Kristian Woolf and his St Helens squad are looking forward to a very different challenge this week when attention turns to the Challenge Cup.
Saints had made a dominant start to their Super League title defence, before falling to defeat at Toulouse Olympique on Saturday, making it five wins from six.
This week the focus will be on beginning their bid to retain the Challenge Cup, a trophy they won for the first time in 13 years last term when they beat Castleford Tigers at Wembley.
The road to another London final – this time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – begins on Saturday at Whitehaven, the Championship side that upset the odds to make the second-tier play-offs last term and have seen off Doncaster and York City Knights to bag a marquee tie at the Recreation Ground.
It is the first time in a decade, since visiting Oldham for a 76-0 win in the last-16 of the 2012 edition, that Saints have gone away to a lower-league club in the Challenge Cup.
Woolf can’t wait to hit the road for Cumbria, nor, unsurprisingly, can the Whitehaven-born prop in his ranks.
“I’ve had a chat to Kyle Amor and I could tell from his conversation that it’s obviously something that’s really exciting for the area and for the town,” said Woolf.
“I could see that he was beaming and really excited about the opportunity to go back over and play there. I think it’s great.”
Woolf has been forewarned of the Cumbrian climate and the difficult conditions Saints might face, as well as the fired-up opposition that will give everything in a game that will be streamed on The Sportsman.
“I’d expect them to play the best possible game of footy they can come up with,” said Woolf.
“I expect they’ll play with a real energy and intensity, and like there’s no repercussions. They’ve nothing to lose and will chance their hand.
“We expect a bit of a heavy field, the grass might be a bit longer, things like that. That’s all part of the experience and part of the challenge.
“We need to make sure we go up there and be who we are as a team. Those other little things just add to the challenge.
“One of the things this team has done terrifically well is, looking at trips to Hull and Hull KR, wherever we’ve gone and whatever the challenge is, this group certainly rises to the occasion, so I wouldn’t expect anything different.”
Winger Regan Grace could return as soon as this week having been out since pre-season with bicep injury, but Alex Walmsley (hamstring) won’t feature.
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