2021 championship schedule announced

[Batley Bob]

https://www.batleybulldogs.co.uk/2020/12/23/betfred-championship-scheduled-for-february-return/

[phildog]

14 minutes ago, Batley Bob said:

https://www.batleybulldogs.co.uk/2020/12/23/betfred-championship-scheduled-for-february-return/

I'm a little confused...is there to be no amateur contribution to the CC then in 2021 and how can 10 Division 1 clubs and 4 Championship clubs play off to return an even number of progressing clubs? How will the 4 Championship clubs be chosen...will it be the last 3 Division 1 teams to have come up and the last lowest placed Championship club? Going on percentages, obviously the teams who win most are going to have the best % so what's the difference? Apart from, AT THE MOMENT COVID AND FURTHER LOCKDOWNS PERMITTING, giving promise of a new season this announcement to me leaves as many outstanding questions as it gives answers.

[Sir Jekyll Stocking]

35 minutes ago, phildog said:

I'm a little confused...is there to be no amateur contribution to the CC then in 2021 and how can 10 Division 1 clubs and 4 Championship clubs play off to return an even number of progressing clubs? How will the 4 Championship clubs be chosen...will it be the last 3 Division 1 teams to have come up and the last lowest placed Championship club? Going on percentages, obviously the teams who win most are going to have the best % so what's the difference? Apart from, AT THE MOMENT COVID AND FURTHER LOCKDOWNS PERMITTING, giving promise of a new season this announcement to me leaves as many outstanding questions as it gives answers.

Phil, 14 clubs play in the first round, leaving seven winners.

These then go into the hat with the nine remaining championship teams given a bye in round one (Toulouse aren't competing in the cups).

HTH.

[Batley Bob]

6 minutes ago, Sir Jekyll Stocking said:

Phil, 14 clubs play in the first round, leaving seven winners.

These then go into the hat with the nine remaining championship teams given a bye in round one (Toulouse aren't competing in the cups).

HTH.

Thank you Sir

[Piggy's mate]

I'm confident of a top 5 finish next season...

[Blind side johnny]

1 hour ago, phildog said:

I'm a little confused...is there to be no amateur contribution to the CC then in 2021 and how can 10 Division 1 clubs and 4 Championship clubs play off to return an even number of progressing clubs? How will the 4 Championship clubs be chosen...will it be the last 3 Division 1 teams to have come up and the last lowest placed Championship club? Going on percentages, obviously the teams who win most are going to have the best % so what's the difference? Apart from, AT THE MOMENT COVID AND FURTHER LOCKDOWNS PERMITTING, giving promise of a new season this announcement to me leaves as many outstanding questions as it gives answers.

Given the absence of a 2020 season in the amateur game no clubs are being entered into the 2021 competition.

[RogerT]

And as of a few hours ago nothing is going to happen. 

It's starting to get a bit depressing.

In the meantime everybody try to have a decent Christmas.

[phildog]

Why Rog, what happened?

Elsewise, I'd forgotten about Toulouse (don't agree with it though). Are the 4 championship clubs drawn at random then put in the bag with the 10 Division 1 teams?

[ernieone]

The 4 Championship clubs in the first round are

Newcastle, Oldham, Whitehaven and our good friends Dewsbury.

[Keep The Faith]

1 hour ago, ernieone said:

The 4 Championship clubs in the first round are

Newcastle, Oldham, Whitehaven and our good friends Dewsbury.

I thought it was bottom of 4 of the 2019 championship which would include Widnes 

[ernieone]

Those are the four according to the BBC web site and the RL website.

[The Grinder]

Bottom three plus league 1 team (Newcastle)

[ernieone]

Not sure I like the set up that the 4 clubs that get through to the later stages of the Challenge Cup (when the Super League clubs enter) automatically go through to the semi final of the 1895 cup.

[Blind side johnny]

2 hours ago, ernieone said:

Not sure I like the set up that the 4 clubs that get through to the later stages of the Challenge Cup (when the Super League clubs enter) automatically go through to the semi final of the 1895 cup.

There may not be enough dates in 2021 to play a full 1895 Cup competition so this was the compromise for that year. Clubs are still having to factor in the real threat of having fixtures cancelled due to Covid, so there really isn't much wriggle room.

[J Phil Loxton]

2 hours ago, ernieone said:

Not sure I like the set up that the 4 clubs that get through to the later stages of the Challenge Cup (when the Super League clubs enter) automatically go through to the semi final of the 1895 cup.

What if Fev get to both finals. They'll be kna**ered

[The Grinder]

21 hours ago, J Phil Loxton said:

What if Fev get to both finals. They'll be kna**ered

Not necessarily Fev, but it had crossed my mind that if the 4 championship sides meet in the last 16 then the remaining 2 championship teams meet in the last 8, then the remaining championship side would need one ‘lucky’ win in the semis to make the final. Not very likely but significantly more likely than winning the lottery.

[ernieone]

I suppose it is a big incentive to do well in the Cup, 2 cup wins then a good chance of playing a Super League club (depending on the draw) and then only 1 match from appearing at Wembley.

Trouble is if we lose in the first round of the cup our season will be over unless we are involved in a relegation battle. 

[ernieone]

Could also be that the seasons finished before we actually get to see a live match. 

[phildog]

So, 8 weeks this weekend, when are we starting training and see our squad numbers? 8 weeks isn't that long considering we normally get 2 months before the Dewsbury match then 3 friendlies, hope we're fit and ready.

[RogerT]

8 weeks is two month's and I  don't think it's going to happen even then sorry to say.

[coolie]

54 minutes ago, RogerT said:

8 weeks is two month's and I  don't think it's going to happen even then sorry to say.

Break out in football again

Can see that disappearing soon too

I'm resigned to the fact.. 

It's gonna be a long while until we see rugby league at our level unfortunately. 

[phildog]

Depends how you look at it; I guess it's taken so long for getting testing sorted but with vaccines on the horizon it should be easier, no? Also Mutt Hancock needs to stop going on TV and swearing ALL the figures are shooting through the roof when locally we keep getting updates that ours are plummeting, down from 5th nationally to the low 80's. Local league football has been in front of crowds since September, we won't be so that's no barrier to tested players getting on a field. I don't want to use our page as a political football but just to say that of a UK population of 66 million, the death rate works out at 1 in around 1200...hardly monumental.

[distantdog]

1 hour ago, phildog said:

Depends how you look at it; I guess it's taken so long for getting testing sorted but with vaccines on the horizon it should be easier, no? Also Mutt Hancock needs to stop going on TV and swearing ALL the figures are shooting through the roof when locally we keep getting updates that ours are plummeting, down from 5th nationally to the low 80's. Local league football has been in front of crowds since September, we won't be so that's no barrier to tested players getting on a field. I don't want to use our page as a political football but just to say that of a UK population of 66 million, the death rate works out at 1 in around 1200...hardly monumental.

Me neither re political, but 1 in 1200 when we are talking 66 million is a pretty large number - think law of large numbers. I agree with Coolie on this. Lots need to change before RL starts. 

[Bill H]

2 hours ago, phildog said:

Depends how you look at it; I guess it's taken so long for getting testing sorted but with vaccines on the horizon it should be easier, no? Also Mutt Hancock needs to stop going on TV and swearing ALL the figures are shooting through the roof when locally we keep getting updates that ours are plummeting, down from 5th nationally to the low 80's. Local league football has been in front of crowds since September, we won't be so that's no barrier to tested players getting on a field. I don't want to use our page as a political football but just to say that of a UK population of 66 million, the death rate works out at 1 in around 1200...hardly monumental.

Phil, I read today that we have just recorded the highest daily figure for new infections in the UK and so I guess that the new strain of coronavirus combined with Christmas is indeed sending the figures "shooting through the roof again".  I guess it's a question of how quickly vaccinations can be administered and also whether they reduce the spread of the disease or merely alleviate the symptoms.

[silverback]

am sorry but its very monumental, i remember the numbers been in single figures per day a while back,it went down to 120,then 56, then we had a 8 and a 5, so now at 500 a day or more  its still scarey enough for me to stay away from crowds.more wallace and gromit for me.