Super League takes a back seat this weekend as the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup Quarter Finals dominate four days of action. There is also, one Super League fixture, two games in the Championship and three in Championship One as some sides take the opportunity of cup elimination to catch up on games lost to the weather earlier in the season.
First up on Thursday evening is the meeting between the Huddersfield Giants and Catalans Dragons as both sides look to continue their good form with cup progress. Friday will have the nerves of Rhinos fans jangling as their battered and depleted side take on the competitions only remaining Championship side, the Leigh Centurions.
On Saturday afternoon it is the turn of the Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors to do battle while Sundays game is probably the most appealing of all as Cup holders Hull FC travel to Champions elect St Helens.
New Giants coach Steve Woodford has made just one change to his squad with Sam Wood replacing Ukuma Ta’ai and he also names Leroy Cudjoe in his nineteen, this week hoping that he’ll make the seventeen. Gareth Hewer will take the whistle and Dragons coach Steve McNamara has named an eighteen man squad while he awaits news on the registration of new signing, loose forward, Kenny Edwards. Samisoni Langi is back from injury and the two players to miss out from last week’s squad are Alrix Da Costa and Iain Thorney. The book makers are calling a Giants win but both sides have impressed in recent weeks after poor early season form. The game is live of SKY with a 19:35 kick off.
Despite their injury woes the Leeds Rhinos are big favourites to overcome the only remaining Betfred Championship side, Leigh Centurions, when the two sides meet at Headingley at 19:35 (SKY) on Friday night. The Rhinos have lost Brett Delaney and Jack Ormondroyd to injury, but are bolstered by the return of Joel Moon, Matt Parcell, Carl Ablett and Anthony Mullally as they look to shake off the poor form that has seen them lose five out of their last seven. Leigh suffered their first defeat in twelve when they lost narrowly to Toronto last weekend but have named a very strong squad full of Super League experience as they look to spring an upset and progress to the semi-finals in Bolton on the 5th August. Chris Kendall will be blowing the whistle.
The bookies expect that the Wigan Warriors will win on the road against the Warrington Wolves despite the two sides being separated by just one place and two league points. These two sides met at the same stage last season when Wigan recorded a 27-26 victory in the sweltering sun, again at the Halliwell-Jones Stadium. Both sides played teams from Hull last weekend with Warrington winning comfortably against FC after a great second half performance while Wigan, surprisingly, lost heavily to KR. The game is to be broadcast live on the BBC and kicks off at 14:30 with Robert Hicks in charge.
The weekends final game is the 15:30 kick-off on Sunday, broadcast live on the BBC, is between St Helens and Hull FC and it could be that the best has been saved until last. FC are desperate to win their third consecutive Challenge Cup while St Helens will have one eye on cleaning up every major honour in the game in a 2018 season which has seen them almost invincible. Ben Thaler takes charge of what promises to be an intriguing fixture.
Friday evenings Super League game sees Hull KR and the Castleford Tigers meet at the KCOM Craven Park for a 20:00 kick off under the supervision of James Child. This will be the first ever playing of the Roger Millward Trophy in memory of the KR and Castleford legend. KR are without Justin Carney (injured), Josh Johnston (suspended) and Elliot Wallis (rotated) who are replaced in the nineteen by Ryan Shaw, Aaron Smith and Kieran Moss. A win for the Tigers would lift them into the top four and coach Powell has made four changes to the side that lost to Saints last week with Joe Wardle, Greg Eden, Kieran Gill and Tuoyo Egodo all in the squad.
In the Championship the Batley Bulldogs face Halifax on Saturday afternoon while Swinton and Rochdale meet for the second week running on Sunday.
League One sees Hunslet and Whitehaven play on Saturday while West Wales welcome Newcastle at 13:00 Sunday with Oldham and Doncaster meeting at 15:00.
Wherever you are watching your rugby this weekend, enjoy.
