Championship ground to host Challenge Cup semi-final double-header

The neutral venues for the Challenge Cup Semi-Finals have been confirmed and surprisingly a Championship ground has been selected to host one of the double-headers.

Both the Men’s and Women’s semi-finals will be played on the same weekend with two double-headers on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th May with the draw made this weekend.

Hull KR face Wigan Warriors in a repeat of last year’s epic semi-final at Headingley and Warrington Wolves were drawn against Ian Watson’s Huddersfield Giants.

As for the Women’s competition, it was a repeat of last year’s semi-finals with St Helens facing York Valykrie and Leeds Rhinos taking on Wigan Warriors with all four sides cruising into the semis, all bar Wigan scoring 70 points or more.

It has now been confirmed by the RFL that Championship side Doncaster will see their Eco-Power Stadium, formerly known as the Keepmoat, as the venue for the clash between Hull KR and Wigan Warriors with St Helens Women facing York Valkyrie on that same day.

Warrington Wolves versus Huddersfield Giants will take place on the Sunday at St Helens Totally Wicked Stadium, with Wigan’s Women’s side taking on Leeds Rhinos.

Both Women’s semi-finals will be shown live on BBC iPlayer, with the Men’s semi-finals live on BBC TV. Clubs will announce ticketing information directly to their supporters.

Fans may question why Headingley wasn’t used again for the Hull KR and Wigan clash, the stadium playing host to a brilliant semi-final last season and also allowing Leeds Rhinos Women to play at their home ground which would see both Wigan sides play at the same venue.

Unfortunately, Headingley was unavailable on those dates with Yorkshire playing Sussex in the Cricket County Championship over the course of that weekend, meaning the RFL had to pivot.

The RFL had earlier confirmed that England Men and Women will face France in another double-header later this summer with details here.

Does the Cup still have its magic?

Those games will be hotly-anticipated by fans of the participating clubs but the neutral might be less inclined to watch, or at least that is the argument of those who claim that the magic of the Challenge Cup has disappeared.

To that point, you could use the impressive viewing figures for this weekend’s quarter-finals to rubbish that statement.

The televised games on the BBC saw a combined peak of just under 1,000,000 people viewing with the Hull KR and Leigh Leopards clash recording an average audience of 381,000 and a peak of 521,000, whilst Saints and Warrington saw an average of 342,000 and a peak of 414,000.

Those figures, revealed by @rugbyleagueontv, represented 3.5% of audience shares on each day and highlight that there is still a major appetitive for the Challenge Cup and also for rugby league on free-to-air TV.

One downside of the weekend was that just two games were broadcast with both Catalans vs Huddersfield and Castleford vs Wigan not shown on TV.

For Huddersfield fans, there wasn’t even an English-speaking radio broadcast meaning that the only way fans could revel in their 34-6 victory was via updates on social media or by making the long journey to Perpignan.

With the semi-final fixtures now confirmed, hopefully, there will be packed-out stands and another weekend of brilliant viewing figures to boot.

Challenge Cup Semi-Final Fixtures

Hull KR vs Wigan Warriors (1:45pm) and St Helens vs York Valkyrie (11:15am)– Eco-Power Stadium, Doncaster – Saturday 18th May

Warrington Wolves vs Huddersfield Giants (3:15pm) and Leeds Rhinos vs Wigan Warriors (12:30pm)  – Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens – Sunday 19th May