Challenge Cup disappointment in Betfred League 1

[Total Rugby League]

When the RFL issued a press release last Friday at noon, it brought plenty of welcome news for clubs outside the top flight. Definite start...

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[Man of Kent]

Thought there might be more to that statement than met the eye. Good story!

[Eddie]

I don’t understand what it means by the four teams reaching the 3rd round of the CC will make the 1895 SFs. Does that mean the 1985 cup will only start at the semi finals, and what if more than four Champ / L1 teams reach the 3rd round of the CC? 

[zylya]

1 hour ago, Eddie said:

I don’t understand what it means by the four teams reaching the 3rd round of the CC will make the 1895 SFs. Does that mean the 1985 cup will only start at the semi finals, and what if more than four Champ / L1 teams reach the 3rd round of the CC? 

The format this year means that Championship and League 1 sides will play for 4 spots in the round of 16 with the 12 Super League clubs. There's no way for more than four to get past there - those 4 teams will then also be semi-finallists for the 1895.

[Eddie]

7 minutes ago, zylya said:

The format this year means that Championship and League 1 sides will play for 4 spots in the round of 16 with the 12 Super League clubs. There's no way for more than four to get past there - those 4 teams will then also be semi-finallists for the 1895.

Gotcha, thanks

[PhilCarrington]

4 hours ago, zylya said:

The format this year means that Championship and League 1 sides will play for 4 spots in the round of 16 with the 12 Super League clubs. There's no way for more than four to get past there - those 4 teams will then also be semi-finallists for the 1895.

The complications really start if one of the 4 sides wins in the last 16 and has to fit in the 1895 Cup alongside the Challenge Cup QF. I guess that's a problem West Wales are looking forward to dealing with.

[Eddie]

10 minutes ago, PhilCarrington said:

The complications really start if one of the 4 sides wins in the last 16 and has to fit in the 1895 Cup alongside the Challenge Cup QF. I guess that's a problem West Wales are looking forward to dealing with.

That was a potential problem in 2019 when the 1895 cup started too. When there hadn’t been a championship team in the CC semi final for years and certainly not the final, so it wasn’t seen as a likely issue, but Halifax got there. Luckily they’d been dumped out by Sheffield Eagles in round 2 of the 1895.