A venue change is being lined up for the third round of the Challenge Cup as Hull KR prepare to begin their defence of the competition.
The second round is due to take place this weekend with community and lower league clubs battling it out for the right to progress and 12 of this weekend’s winners will take on Super League opposition next month.
Those ties were drawn last Monday at the Championship launch in Wakefield, with a number of top flight outfits having the potential to take on non-league opposition. It’s a system that split opinion last season, with some pointing out the dangers of seeing such powerful athletes go up against amateurs.
But, the system will be sticking around for now and one Super League team already know their community opposition, with Lock Lane vs Hull KR locked in as a tie. Lock Lane beat Brighouse Rangers in the first round of the competition and they have been given a bye in the second round after initially being drawn to face Featherstone Rovers.
Of course, Lock Lane Sports Centre is not a suitable venue for the West Yorkshire community side to host the Challenge Cup holders and as soon as the tie was drawn, it was obvious that an alternative professional venue would be found.
We saw something similar with Cup games involving Hull FC, St Helens and Leeds Rhinos last year as they took on amateur opposition, with Hull and St Helens playing York Acorn and West Hull respectively on neutral turf, while Leeds reversed their fixture with Wests Warriors to play it at Headingley.
The likes of Wheldon Road, Post Office Road are available in theory, but it is understood that the contest is likely to be reversed with Craven Park the venue as things stand.
Of course, that is yet to be finalised and announced but if agreed upon, KR could prove to be the visitors at their own ground.
It won’t be the only venue change either should more community clubs progress, which isn’t totally out of the question amid some tasty looking second round ties.
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