Has the cup lost it's magic?

The forth round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup gets underway this weekend and to be honest, nobody seems that bothered.






In the past few years, the forth round of the competition has been seen as something of a joke amongst many. This week, as in previous years, sees a host of one-sided mismatches which are far from catching the public's imagination.

Despite various attempts to revive the competition, leading to the final being switched from May to August, it's still not until the latter stages when the crowds start to take an interest in the Challenge Cup. Wigan have sold the majority of their allocation for their trip to Widnes and so a good crowd will be expected at the Halton Stadium, as perhaps it will at Warrington but apart from that, the sight that will greet most spectators this weekend is that of empty seats and deserted terraces, despite the host of cut-price tickets on offer.

It's not hard to see why supporters are somewhat apathetic about the early stages of the cup. Fancy taking in the Cumbrian part-timers of Workington battling it out against an international filled Leeds side? How about Batley's trip to the world champions St Helens? If not, then how does Hull FC vs Hunslet float your boat?

Even if the lower rounds come in with something of a whimper, it is far from the end of the competition. The Challenge Cup Final has always been the "day out" event in the calendar and with Wembley now ready to host the showpiece event, the RFL should have little trouble in peddling the 90,000 tickets that the new venue offers.

The Challenge Cup is in many respects, an unfortunate problem borne from the success of the professional divisions. As the Super League players get fitter and more NL1 sides opt to go full-time, the minnows have to go through the mere formality of bowing out of the competition, but making a few quid in the process.

For the time being, we've just got to hurry up into the quarter finals and pretend to care whilst we try and get there.

Saints will Canter to Super League Glory

Saturday's Challenge Cup Final turned out to be a bit of an anti-climax. The build-up to the game was generally muted, the ground didn't quite fill-up and as for the game itself, the second half was meerly an exibition match for the superstars of St Helens.

Daniel Anderson's men have brushed aside all that have stood in their path this year in Super League and now that the Challenge Cup sits proudly on the Knowsley Road mantlepiece, the Saints are looking odds on for the domestic treble.

Despite the determination of Huddersfield in the early exchanges, the brilliance of a St Helens side, which could even afford to leave out Great Britain forward Nick Fozzard, shone through. Shaun Long's superbly crafted try just prior to half-time effectively turned the game in the favour of St Helens and from that point on, it was always going to be one-way traffic.

With the minor premiership effectivley in the bag, only a fool would back against Anderson's men, but the Saints fans would be forgiven for being just a little wary.
At this point last year they were also looking like Champions but ultimatly, the season ended disasterously, becoming the first minor premiers in the Super League era not to reach the Grand Final after a plethora of injuries hit star players including Sean Long, Paul Sculthorpe and Darren Albert.

This year though, the Saints look unstoppable. Daniel Anderson has created a confident team that oouses class and is by far the best British side to watch with ball in hand. Not only that, but they have a pack of forwards which can compete with the biggest around.
St Helens teams in the passed have been accused of relying too heavily on the so called 'big three' of Sulthorpe, Long and Cunningham yet that is not a criticism that could be levied at this side. The likes of Leon Pryce, Jamie Lyon and Jason Hooper are all capable of changing games through moments of individual brilliance and the emergance of young players such as James Graham and James Roby has added even more competition to an already star-studded line-up.

Whilst the likes of Hull, Leeds and Bradford will all be targetting a place at Old Trafford on October 15th, it'll be the Saints who'll be wearing the Super League crown.

Another Challenge Cup Upset?

Huddersfield Giants will be hopinbg to emulate the Sheffield Eagles this weekend as they travel to Twickenham for Saturday's Challenge Cup Final.


The Giants go into the game with runaway league leaders St Helens as huge underdogs in a clash which is being likened to the 1998 Final between Wigan Warriors and Sheffield Eagles. That year, Sheffield pulled off what is regarded as the greatest shock in Rugby League history, beating the eventual league Champions 17-8 at Wembley.
The year following that victory, the Eagles contraversially merged with the Giants, a relationship that has since been extirpated and now Huddersfield will prepare for their first Challenge Cup final for 44 years.
The odds are stacked against them. Fartown are currently ninth in the league, just two points ahead of the relegation zone whilst the Saints are four points clear at the top of the league and looking odds on for the Super League championship.
But despite going in to the game as overwhelming favourites, they would be foolish to take the injury-hit Giants as lightly as Leeds Rhinos did in the semi-final. Huddersfield became the first side to beat the Saints his season, with a 19-16 home victory back in May and coach Jon Sharp as also masterminded impressive victories over Warrington, Leeds and Harlequins.
In Robbie Paul, the giants will be led by a Cup Final veteran and Chris Thorman, should he pass a late fitness test, is capable of unlocking the best of defences. If the physical Giants forwards can get on top of the Saints then Daniel Anderson's men may not have it all their own way.

I, as do most people, expect St Helens to be lifting the trophy on Saturday afternoon but at the same time, I don't necesseraly see the walk-over that some people are proclaiming it to be.
If the Saints don't show and the Giants put on a solid, error-free performance, then we could see a repeat of 1998.