The fourth round of the Challenge Cup is complete and we now know the identities of the eight sides who will be in the hat for this evening’s quarter-final draw.
Here’s a few talking points we’ve picked out from the weekend’s action.
Cartwright might
The difference between last season’s Hull FC and the one that John Cartwright has revitalised is quite simply night and day. The Black and Whites have showcased their new-found heart, grit, togetherness and belief on a number of occasions already this season, with the win over Huddersfield Giants and the draw with Leigh Leopards being shining examples of the progress their new head coach has made in a short space of time.
However, they showed all those attributes and more at the Brick Community Stadium as they came from 22-6 down to stun last season’s quadruple winners. Hull were soundly beaten by the Cherry and Whites in February, but they learned lessons from that result and with the leadership and guidance of Aidan Sezer, John Asiata and Jordan Rapana in full effect, they produced the shock of the round.
Hull still have improvements to make and Cartwright would be the first to admit that as they strive to establish themselves as top six contenders once again. However, they’ve earned the right to approach any opponent without fear and they’ve shown that on their day they can mix it with the very best Super League has to offer.
Jaded Leeds
Have Leeds been the biggest let down of the season so far? They can’t be far off it with Brad Arthur’s side failing to deliver after entering the new campaign with so much excitement and promise.
The Rhinos have put it together at points with wins coming over Salford Red Devils and Castleford Tigers. But defeats to Wakefield Trinity and Catalans Dragons have set alarm bells ringing and the loss to St Helens on Friday will have been a hugely frustrating watch for any Rhinos fan.
Leeds dominated field position in the first half and met Saints’ big pack head on but they never looked capable of doing anything with the ball at all. In fact, it was only when the game was lost that they managed to put something together in attack with a couple of tries coming late on.
The Rhinos need so much more from the likes of Brodie Croft, who just wasn’t in the game at the Totally Wicked Stadium and while Jake Connor produced moments of brilliance, he was wasteful at times, too. Leeds host Wigan next week and a similarly toothless showing will result in another defeat.
Video referees
How refreshing was it to go without the video referee for a weekend? With the fear of potentially making a mistake, referees seem all too ready to refer to the video referee nowadays and with the addition of the captain’s challenge, those officials seem to have had more work than ever this season.
It can be a painstaking experience at times for those in the ground at home, watching officials pore over every available angle for what can be minutes at a time before a decision is eventually made. Ultimately, mistakes can still be made too, as we saw in the clash between Hull FC and Leigh Leopards earlier this month.
As such, it was so great to see the weekend’s Challenge Cup games flowing, with decisive calls being made by officials at key points of the game. The officials might not have got every call correct, but we move on from the fourth round without a major refereeing controversy.
🏆 The draw for the Quarter-Finals of the @Betfred #ChallengeCup will be held on Monday at 9.15pm, as part of a Rugby League Hour from 9-10pm on @bbc5live
— Betfred Challenge Cup (@TheChallengeCup) March 13, 2025
Salford heart
There’s been a lot said about Salford over the last few days, weeks and months, but what’s clear is that the players are still playing for the badge on the shirt. That was evident on Friday night as the Red Devils dug deep with just 15 men, given injuries to Joe Bullock and Chris Hankinson, to claim a spot in the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup.
The likes of Chris Hill and Jack Ormondroyd played huge minutes through the middle, going above and beyond for the cause, with the group pulling together to come from behind against the Bulls. Esan Marsters, Ryan Brierley, Jayden Nikorima and Ethan Ryan all got over the line, while Kai Morgan kicked five decisive goals.
What team Salford will be able to name against Huddersfield Giants on Thursday remains to be seen, but they’ll optimistically fancy themselves to compete against Luke Robinson’s injury-ravaged side.
