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Challenge Cup

 
Wikipedia: Challenge Cup
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For other competitions featuring a Challenge Cup, see Challenge Cup (disambiguation).
Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup logo
Sport Rugby league
Instituted 1896
Number of teams 94
Countries  England (RFL)
 France
 Russia
 Scotland
 Wales
Holders Warrington Wolves (2009)
Website thechallengecup.com
Broadcast partner BBC Sport

The Challenge Cup (as of 2009 known as the Carnegie Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs in Europe, organised by the Rugby Football League.[1] Originally it was contested only by British teams, but in recent years the entry has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part.

It has been held annually since 1896, with the exception of the duration of the First World War and it involves amateur, semi-professional and professional clubs, though lower-ranked teams rarely reach the final stages of the competition. For the 2007 competition ninety-four teams entered the tournament.

In previous years the competition has been known as the Silk Cut Challenge Cup, Kellogg's Nutrigrain Challenge Cup and the Powergen Challenge Cup, but for the beginning of 2007 the cup was named after the competition's primary partner Leeds Metropolitan University's Carnegie Faculty of Sport and Education.

The final of the Challenge Cup is one of the most prestigious matches in world rugby league, and is traditionally held at Wembley Stadium, London. Despite London not being an area traditionally associated with rugby league, the final receives a lot of mainstream media coverage and is broadcast to many different countries around the world. Traditionally, Abide With Me is sung before the game, and has become something of a rugby league anthem.

The current holders of the Challenge Cup are Warrington Wolves who defeated Huddersfield Giants 25-16 on 29 August 2009 at Wembley Stadium.

Contents

History

The clubs that formed the Northern Union had long been playing in local knock-out cup competitions under the auspices of the Rugby Football Union. However, the rugby union authorities refused to sanction a nationwide tournament, fearing that this would inevitably lead to professionalism. After the schism of 1895, the northern clubs were free to go-ahead, and they instigated the Northern Rugby Football Union Challenge Cup. In 1896 Fattorini's of Bradford were commissioned to manufacture the Challenge Cup at a cost of just £60. Fattorini's also supplied three-guineas winners' medals then valued at thirty shillings.

The first competition was held during the 1896-97 season (the second season of the new game), and 56 clubs entered to compete for the trophy. The first final was held at Headingley in Leeds, on 24 April 1897. Batley defeated St Helens 10-3[2] in front of a crowd of 13,492 (see picture). It is interesting to note that the St Helens side did not play in a standardised team jersey.

The competition was later interrupted by World War one, though it was held in 1915, when the season that had begun before the war was completed. It was then suspended until the end of hostilities. Initially, the final tie was held at one of the larger club grounds in the north, however, noting the excitement in Huddersfield that the town’s soccer team were playing at Wembley in the FA Cup Final and the increasingly difficulty for any of the rugby league grounds to satisfy spectator demand to see the final tie, the rugby league authorities voted 13-10 to relocate to the recently built Wembley Stadium in London, aiming to emulate the FA Cup's success and to put the game on the national stage.[3]

The first final held at Wembley was in 1929 when Wigan beat Dewsbury 13-2 in front of a crowd of 41,500. At the start of World War two, rugby league suspended its season immediately, but the Challenge Cup took a single year’s break before restarting, on a limited basis and with the support of the authorities, as part of keeping up morale. The Challenge Cup finals, which took place in the game’s Northern heartland, got big crowds as the game raised money for Prisoners of War and for Lord Beaverbrook’s armaments programme.

The first ever Challenge Cup Final, 1897: Batley(l) vs St Helens(r)

In 1946, the Lance Todd Trophy was introduced and awarded to the man of the match. In itself, it is a prestigious trophy presented only at the Challenge Cup Final. The winner is selected by the members of the Rugby League Writers' Association present at the game and the trophy is presented at a celebratory dinner at The Willows, home of the Salford City Reds. On Saturday 26 August 2006 St Helens scrum-half Sean Long became the first player in the history of the Challenge Cup to collect a third Lance Todd trophy following his man-of-the-match performance in the final against Huddersfield Giants. His other Lance Todd trophy wins came in the 2001 and 2004 Challenge Cup Finals.

1954 saw the Challenge Cup final drawn and the replay set the record for a rugby league match attendance. The match was on May 5 and 102,569 was the official attendance at Odsal Stadium, although it's believed that up to 120,000 spectators were present to see Warrington defeat Halifax 8 - 4.

Wigan are well known for their successes in the Challenge Cup competition, having won more Challenge Cups than any other club with seventeen Challenge Cup final wins.

Until the 1993-94 season there were very few amateur clubs included in the cup, typically two. For part of the 1980s and the 1992-93 season the cup was solely for professional clubs. The competition was then opened up to large numbers of amateur clubs as part of a deal between the RFL and BARLA over bridging the gap between the professional and amateur leagues.

In 1997, a Challenge Cup Plate took place for teams knocked out in the early rounds of the competition. The final took place at Wembley and was won by Hull Kingston Rovers who beat Hunslet Hawks 60-14.

In recent years the redevelopment of Wembley has led to the Cup Final utilising a variety of venues. The final is one of the biggest rugby league events of the year in Britain, along with the Super League Grand Final. The Challenge Cup final traditionally formed the end to the season, being played in late April or early May. The move to a summer season for rugby league in 1996 did not see the Challenge Cup moved, and it became instead essentially a pre-season tournament, with the final taking place early in the season. Many people felt that this led to a decline in the prestige of the cup. The timing of the competition was altered in 2005, with the first Summer Cup Final held on Saturday 27 August at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.

From 2009, the television rights to the Challenge Cup were sold to Australia's leading rugby league broadcaster, Channel Nine, as part of a new 3 year contract.

2008 Structure

The modern Challenge Cup has 7 rounds prior to the final. Teams are seeded, entering at different stages. The precise format has altered slightly from year to year, however the basic format is as follows:

  • Second round: The twenty seven first round winners are joined by a Russian team.
  • Third round: A further Russian team, three French sides, and the twenty two semi-professional British clubs from the Rugby League National Leagues enter the draw with the fourteen winners from the second round.
  • Fourth round: The fourteen Super League teams join the competition with the twenty third round winners.
  • Fifth round: Last 16
  • Quarter Finals: Last eight
  • Semi Finals: (played at neutral venues)
  • Final

List of finals

Note that in the seasons during the Second World War the final was played over two legs, with the aggregate score being used.

Year Winners Score Runner–up Venue Attendance
1896–97 Batley 10–3 St Helens Headingley Stadium, Leeds 13,492
1897–98 Batley 7–0 Bradford FC Headingley Stadium, Leeds 27,941
1898–99 Oldham 19–9 Hunslet Fallowfield Stadium, Manchester 15,763
1899–00 Swinton 16–8 Salford Fallowfield Stadium, Manchester 17,864
1900–01 Batley 6–0 Warrington Headingley Stadium, Leeds 29,563
1901–02 Broughton Rangers 25–0 Salford Athletic Grounds, Rochdale 15,006
1902–03 Halifax 7–0 Salford Headingley Stadium, Leeds 32,507
1903–04 Halifax 8–3 Warrington The Willows, Salford 17,041
1904–05 Warrington 6–0 Hull Kingston Rovers Headingley Stadium, Leeds 19,638
1905–06 Bradford FC 5–0 Salford Headingley Stadium, Leeds 15,834
1906–07 Warrington 17–3 Oldham Wheater’s Field, Broughton 18,500
1907–08 Hunslet 14–0 Hull Fartown Ground, Huddersfield 18,000
1908–09 Wakefield Trinity 17–0 Hull Headingley Stadium, Leeds 23,587
1909–10 Leeds 7–7 Hull Fartown Ground, Huddersfield 11,608
(replay) Leeds 26–12 Hull Fartown Ground, Huddersfield 19,413
1910–11 Broughton Rangers 4–0 Wigan The Willows, Salford 8,000
1911–12 Dewsbury 8–5 Oldham Headingley Stadium, Leeds 15,271
1912–13 Huddersfield 9–5 Warrington Headingley Stadium, Leeds 22,754
1913–14 Hull 6–0 Wakefield Trinity Thrum Hall, Halifax 19,000
1914–15 Huddersfield 37–3 St Helens Watersheddings, Oldham 8,000
1919–20 Huddersfield 21–10 Wigan Headingley Stadium, Leeds 14,000
1920–21 Leigh 13–0 Halifax Wheater’s Field, Broughton 25,000
1921–22 Rochdale Hornets 10–9 Hull Headingley Stadium, Leeds 32,596
1922–23 Leeds 28–3 Hull Belle Vue, Wakefield 29,335
1923–24 Wigan 21–4 Oldham Athletic Grounds, Rochdale 41,831
1924–25 Oldham 16–3 Hull Kingston Rovers Headingley Stadium, Leeds 28,335
1925–26 Swinton 9–3 Oldham Athletic Grounds, Rochdale 27,000
1926–27 Oldham 26–7 Swinton Central Park, Wigan 33,448
1927–28 Swinton 5–3 Warrington Central Park, Wigan 33,909
1928–29 Wigan 13–2 Dewsbury Wembley Stadium, London 41,500
1929–30 Widnes 10–3 St Helens Wembley Stadium, London 36,544
1930–31 Halifax 22–8 York Wembley Stadium, London 40,368
1931–32 Leeds 11–8 Swinton Central Park, Wigan 29,000
1932–33 Huddersfield 21–17 Warrington Wembley Stadium, London 41,874
1933–34 Hunslet 11–5 Widnes Wembley Stadium, London 41,280
1934–35 Castleford 11–8 Huddersfield Wembley Stadium, London 39,000
1935–36 Leeds 18–2 Warrington Wembley Stadium, London 51,250
1936–37 Widnes 18–5 Keighley Wembley Stadium, London 47,699
1937–38 Salford 7–4 Barrow Wembley Stadium, London 51,243
1938–39 Halifax 20–3 Salford Wembley Stadium, London 55,453
1940–41 Leeds 19–2 Halifax Odsal Stadium, Bradford 28,500
1941–42 Leeds 15–10 Halifax Odsal Stadium, Bradford 15,250
1942–43 Dewsbury 16–9 Leeds Crown Flatt, Dewsbury 10,470
1942–43 Leeds 6–0 Dewsbury Headingley Stadium, Leeds 16,000
1942–43 Dewsbury 16–15 Leeds (aggregate score) n/a
1943–44 Wigan 3-0 Bradford Northern Central Park, Wigan 22,000
1943–44 Bradford Northern 8–0 Wigan Odsal Stadium, Bradford 30,000
1943–44 Bradford Northern 8–3 Wigan (aggregate score) n/a
1944–45 Huddersfield 7–4 Bradford Northern Fartown Ground, Huddersfield 9,041
1944–45 Huddersfield 6–5 Bradford Northern Odsal Stadium, Bradford 17,500
1944–45 Huddersfield 13–9 Bradford Northern (aggregate score) n/a
1945–46 Wakefield Trinity 13–12 Wigan Wembley Stadium, London 54,730
1946–47 Bradford Northern 8–4 Leeds Wembley Stadium, London 77,605
1947–48 Wigan 8–3 Bradford Northern Wembley Stadium, London 71,465
1948–49 Bradford Northern 12–0 Halifax Wembley Stadium, London 95,050
1949–50 Warrington 19–0 Widnes Wembley Stadium, London 94,249
1950–51 Wigan 10–0 Barrow Wembley Stadium, London 94,262
1951–52 Workington Town 18–10 Featherstone Rovers Wembley Stadium, London 72,093
1952–53 Huddersfield 15–10 St Helens Wembley Stadium, London 89,588
1953–54 Warrington 4–4 Halifax Wembley Stadium, London 81,841
(replay) Warrington 18–4 Halifax Odsal Stadium, Bradford 102,569
1954–55 Barrow 21–12 Workington Town Wembley Stadium, London 66,513
1955–56 St Helens 13–2 Halifax Wembley Stadium, London 79,341
1956–57 Leeds 9–7 Barrow Wembley Stadium, London 76,318
1957–58 Wigan 13–9 Workington Town Wembley Stadium, London 66,109
1958–59 Wigan 30–13 Hull Wembley Stadium, London 79,811
1959–60 Wakefield Trinity 38–5 Hull Wembley Stadium, London 79,773
1960–61 St Helens 12–6 Wigan Wembley Stadium, London 94,672
1961–62 Wakefield Trinity 12–6 Huddersfield Wembley Stadium, London 81,263
1962–63 Wakefield Trinity 25–10 Wigan Wembley Stadium, London 84,492
1963–64 Widnes 13–5 Hull Kingston Rovers Wembley Stadium, London 84,488
1964–65 Wigan 20–16 Hunslet Wembley Stadium, London 89,016
1965–66 St Helens 21–2 Wigan Wembley Stadium, London 98,536
1966–67 Featherstone Rovers 17–12 Barrow Wembley Stadium, London 76,290
1967–68 Leeds 11–10 Wakefield Trinity Wembley Stadium, London 87,100
1968–69 Castleford 11–6 Salford Wembley Stadium, London 97,939
1969–70 Castleford 7–2 Wigan Wembley Stadium, London 95,255
1970–71 Leigh 24–7 Leeds Wembley Stadium, London 85,514
1971–72 St Helens 16–13 Leeds Wembley Stadium, London 89,495
1972–73 Featherstone Rovers 33–14 Bradford Northern Wembley Stadium, London 72,395
1973–74 Warrington 24 –9 Featherstone Rovers Wembley Stadium, London 77,400
1974–75 Widnes 14–7 Warrington Wembley Stadium, London 85,098
1975–76 St Helens 20–5 Widnes Wembley Stadium, London 89,982
1976–77 Leeds 16–7 Widnes Wembley Stadium, London 80,871
1977–78 Leeds 14–12 St Helens Wembley Stadium, London 96,000
1978–79 Widnes 12–3 Wakefield Trinity Wembley Stadium, London 94,218
1979–80 Hull Kingston Rovers 10–5 Hull Wembley Stadium, London 95,000
1980–81 Widnes 18–9 Hull Kingston Rovers Wembley Stadium, London 92,496
1981–82 Hull 14–14 Widnes Wembley Stadium, London 92,147
(replay) Hull 18–9 Widnes Elland Road, Leeds 41,171
1982–83 Featherstone Rovers 14–12 Hull Wembley Stadium, London 84,969
1983–84 Widnes 19–6 Wigan Wembley Stadium, London 80,116
1984–85 Wigan 28–24 Hull Wembley Stadium, London 99,801
1985–86 Castleford 15–14 Hull Kingston Rovers Wembley Stadium, London 82,134
1986–87 Halifax 19–18 St Helens Wembley Stadium, London 91,267
1987–88 Wigan 32–12 Halifax Wembley Stadium, London 94,273
1988–89 Wigan 27–0 St Helens Wembley Stadium, London 78,000
1989–90 Wigan 36–14 Warrington Wembley Stadium, London 77,729
1990–91 Wigan 13–8 St Helens Wembley Stadium, London 75,532
1991–92 Wigan 28–12 Castleford Wembley Stadium, London 77,286
1992–93 Wigan 20–14 Widnes Wembley Stadium, London 77,684
1993–94 Wigan 26–16 Leeds Wembley Stadium, London 78,348
1994–95 Wigan 30–10 Leeds Wembley Stadium, London 78,550
1996 St Helens 40–32 Bradford Bulls Wembley Stadium, London 75,994
1997 St Helens 32–22 Bradford Bulls Wembley Stadium, London 78,022
1998 Sheffield Eagles 17–8 Wigan Warriors Wembley Stadium, London 60,669
1999 Leeds Rhinos 52– 16 London Broncos Wembley Stadium, London 73,242
2000 Bradford Bulls 24–18 Leeds Rhinos Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh 67,247
2001 St Helens 13–6 Bradford Bulls Twickenham Stadium, London 68,250
2002 Wigan Warriors 21–12 St Helens Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh 62,140
2003 Bradford Bulls 22–20 Leeds Rhinos Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 71,212
2004 St Helens 32–16 Wigan Warriors Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 73,734
2005 Hull FC 25–24 Leeds Rhinos Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 74,213
2006 St Helens 42–12 Huddersfield Giants Twickenham Stadium, London 65,187
2007 St Helens 30–8 Catalans Dragons Wembley Stadium, London 84,241
2008 St Helens 28–16 Hull FC Wembley Stadium, London 82,821
2009 Warrington Wolves 25–16 Huddersfield Giants Wembley Stadium, London 76,560

Challenge Cup winners and finalists

Clubs by number of wins (and when they last won and lost a final). Only the aggregate winner/loser for the years during the Second World War has been counted.

Club Wins Last win Runners-up Last final lost
1 Wigan Warriors 17 2002 11 2004
2 St Helens 12 2008 9 2002
3 Leeds Rhinos 11 1999 9 2005
4 Widnes Vikings 7 1984 6 1993
5 Huddersfield Giants 6 1953 4 2009
6 Warrington Wolves* 6 2009 8 1990
7 Halifax 5 1987 7 1988
8 Bradford Bulls 5 2003 6 2001
9 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 5 1963 3 1979
10 Castleford Tigers 4 1986 1 1992
11 Hull FC 3 2005 11 2008
12 Oldham Roughyeds 3 1927 4 1926
13 Featherstone Rovers 3 1983 2 1974
14 Swinton Lions 3 1928 2 1931
15 Batley Bulldogs 3 1901 0 -
16 Dewsbury Rams 2 1943 1 1929
17 Hunslet Hawks 2 1934 2 1965
18 Broughton Rangers 2 1911 0 -
19 Leigh Centurions 2 1971 0 -
20 Salford City Reds 1 1938 6 1969
21 Hull Kingston Rovers 1 1980 5 1986
22 Barrow Raiders 1 1955 4 1967
23 Workington Town 1 1952 2 1958
24 Bradford 1 1905 1 1898
25 Rochdale Hornets 1 1922 0 -
26 Sheffield Eagles 1 1998 0 -
27 Catalans Dragons 0 - 1 2007
28 Harlequins RL 0 - 1 1999
29 Keighley Cougars 0 - 1 1937
30 York City Knights 0 - 1 1931
  • Denotes current champions

Trophy

The Challenge Cup trophy was designed by silversmiths Fattorini & Sons of Bradford in 1897.[3] Tony Collins, the Rugby Football League's archivist, stated in 2007 that, "Fattorini's weren't given any particular commission, just told to come up with something prestigious".[3] The trophy cost £60.[3] The average wage in 1897 was around £2 per week which suggests an equivalent 2007 price of £16,000, although Collins says, "if you wanted something made of silver and with that level of craftsmanship these days, it would be far more expensive. In terms of its subsequent value, the RFL got a bargain."[3]

The trophy currently presented to the winners after the final is not the original which had to be withdrawn due to its delicate condition.[3] As well as the silver wearing thin, it had lost its fluted top and the players on each of the handles had been damaged.[3] The original Fattorini trophy is now stored at the RFL's headquarters at Red Hall and only used for promotional appearances.[3]

The trophy used today is an almost exact replica of the Fattorini piece.[3] One improvement made with the new version is that the small shields displaying each winning team and captain are now the same size, whereas they had been getting smaller as space ran out.[3]

The winners of the Cup in looking after the trophy must "follow a certain code of practice," says Collins.[3] When not in a secure cabinet, the trophy must always be in the presence of someone.[3] When the trophy is taken out overnight, somebody must sleep in the same room and if taken in a car there must be two people in attendance.[3] Collins reveals that, "When it went down to France for some Catalans publicity photos, it even had its own seat on the plane."[3]

Lance Todd Trophy

Main article: Lance Todd Trophy

The Lance Todd Trophy, named in memory of Lance Todd, is awarded to the man-of-the-match in the Challenge Cup Final.[4] The winner is decided each year by those members of the Rugby League Writers' Association present at the match.[4]

The Trophy was first presented in 1946 to William "Billy" Stott of Wakefield Trinity.[4][5]

References

  1. ^ RFL. "About the Competition". Rugby Football League. http://www.therfl.co.uk/challengecup/page.php?areaid=169. Retrieved 2009-05-08. 
  2. ^ Baker, Andrew (20 August 1995). "100 years of rugby league: From the great divide to the Super era". Independent, The (independent.co.uk). http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/100-years-of-rugby-league-from-the-great-divide-to-the-super-era-1597130.html. Retrieved 25 September 2009. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Julian Shea (2007-08-22). "Rugby league's precious metal". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/6953918.stm. Retrieved 2009-07-23. 
  4. ^ a b c RFL. "Lance Todd Trophy". Rugby Football League. http://www.therfl.co.uk/challengecup/page.php?areaid=59. Retrieved 2009-05-08. 
  5. ^ BBC Sport (2008-08-26). "Lance Todd Trophy winners". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/6954237.stm. Retrieved 2009-05-08. 

External links

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Challenge Cup
Years

1890-91 · 1891-92 · 1892-93 · 1893-94 · 1894-95 · 1895-96 · 1896-97 · 1897-98 · 1898-99 · 1899-00
1900-01 · 1901-02 · 1902-03 · 1903-04 · 1904-05 · 1905-06 · 1906-07 · 1907-08 · 1908-09 · 1909-10
1910-11 · 1911-12 · 1912-13 · 1913-14 · 1914-15 · 1915-16 · 1916-17 · 1917-18 · 1918-19 · 1919-20
1920-21 · 1921-22 · 1922-23 · 1923-24 · 1924-25 · 1925-26 · 1926-27 · 1927-28 · 1928-29 · 1929-30
1930-31 · 1931-32 · 1932-33 · 1933-34 · 1934-35 · 1935-36 · 1936-37 · 1937-38 · 1938-39 · 1939-40
1940-41 · 1941-42 · 1942-43 · 1943-44 · 1944-45 · 1945-46 · 1946-47 · 1947-48 · 1948-49 · 1949-50
1950-51 · 1951-52 · 1952-53 · 1953-54 · 1954-55 · 1955-56 · 1956-57 · 1957-58 · 1958-59 · 1959-60
1960-61 · 1961-62 · 1962-63 · 1963-64 · 1964-65 · 1965-66 · 1966-67 · 1967-68 · 1968-69 · 1969-70
1970-71 · 1971-72 · 1972-73 · 1973-74 · 1974-75 · 1975-76 · 1976-77 · 1977-78 · 1978-79 · 1979-80
1980-81 · 1981-82 · 1982-83 · 1983-84 · 1984-85 · 1985-86 · 1986-87 · 1987-88 · 1988-89 · 1989-90
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