Featherstone Rovers’ ongoing rivalry with Leigh Centurions is good for the Championship and the game as a whole.
So says Featherstone chief executive Martin Vickers as Rovers gear up for their second successive 1895 Cup Final appearance.
Last year, Rovers beat York City Knights 41-34 at Wembley to become the second winners of the competition for clubs outside Super League.
This season, it’s Leigh at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a curtain-raiser for the Challenge Cup final on Saturday week, May 28.
It’s the second of a potential five meetings between the pair, who have set the pace in the race for promotion to the top-flight.
Brian McDermott’s Featherstone, who are being linked with a move for Hull prop Josh Bowden, were 28-6 winners at their Millennium Stadium in the second round of second-tier fixtures in February.
The other regular-season league meetings are at Leigh on Monday, June 13 and at Headingley at the Summer Bash on Saturday, July 30.
The Million Pound Game will take place on the weekend of October 1/2 and Vickers said: “We’re taking nothing for granted, but we want to be there.
“There are other strong clubs in the Championship, but us and Leigh are in pole position and it’s a tussle we are enjoying.
“We have a good relationship with Leigh; we are both progressive clubs with strong identities.
“The 1895 Cup Final provides a chance to show that we are both ready for the challenge of Super League, should we get there.
“It’s also a chance to showcase the strength of the Championship and what it brings to Rugby League as a whole.”
Vickers says it’s great to be able to give Rovers fans the opportunity to attend another final.
“Reaching Wembley last year was a big thing for us, and helped strengthen the bond between the club and the supporters and local businesses,” he added.
“The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is right up there with the best sporting venues in this country and I’m sure our fans will enjoy going there.
“Of course it’s great for the players as well, and while we want to retain the 1895 Cup, it’s also a dry run for what we hope will come later.”
The above content is also available in the regular weekly edition of League Express, on newsstands every Monday in the UK and as a digital download. Click here for more details.