BBC confirm televised picks for Challenge Cup sixth round

The Challenge Cup sixth round blockbuster between Leeds and Wigan at Headingley will be shown live on BBC One on Saturday May 20.

Cup holders Wigan will travel to the 2020 winners for a 2.30pm kick-off as the road to Wembley for Super League sides begins.

The other BBC pick of the round is the clash between Castleford and Hull, which will be shown live on BBC Two on Sunday May 21 (3pm kick-off).

Both ties will also be shown on BBC iPlayer, which has shown a game from each of the five previous rounds.

Their journey in this year’s Challenge Cup started in Edinburgh and then Cornwall in the second round, before they broadcast the Crusaders clash between Thatto Heath and North Wales in round three.

The all-Championship ties between York and Sheffield, and Halifax and Bradford, which the Panthers won impressively on Saturday night followed.

Viaplay Sports will also show two ties from the sixth round. World champions St Helens will travel to The Shay to face Championship opposition Halifax on Friday, May 19 (7:45pm).

The second game on Viaplay Sports will be the all-Super League tie between Salford and Huddersfield at the AJ Bell Stadium on Saturday, May 20 (7:30pm).

The other four ties – Catalans v Warrington, York v London, Hull KR v Batley and Wakefield v Leigh – will not be televised.

A no brainer choice

There was no doubt that the game between two of rugby league’s biggest clubs, Leeds and Wigan, would be selected for the primetime slot on BBC on the Saturday.

It will be a great opportunity to showcase domestic rugby league in what will be the first game shown live on BBC television since the World Cup final.

A quirk of the draw is that the two sides actually play each other in Super League the previous week, albeit at the DW Stadium.

There are five all-Super League clashes in the sixth round, which comprises of the 12 Super League clubs and four from the Championship.

It could be the last season of the current format, with IMG proposing to implement a group stage format in future seasons that would see Super League sides enter in a group format involving 24 clubs, split in to eight groups of three.

That would then leave 12 spaces to be filled by Championship, League 1 or community clubs who play out the early rounds of the competition.

One Championship side will definitely be in the quarter-finals this year, as York have been drawn at home to league rivals London Broncos.

Other Championship clubs Halifax and Batley have landed plum ties, with Panthers hosting St Helens in a repeat of the 2019 semi-final and Batley welcoming in-form Super League high-fliers Hull KR.

Challenge Cup sixth round draw

• Catalans Dragons v Warrington Wolves
• Castleford Tigers v Hull FC (Sun 21 May, 3pm, live on BBC Two)
• York City Knights v London Broncos
• Halifax Panthers v St Helens (Fri 19 May, 745pm, live on Viaplay Sports)
• Hull KR v Batley Bulldogs
• Wakefield Trinity v Leigh Leopards
• Leeds Rhinos v Wigan Warriors (Sat 20 May, 2.30pm, live on BBC One)
• Salford Red Devils v Huddersfield Giants (Sat 20 May, 7:30pm, live on Viaplay Sports)

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