Warrington Wolves take on Sheffield Eagles on Friday night in the Challenge Cup and the Super League side have named their starting XIII early.
Round three of the Challenge Cup means that Super League sides enter the competition with 13 of the 14 clubs entering. French side Toulouse Olympique are the exception with the Olympians regularly missing the cup.
As was the case in 2025, Super League sides were drawn away from home and seeded against Championship clubs and that’s seen the 2024 and 2025 runners-up Warrington Wolves matched up against Sheffield Eagles.
The Eagles are coached by former Castleford Tigers boss Craig Lingard and have had a strong start to their 2026, beating Whitehaven in both the league and the Challenge Cup before having a bye this past weekend.
That means Warrington have actually played more recently than them with Wire beating Leigh Leopards 16-12 last Friday thanks to a last-minute Joe Philbin try when naming a strong side, and they’ve now confirmed a strong side for this Friday against the Eagles.
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Warrington Wolves hand debut to NRL recruit
Despite being seeded away from home, the game will actually take place at the Halliwell Jones Stadium meaning Wire have home advantage and they’ve also got a near full-strength side out.
No interchanges have been announced but their starting XIII is close to their strongest minus Luke Yates and the injured Matty Ashton, with recruits Toafofoa Sipley and Kelepi Tanginoa also missing.
Steve McNamara reported after last Friday’s win that no injuries had been sustained as far as he knew so it’s possible that Yates, Sipley and Tanginoa, all of whom played last Friday, could be named to the interchange bench.
Other forwards who may well feature include Jordy Crowther, Max Wood or last week’s match-winner Joe Philbin.
The team does confirm a competitive debut for Albert Hopoate, the exciting centre signed from Canberra Raiders with Josh Smith moved to the wing after impressing on both pre-season outings so far.
Warrington Wolves XIII to face Sheffield Eagles: Cai Taylor-Wray; Josh Thewlis, Toby King, Albert Hopoate, Josh Smith; George Williams, Marc Sneyd; Liam Byrne, Danny Walker, Luke Thomas; Sam Stone, James Bentley; Ben Currie
Early team news for Friday’s @TheChallengeCup third round tie vs Sheffield Eagles! 🏆
🎟️ Secure your place now: https://t.co/oUbbyCbB7E pic.twitter.com/78NcrwSQpk
— Warrington Wolves (@WarringtonRLFC) February 3, 2026
