Round Four of the Challenge Cup is in the books and despite some brilliant action, there were some concerning attendance figures.
Of the eight matches, none failed to record an attendance of 10,000 or more unless Hull KR, who do not disclose their attendances weekly, managed to hit that milestone. However, with Championship side Oldham coming to Craven Park and an expected win, it’s uncertain if the Robins would have reached that mark.
The closest team with a disclosed attendance was Wigan Warriors as a crowd of 9,287 watched Hull FC shock the holders and end Wigan’s run of consecutive trophy lifts at six. The Black and Whites came from behind to win 26-22 in a spirited performance that was celebrated in East Hull almost as much as it was in West Hull.
With the dominant Wigan out of the competition, plenty of sides will fancy their chances but two other Super League sides failed to make the quarter-finals with Leeds Rhinos and Huddersfield Giants the two to fall.
Leeds saw Saints defeat them 22-14 on Friday night in front of a crowd of just over 7,500 at the Totally Wicked Stadium whilst just over 3,000 watched Huddersfield lose after leading at half-time for the fifth time this season, this time against Wakefield Trinity.
One of the most impressive attendances of the round came on Saturday when Widnes hosted Warrington with over 7,000 in the DCBL Stadium with plenty of those hoping for an upset. It looked on the cards for long periods but Warrington overcame that pressure to win 26-16.
The other three Championship sides lost with Batley and Featherstone both blown out of the water by Leigh and Catalans respectively, whilst Bradford came close against Salford with the Red Devils managing to avoid another disaster as they won 26-16 in front of a lowly 3,066 crowd.
Whilst Catalans are yet to confirm their attendance and Hull KR don’t reveal theirs, the figures don’t make for good reading especially when there was such drama in so many games.
With the quarter-finals all set to be all-Super League affairs and every team set to fancy their chances now that the holders have been dumped out, perhaps we will see an attendance spike when those games are played between the fourth and sixth of April. The draw for those games will be conducted tonight (Monday) on BBC Radio 5 Live at 9:15 pm, or via BBC Sounds.
Challenge Cup Round Four attendances
Hull KR 40-0 Oldham – TBC
Salford Red Devils 26-16 Bradford Bulls – 3,066
St Helens 22-14 Leeds Rhinos – 7,531
Catalans Dragons 46-18 Featherstone Rovers – TBC
Widnes Vikings 16-26 Warrington Wolves – 7,011
Wigan Warriors 22-26 Hull FC – 9,287
Huddersfield Giants 12-22 Wakefield Trinity – 3,195
Leigh Leopards 62-4 Batley Bulldogs – 4,717
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Eric T Cat
March 17, 2025 at 11:27 am
Very disappointing that fans just won’t attend these matches, Wigan vs Hull FC and St Helens vs Leeds should have been sold out crowds, packed to the rafters with fans turned away at the gates packing the local pubs to watch on TV. If the fans aren’t going to turn up at least put the cameras pointing towards where fans are sat! It looks bloody awful on TV seeing an amazing comeback, like that by FC, with huge swathes of empty seats.
Anonymous
March 17, 2025 at 11:54 am
The BBC should be held accountable for its poor representation of the sport. If they’re going to film it, put it out live on TV, then stop making it look like a Sunday league game played by amateurs. The commentators are poor, and the filming is poor (what two cameras max – or at least that is what it felt like)…also RL, you need to think about scheduling. Big games like that, clashing with the 6 Nations… you’re never going to win. Sad state of affairs for the sport, feels like its dying in front of us.