Gareth is a top rugby league journalist who has one very exceptional distinction. He chooses to write about matters pertaining to the Championship and League One.
Although this blog is devoted to Featherstone Rovers it is always good to read opinions about matters relevant to us, but not specifically about us. We hope you enjoy reading Gareth's column each week.
A dose of cup magic
THIS
weekend sees the sixth round of the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup, and the
Championship is guaranteed a presence in this year’s quarter-finals.
That is down to Thursday night’s
televised tie between Featherstone Rovers and Halifax.
But there are also four other non-top
flight sides hoping to write their own fairy tales this weekend.
One of them, Swinton Lions, already
has a memorable chapter from this year’s competition having famously
dumped Huddersfield Giants out of the last round in arguably the result of the
season so far.
On Sunday they put another full-time
side to the sword in high-flying Toulouse in the league, though this weekend
their challenge is considerably steeper.
Wigan might have an injury list that
runs well into double figures, but as the reigning Super League and World Club
champions, hurdles don’t come much steeper than this for John
Duffy’s men.
The fact that the two clubs have a
dual registration partnership - seeing the likes of Wigan trio Liam Marshall,
Tom Davies and Gabriel Fell turn out for Swinton in recent times - adds another
ingredient into the mix.
A second Championship side also has a
2017 Super League scalp on their record already in Hull Kingston Rovers, having
beaten Leigh in the last round.
And their Friday night trip to Salford
(another game that may already have been completed) was among the best ties in
the round, given it’s a replay of that unforgettable Million Pound Game
from 2016.
Friday also sees another two partner
clubs face each other in Dewsbury Rams and Wakefield, with a number of Trinity
players having turned out for the Championship club this season.
Neil Kelly has overseen two impressive
wins over Batley since his recent arrival - one in the last round of the cup -
but this is a much bigger task, not least given the form of Chris Chester’s side
at present.
Finally, League One’s sole
representative Barrow Raiders travel to Leeds Rhinos on Sunday.
It’s a dream tie
financially for the Raiders, whose extensive work in the local community is
complimenting Paul Crarey’s first team, who have won their opening six league
matches.
They will be give next to no chance of
winning at the top four Rhinos, but will be certain to take plenty from the
experience as they focus on their main goal of promotion this year.
It’s also a nice tie
for Barrow-born Leeds forward Brad Singleton, who will be facing his hometown
club.
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