 1, and the remaining 12 all coming from Super League.

The 20 Second Round ties were each given a number – relating to the order in which they came out of the hat in the draw that took place in December.

As an example, London Broncos v Goole Vikings was the seventh tie drawn out in the Second Round, and so was allocated ball number 7 in Tuesday’s Third Round draw.

And to kickstart the Third Round draw, each Super League club were drawn against one of the 20 balls in the hat – with the clubs from the top-flight chosen in ascending order from the lowest finish in the table last season to the highest.

Wakefield Trinity, as the side that are newly-promoted, were first to be drawn – with Wigan Warriors the last to discover their opponents as the reigning Super League champions.

Once the 12 Super League clubs, and their 12 respective opposing balls, had been dealt with, the remaining eight in the hat reverted to a traditional ‘free for all’ style draw and were pitted against one another in four other ties.

Challenge Cup Third Round draw made as Super League clubs all discover potential opponents

With 16 ties produced in total, here is the draw for the Third Round of this year’s Challenge Cup in full, listed in the order they were produced.

Ties to be played over the weekend of February 7-9

  • London Broncos OR Goole Vikings v Wakefield Trinity
  • GB Police, York Acorn, London Chargers OR Oulton Raiders v Hull FC
  • Bradford Bulls OR Doncaster v Castleford Tigers
  • Lock Lane, Doncaster Toll Bar OR Hunslet RLFC v Huddersfield Giants
  • Wests Warriors, British Army OR RAF v Leeds Rhinos
  • Halifax Panthers, Thatto Heath OR Orrell St James v Catalans Dragons
  • Stanley Rangers, Hunslet ARLFC, West Hull OR Edinburgh Eagles v St Helens
  • Mirfield, Royal Navy OR Workington Town v Leigh Leopards
  • Midlands Hurricanes OR Siddal v Salford Red Devils
  • Whitehaven OR Swinton Lions v Warrington Wolves
  • Keighley Cougars OR York v Hull KR
  • Sheffield Eagles, West Bowling OR Cutsyke Raiders v Wigan Warriors
  • Oldham, Rochdale Mayfield OR Telford Raiders v Barrow Raiders, Crosfields OR Maryport
  • Newcastle Thunder OR Batley Bulldogs v Dewsbury Moor, Haresfinch OR Dewsbury Rams
  • Cornwall OR North Wales Crusaders v Rochdale Hornets OR Widnes Vikings
  • Waterhead Warriors, Leigh Miners OR Featherstone Rovers v Blackbrook, Longhorns OR Ince Rose Bridge

Women’s Challenge Cup Group Stage draw

Following the draw for the men’s Third Round, the draw for the group stage of this year’s Women’s Challenge Cup was made.

Eight sides from the Women’s Super League will be involved in the competition, along with four from the Women’s Championship, and the draw was also a seeded one.

Last season’s top four were in pool two while the eight remaining teams from across Super League and the Championship were placed in pool one.

Four groups of three teams have been put together, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals.

Here is the group stage draw in full…

Group 1

  • Warrington Wolves
  • Cardiff Demons
  • St Helens

Group 2

  • Featherstone Rovers
  • Huddersfield Giants
  • York Valkyrie

Group 3

  • Leigh Leopards
  • Sheffield Eagles
  • Leeds Rhinos

Group 4

  • Barrow Raiders
  • London Broncos
  • Wigan Warriors
    Challenge Cup