North Wales Crusaders v Doncaster
Dewsbury Rams v Newcastle Thunder
Featherstone Lions v York City Knights
Barrow Raiders v Halifax
Bradford Bulls v Workington Town
Normanton Knights v Batley Bulldogs
Leigh Miners Rangers v Oxford
Swinton Lions v Rochdale Hornets
Sheffield Eagles v Oldham
Whitehaven v Featherstone Rovers
Leigh Centurions v London Broncos
University of Gloucestershire All Golds v Hunslet Hawks

That's a very good draw, some very tight games right across the board a few potential banana skins.

Where are the French teams? Are they all out already, or do we not subject them to playing the lower league riff raff?

Who cares about French teams, not me.....Maybe they are in the FRENCH cup, you know, takes place in FRANCE. (obviously Matalan Dragons are in OUR comp later on)

The French clubs (with the exception of Catalan Dragons) withdrew from last year's Challenge Cup and other than the aforementioned Dragons who enter in Round 6 with the rest of last year's SL top 8 no French teams entered the cup this year. I think the French clubs were unhappy with not being allowed to play cup ties at home.

Normanton vs Batley could be a cracker, might pop down to that.

this draw has really 'captured the imagination' of the Super League Terrace ! Bless, you SL fans are more interested in the career of a Ref (Tim Roby)

















pathetic

Lets home no clubs use deal reg. see good cup ties with players from there own clubs for a change, good luck Crusaders

The Challenge cup only get's started when the Super League teams enter. This isn't the FA cup, no team outside SL has even a remote chance of reaching Wembley.

So no, most of us don't care

Yeah, you thrashed 'championship' Leigh in last season's Q/F

Do you progress to a higher round the more points you win by? No, thought not.

but they didnt lose which i think was his point

Why would people's imagination be captured? Why would fans of SL clubs have anything more than a passing interest in games between lower league clubs versus (in some cases) amateur clubs? The same 12 games that will struggle to attract the same amount of spectators as a Leeds home game?

It's like calling Man City fans pathetic for not being monumentally excited over a cup game between a Conference team and a Combined Counties League team.

Football is the worlds dominate sport and Man City is a global brand supported by people who do not know Man is short for Manchester nevermind where Manchester is.

Rugby League is very much (professionally) based along the M62 corridor in the northern hemisphere supported by people who want to see their local side succeed & the sport expand. Therefore, the fact that their reserve team are in the comp and it includes so many non heartland clubs should mean that the folk of Leeds are interested in the Challenge Cup.

What's great about this sport is that fans of all clubs regularly go to the Challenge Cup Final and have second teams that they'll go watch whereas the majority of football fans support their side by switching Sky TV on using excuses for not going to games

Except the vast majority of fans of SL clubs don't go and watch another team. If they did then Championship & C1 crowds would be a lot higher.

I still don't understand why budgiezilla is so outraged/suprised that fans of top tier clubs would have anything other than a passing interest in the early rounds of the cup including games vs amateur teams.

Agree Him, as a Broncos fan, I have a passing interest only in any of Skolars', Hemels' or any Londons amateur sides' results/fixtures.

Yep. I'm not putting down or disrespecting the lower league or amateur clubs. Just the vast majority of RL fans are fans of SL clubs. I'm sure interest will grow as the rounds continue. In the same way as the vast majority of Championship clubs fans arent that interested in the preliminary rounds of the cup.

Well, the bit about the Challenge Cup Final is fair enough; I go to the CCF every year, and have done for many, many, years, regardless of who's playing, as do plenty of league fans. The "second team" bit, not so much.

Agreed, they are SUPER League fans, not Rugby League fans. I'm going to watch Leigh Miners v Oxford on Saturday !!!

No they're not Super League fans. They're fans of their club. Otherwise they'd be off to 2/3 SL games per week.

Do Leigh Miners get the same crowds as Leigh Centurions? If not, why not? Are Leigh Centurions fans not Rugby League fans either?

You still haven't said why fans of other clubs should take anything more than a passing interest in the early rounds of the cup.

It's not up to fans of some clubs to make up the numbers at other clubs. It's up to those clubs to attract and keep their own fans.

Look I know you like an 'argument' His Infernal Majesty, but I don't mean 'go an watch' other lower league teams...just 'take an interest'. Maybe I'm just weird, eh ?