ALL 13 of the Super League clubs that were involved in the third round of the Challenge Cup at the weekend will enter Monday’s fourth-round draw alongside the three surviving Championship clubs – Oldham, Goole Vikings and Keighley Cougars.
There was only one major shock in the third round, as Goole, in only their second season as a member of the RFL, travelled to Halifax and secured an 18-14 victory.
In London, the Broncos, who had been tipped by some observers to defeat newly elevated Super League club Bradford Bulls, were beaten 26-8 after leading 8-4 at half-time.
Their owner, Australian businessman Grant Wechsel, wasn’t discouraged by their performance, however, posting a message on the X platform shortly after the game.
“Super proud, played the whole 2nd half without our skipper and half back and played with 12 men for some of it. We showed plenty of fight and a shame as we’re standing toe to toe with our full squad in the first half. Well done to Bradford.”
Elsewhere there were strong crowds at some Championship clubs, with Workington Town drawing 4,169 against St Helens on Friday night and Rochdale Hornets drawing 4,248, their biggest crowd since 1998, to see their clash against Wigan Warriors.
The impact of seeding the third-round draw so that Championship clubs hosted their Super League counterparts was hailed by RFL executive director Nigel Wood.
“The scenes at Workington after the game tells you all you need to know why our sport is best when it comes together in a joined-up way,” he said.
“The Workington officials were delighted that one of the sport’s best clubs was in town. A crowd of over 4,000 was the equivalent of four or five home games, which I’m sure will help sustain their finances.
“It was the same at North Wales, Rochdale and other places and it’s a great credit to the Super League for embracing the concept so positively.”
Tonight’s fourth-round draw will be made by former players Jon Wilkin and Kevin Brown at 6.40pm live on BBC Radio Manchester on a show hosted by Gaz Drinkwater and Emily Brobyn.
The games will be played on the weekend of 14/15 March.
Ball numbers: 1 Bradford Bulls, 2 Castleford Tigers, 3 Catalans Dragons, 4 Goole Vikings, 5 Huddersfield Giants, 6 Hull KR, 7 Hull FC, 8 Keighley Cougars, 9 Leeds Rhinos, 10 Leigh Leopards, 11 Oldham RLFC, 12 St Helens, 13 Wakefield Trinity, 14 Warrington Wolves, 15 Wigan Warriors, 16 York Knights.