Hull's route to the challenge cup final has been.

St Helens (away)

Catalans (home)

Wigan (Semi)

With Warrington dominating the other semi final, it will mean Hull will have played all of the other top 5 clubs (at the point of the split).

Has there been a tougher route to the cup?

It's alarming how many less matches the top 8 of SL get in the Challange Cup. It's almost not worth having the competition.
Would be fantastic if one day our sport could be big and competitive enough to have everybody start at a lot earlier like the Footballs FA cup.

A tough run, and deserved winners if you do it. Can't be many tougher draws

I remember the 99 cup final which we (Leeds) beat London. On route we knocked out pretty much every big team from that time -

Wigan -home

St Helens - Home

Widnes - away

Bradford - semi

True. The odds of playing a few clubs in the top 4 never mind top 5 is probably quite slim.

Also for Leeds in 2010 we had

Hull away 6th in league
Blackpool home
Wigan home 1st
Saints neutral 2nd
Wire final 3rd (we were 4th in the league)

Granted we lost the final but then again the destination of this years cup is undecided atm.

Wigan 2013



Leigh (H)

HKR (A)

QTR: Widnes (H)

Semi: London @ LSV (70 - 0)

Final: Hull

2005 fc

wakey a r5

bulls h r6

leigh h qf

saints sf

leeds final

1982
Hull 29–15 Salford 13,697
Fulham 5–11 Hull 9,481
Hull 16–10 Halifax 16,555
Hull 15–11 Castleford 21,207 (Headingly)
Hull 14-14 Widnes 92,147
Hull 18-9 Widnes 41,171 (Ellend Rd)

[code[/code
The play-offs are now just two games to win the trophy.

Saints won it in 2004 by beating the rest of the top 6 SL teams at that point...

R4 Bradford away
R5 Leeds home
QF Hull home
SF Huddersfield
F Wigan

We had Bradford away Wigan away catalans home and Warrington in the semi last season

What happened in the final?

I can't remember

When you only have 3 games to get to the final you're inevitably going to end up playing the best teams (unless you're wigan who always seem to get easy draws until there are no easy teams left)

Did i miss the final where Hull won the cup



(As the thread title suggests)

I think that's the reason really. In that the RFL are concerned about having lots of uncompetitive Cup games shown on TV. If you put the SL teams in later they're more likely to play each and so should be closer, more competitive games, hopefully in front of bigger crowds too.

The crowds issue for cup games is something we have to sort, as a sport, too.

The thread title does not suggest Hull have won the cup, merely discussing the route it would be to be successful in lifting the cup.




As regards your statement, when Hull won it in 2005, that was a tricky route (more games to play) but not to the intensity of this year should Hull win it.

It got me thinking about the opposite of this. In 1992 Hull made it to the semi final by beating 3 second division teams. Cas then beat us in that semi. They did us a favour as Wigan would have created a record score in the final with the team they had then.

League structure isn't too bad. It rewards the top 4 consistent teams from round 1 and through the super 8's with a semi final. 1 game to play for the final.

For me first place would gain an automatic final and all the money that comes with being in it and an even bigger prize fund.
They would earn a week off (which some would argue is a disadvantage)
2-5 places then battle it out in the semis.
That structure would also give 8th spot more of a chance to get to the final.

Agreed on the crowds. Got to wonder if the cup is that much of a prestige and wonderful cup RL and the BBC make it out to be.
It's got a fantastic history and all clubs and fans want to get to the final... But it's becoming less exciting and expensive. It needs to be changed dramatically. Double headers, magic weekend style rounds or it needs to take a time out.
Fill the gaps to improve our international game.

St. Helens 2004 will take some beating

Regards

King James

I agree with that. I think the SL clubs should be in the Cup earlier. Preferably about Round 3. Just that I understand the RFL's rationale for putting them in later.

I agree about the rounds as well. I'd be tempted to make the quarter finals a magic weekend style round and definitely have the semis as a double header.
I'd also include the cup on people's season tickets.

As a neutral I would have been far more interested in attending a quarter final weekend or the semi-final double header than just the individual games. And even more so if it was included on a sport season ticket for example.

None of these come close to Widnes' remarkable run to the 1964 final.
First round Widnes 11 Leigh 11
Leigh 2 Widnes 14 in the replay
Second Rd Widnes 16 Liverpool City 6
Third rd Widnes 5 Swinton 5
Swinton 0 Widnes 0 in the replay
Widnes 15 Swinton 3 in the second replay
Semi Final Castleford 7 Widnes 7
Semi Final replay Widnes 7 Castleford 5
Final Hull KR 5 Widnes 13

What you on about RL was only invented in 1996

we just did

Just a quick note for the op
Although Hull's route to the final has been a tough one, it must also have been the shortest (in terms of games played) as clubs finishing in the top 8 enter tha comp later than in previous years.