Mini rogue didn't go as he was working and preferred to use a dys holiday for a more competitive game.
Mrs. Rogue didn't go as she had a previously arranged function to attend.
Both would have gone had the game been on Friday.

I'm a season ticket holder and didn't attend. I would have done if it was on Friday or Saturday or a more competitive game but I chose to spend a bit of free time with my girlfriend instead.
I know there's that great flag that says 'My wife said it was Wigan rugby or her, I'll miss her' or something to that effect, but I'm playing it smart. I miss a not very competitive game, tell her it's a massive game and get in her good books making her more likely to agree to marry me. Once that's done with I can go to every single game and ignore her all I want, whilst she's free to spend more time with friends/see the family/have an affair. It's all planned out.

Okay then, here goes...I live in Bury, dont drive, and couldnt be bothered getting a bus to Bolton and a train then to Wigan for a guarenteed 50+ point win.

It's a combination of things.

Super League started and got weekly coverage. 20 years ago, only the cup competitions were televised, so they were special.

Then the Grand Final was introduced, which I love, but given that winning the GF is the culmination of a whole season's hard work, puts that ahead in terms of it being an achievement. To win the Challenge Cup, for instance, you only have to win five or six games, against the 20-odd it takes to win Super League.

Moving the whole sport to Summer didn't help the Challenge Cup either. For several years it was effectively a pre-season tournament, as opposed to something which took place to pretty much cap the end of the season.

Then, Wembley closed. The CC was about Wembley - it's as simple as that. Yes, we have the new Wembley, and it's technically better, but it's not the old Wembley, is it? Be honest - winning the CC at Murrayfield was great, but not as great as if we'd have won it at the old Wembley, is it?

In a nutshell, the whole sport has changed, but the CC hasn't, really. I rather fancy that only a damn good marketing campaign, sustained over several YEARS with Wembley as the focal point of it, along with it remaining on free-to-air TV, will stop the decline.

I think people's perception of the cup will change once we get to Wembley again and have a day out there. You cant not get excited over a Wigan v Saints/Warrington final at a sold out Wembley. I agree that it is now second best to the league and playoffs, but it has been 13 years now since we have been to Wembley. Add to the fact that final was embarassing and since then its been held all over place (Cardiff, Edinburgh) the magic has been lost.

But once we win it this year, Wigan fans will want to return to Wembley every year!

You're right in that respect. The Cup final is ALWAYS exciting for the teams that are in it, and once it's upon us, the RL Community will no doubt be watching.

I think what's being said, is that the anticipation is not at fever pitch like it used to be, and the CC was a proper event that everyone watched. It isn't really, any more.

I've not read all the thread - but if it hasn't happened already, how long do you think it will be before you get Warrington fans bleating about how wonderful the CC is, and how we're only having this thread because we've not won it for a few years?

That's an excellent summing up. I'd add that televised sport has changed, but the BBC hasn't, as well. Much as we all moan about the SKY muppets, they put the Beeb to shame.

I only went because it was free. (I live in Wigan). I wouldn’t have paid. My Dad’s on holiday and I couldn’t give his ticket away. It was pretty boring tbh (apart from the pigeons). The lack of competitiveness was the reason.

I still love the excitement of the cup though. I rushed home to turn the TV on and watched the draw. I guess nowadays shocks are far and few between, which is sad but true and thus the ‘romance’ is in decline.

Don’t know if the cup is ‘dying’. It would be interesting to see if say we play Saints in the quarters at home (if we both win) what the crowd would be. Would it sell out like the league game on Good Friday – probably not, but I reckon we’d be pushing 18-20k, or is that overly optimistic?

I think an important argument is the bit about how hard it is to reach and win the Grand Final compared to how hard it is to win at Wembley.

It really is monumentally difficult to win the Grand Final. It's not just the consistency required during the season, it's the intensity of the play-offs, which is perhaps only matched in the Challenge up at semi-final stage. I reckon most of us are aware of this, and inevitably now think winning at Wembley is much less of an achievement - which it is.

But the other thing is surely the razzamatazz that surrounds these different tournaments

During the Super League period, while there's been no concerted effort to downplay the Challenge Cup, the absence of Wembley and the change to summer did coincide with an era during which the game's controlling forces - i.e. Sky - were doing everything in their power to enhance their own competition. (The proof of the importance of this is surely the lack of respect with which winning the Minor Premiership is held - finishing top of the league is actually an immense achievement, but Sky never want to highlight it because it may detract from the other trophy).

In the old days, 'Cup Fever' was magnified by the attention that the BBC and others gave to the contest. Now, those with the power to promote have less of a vested interest in the Challenge Cup. Maybe we need look no further than that?

It hasn't lost its romance, I just genuinley believe that people have better things to do than sit and watch a training session for 80 minutes, a home tie with Barrow it not appealing at all and you know before you attend, that, basically your going to be bored half to death.

(And before Rogues or twosevenzero chirp up, yes, I do go watching Liverpool)

No disrespect intended, but that sounds a bit self-contradictory to me.

If it's still romantic, how can you call the first round an 80 minute training session and say you have better things to do?

To me, the romance of the Cup was the chance it gave these smaller teams to test themselves against the bigger teams. It was the possiblity - no matter how remote - that David might do Goliath.

What you just said there seems to prove to me that the romance (call it innocence of another era, maybe) has gone.

The semi is 3 weeks before the final. That gives the teams in the final knockout footy pretty much week in and week out for August and september. This makes it very difficult for any team to win both.

Yes I agree.

We all used to 'go down to that London' in May. To be honest, I have no idea now when the Final is held.

The TV companies have also helped trash the Challenge cup.

SKY can't cover it and the BBC now only have a few matches per year on TV.

Last weekend we had the situation of the BBC changing the channel of Saturdays match at half time ! Would they have done that with Union ?

I do think Sky would add an element of glamour, it gets no mention during the weekly rounds and Eddie and Stevo dont even acknowledge it as a trophy tbh - its 100% about winning the SL. Having said that Clare Balding is a great presenter, a credit to the sport

Sky don't care and the BBC don't do any publicity until the week before.

Then the BBC split the coverage between two channels for the same game! What a farce.

Its lost alot of its romance and thats very upsetting.

Sunday i was just hoping we didnt get any injuries for the following weeks league games.

I've said for a while now that I'm just not interested by the cup.

Yes it's got tradition and history but it's just not what it once was.

10/10 I'd take the hub cap over it. I seriously mean that as well.

It doesn't get the fan fare but for me last season that was the best feeling I've had at Wigan in a long time. After we got the hub cap it was great to think back to those great wins at Wire, Leeds, Hudds and Saints and have a good pat on the back for what was our most enjoyable season in a decade.

The GF was amazing but I felt more of a sense of a relief that we'd managed to secure what was ours with it.

Come out on top in a close game in the cup and it will all come rushing back. I suppose that's where we have the added benefit of the Northern Rail Cup as some of our most talked about games have been knock out fixtures.

Certainly wasn't anyone questioning the magic of the cup at the LSV on Friday, and I doubt many Wigan fans will either if you end up beating Saints in the semi or anything along those lines.

Whats the Romance thats been lost........?

if its the lack of cup upsets, they have always been few and far between. They have never been as common as in the round ball game.

If its the loss of the Twin Towers and the old Wembely then forget it the new wembley is a magnificent place the old wembley was iconic but it was toilet.

I doubt its the loss of Ray French or Eddie Waring as commentators.

Maybe the BBC is poor. Its clear from all the message boards the BBC coverage is not getting any better and many people think its giving our game a poor image.

But i think the lack of interest in the early rounds (which has always been there Ive stood in a crowd of under 1500 at Wildesrpool in the 80's against Blackpool I think) is not down to the Lower League clubs but down to the Squad rotation of the big clubs. I would pay as I did yesterday to Watch a virtually full strength Wires play a keighley cougars side who had one player I knew. but I wouldnt Watch a Wires Second String V Keighley.

those of you of a certain Age may remember the locker cup pre Season Friendly which was a full blooded and very popular game between Wires And Wigan it remained so until John Monie (I think) decided too many players were getting injured/or unnecessarily knocked about and started fielding reserve players Wires Followed suit and then it died a slow death.

We would pay to Watch our own stars wee in the wind and while we may bang on about the youth many people wont pay top dollar to watch them..

If you get to wembley this year you'll soon forget this thread.

On a personally level its simple.

Its all about the GF. Losing a tomkins or a richards for a season because he got injuried yesterday is not worth the CC. like it or not

I agree, the cup needs a big upset i.e Batley hanging on against Huddersfield, to re discover the magic of the cup.

It isn't just about the occasional good game, which any competition in any sport will now and then serve up.

It's that overall the CC no longer seems to capture the imagination of the fans.

It's seems like years since we used to await each draw with excitement.

There would be no difference in losing a tomkins for a season in CC game against Barrow than in super league game against Crusaders.
You'd be equally as gutted either way.

Imagine you lose him in the massively hyped brilliantly produced tv extravaganza that is the Exiles game!!!!!!

Pointless,ridicilous, waste of time, no one is interested would be just some of the phrases banded about.

Like it or not the Challenge cup made Wigan famous if you lot can't respect it who can?

There are so many wembley finals that people still talk about......who even remembers probably the tightest league finish in 1994??
And regardless of the level of achievment the Grand final is still a wet winters night out in Salford.

I love it ..id take a 3rd Cup over a grand final win no problem.

As Leyther Matt said on this thread everyone at the LSV on Friday enjoyed the magic of the cup playing and running arguably the in form SL club Catalans so close, only 6 points in it, now i do think it is a bit different for us as to us it was a big game, were as for Wigan to play a championship side it isn't much of a spectacle, so what i am getting at is it's all about opinions and the size of the club you support, all in my opinion of course.

Good luck for the rest of the season.