North Wales Crusaders are the last remaining League 1 side in the Challenge Cup, and they go into this weekend’s clash with Sheffield Eagles confident of going even further for a potential date with a Super League club.
The Crusaders are on an upward curve, having finished third in League 1 last season, and have beaten Leigh Miners Rangers, Swinton Lions and Hunslet on their way to the fifth round and a date with 1998 Challenge Cup winners Sheffield.
The match will be shown live on the OurLeague website and app on Saturday (1.30pm kick-off). It is one of four fixtures out of the five that will be televised as clubs vie for a place in the last 16 of the competition.
“Sheffield once won the Challenge Cup, so what a team to be picked against,” said Anthony Murray, who is in his second spell as North Wales head coach, having first taken charge in 2014.
“They’ve been in the Championship for many years and always seem able to survive there.
“They’ve got some quality players and it’ll be a tough ask, but the pressure is on Sheffield really. We just want to enjoy the day.
“We’ve got to the fifth round; we’ll give a good account of ourselves on the day and try and get through to the next round.”
Their ‘home’ victory over Hunslet in the last round came at Caldy RUFC on the Wirral because their home ground, Stadiwm Eirias in Colwyn Bay, was unavailable, but they will be back in Wales for this big clash.
“You get a few hundred down at Eirias Park and it sounds like there’s 10,000 there,” said Murray. “I’m really looking forward to it and fingers crossed we get a good turnout.”
There is a twin motivation for this week’s winners; not only will they be in the hat with Super League clubs in the next round, but they will also enter the 1895 Cup with a real chance of an appearance on Cup Final day at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
On the prospect of facing top-flight opposition, Murray said: “That’s the dream, and if you get through to the next round, those five teams also get to the 1895 Cup. What an opportunity we’ve got.”
There are three ties scheduled for Sunday with the Cumbrian derby between Barrow Raiders and Workington Town on BBC Sport at 1pm, before The Sportsman show the all-West Yorkshire match between Batley Bulldogs and Featherstone Rovers at 3pm.
Whitehaven and York City Knights contest the only tie not to be televised, also on Sunday at 3pm, before Premier Sports show the heavyweight clash of Bradford and Leigh Centurions in their Monday-night slot (14 March, 7.45pm).
Betfred Challenge Cup fifth round draw:
Saturday 12 March
North Wales Crusaders v Sheffield Eagles (1.30pm, OurLeague)
Sunday 13 March
Barrow Raiders v Workington Town (1pm, BBC Sport)
Batley Bulldogs v Featherstone Rovers (3pm, The Sportsman)
Whitehaven v York City Knights (3pm)
Monday 14 March
Bradford Bulls v Leigh Centurions (7.45pm, Premier Sports)
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