Challenge Cup (Rugby League)
|
Challenge Cup |
|
|---|---|
| sport | Rugby league |
| Founded | 1896 |
| Teams | 94 |
| countries |
 England France Russia Scotland Wales   
|
| Winner 2017 | Hull FC |
| Website | www.therfl.co.uk |
The Challenge Cup is a cup competition for rugby league teams in Europe that has been held annually since 1896 . Originally it was only open to British teams, but in recent years the competition has been expanded to include France and Russia . Amateur, semi-professional and professional clubs take part, but lower-class teams rarely reach the final rounds. The final is one of the most important sporting events in Great Britain and takes place at the end of August in London at Wembley Stadium .
The current cup holder is the English team Hull FC , who beat the Wigan Warriors by 18:14 on August 26, 2017 .
history
The clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union (now the Rugby Football League ) in 1895 had competed in local cup competitions under the supervision of the Rugby Football Union for several years . The association responsible for rugby union rejected a national cup competition. He feared that this would inevitably lead to professional sport. After the final break, the clubs in the north of England no longer had to be considerate and organized the Northern Rugby Football Union Challenge Cup . The Bradford jeweler Fattorini was hired to make a goblet worth £ 60.
The first competition took place during the 1896/97 season, the second season of the new sport, with 56 teams participating. The first final was played on April 24, 1897 at Headingley Stadium in Leeds , Batley beat St Helens 10: 3 in front of 13,492 spectators. The cup competition could not be held during the First World War , but the 1914/15 season, which began before the war began, was played to the end.
In the first three decades, the final took place in a larger club stadium in the north of England. In 1928 the association decided to host the final at Wembley Stadium in London in the future . The reasons were, on the one hand, the enthusiasm that the Huddersfield Town football club had triggered when it made it to the final of the FA Cup , and, on the other hand, the increasing difficulties of the clubs in offering a stadium that could meet the enormous increase in demand. The first final at Wembley Stadium took place in 1929 in front of 41,500 spectators.
At the beginning of the Second World War , the championship had to be stopped. But the Challenge Cup was held again after a one-year break; limited, but with the blessing of the authorities, who hoped that this would improve morale. The finals took place in the heart of northern England, and the proceeds went to the prisoners of war and Lord Beaverbrook's armaments program .
In 1954 the final ended in a draw and had to be repeated. The May 5 replay took place at Odsal Stadium in Bradford. The official record attendance was 102,569, but it is estimated that over 120,000 spectators watched the game, which was won by Warrington. Until the beginning of the 1990s, very few amateur teams took part in the Challenge Cup, but in 1994 the field was significantly expanded. Because of the new construction of the Wembley Stadium, the finals of the years 2000 to 2006 took place in changing stadiums.
Competition mode
In its modern form, the competition consists of seven rounds before the final. The teams are divided according to their skill level and may intervene in later rounds. The mode changed a little from year to year, but is based on the following scheme:
- First round: amateur teams from England , Scotland and Wales . Most are from England and belong to the British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA). In 2008 the following 54 teams took part in this round:
- all 38 teams of the National Conference League (highest amateur league)
- the champions of the five BARLA regional leagues
- the British Army
- the Royal Navy
- the Royal Air Force
- the university master
- the master of the student rugby league
- six representatives of the Rugby League Conference (including one team each from Scotland and Wales)
- Second round: 27 first round winners and the Russian runner-up
- Third round: The Russian champions, three French teams, the 22 semi-professional teams of the Rugby League National Leagues and the 14 winners of the second round
- Fourth round: 20 third round winners and all fourteen Super League representatives
- Fifth round: 16 fourth round winners
- Quarterfinals: 8 fifth round winners
- Semi-finals: 4 quarter-final winners (on neutral ground)
- final
List of finals
| season | winner | loser | Result | place | spectator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1896/97 |
 Batley
|
 St Helens
|
10: 3 | Leeds | 13,492 |
| 1897/98 |
Batley |
Bradford Park Avenue | 7-0 | Leeds | 27,941 |
| 1898/99 |
 Oldham
|
Hunslet FC | 19: 9 | Manchester | 15,763 |
| 1899/00 |
 Swinton
|
 Salford
|
16: 8 | Manchester | 17,864 |
| 1900/01 |
Batley |
 Warrington
|
6-0 | Leeds | 29,563 |
| 1901/02 | Broughton Rangers |
Salford |
25: 0 | Rochdale | 15.006 |
| 1902/03 |
 Halifax
|
Salford |
7-0 | Leeds | 32.507 |
| 1903/04 |
Halifax |
Warrington |
44: 6 | Salford | 17,041 |
| 1904/05 |
Warrington |
 Hull Kingston Rovers
|
6-0 | Leeds | 19,638 |
| 1905/06 | Bradford Park Avenue |
Salford |
5-0 | Leeds | 15,834 |
| 1906/07 |
Warrington |
Oldham |
17: 3 | Broughton | 18,500 |
| 1907/08 | Hunslet FC |
 Hull FC
|
14: 0 | Huddersfield | 18,000 |
| 1908/09 |
 Wakefield Trinity
|
Hull FC |
17: 0 | Leeds | 23,587 |
| 1909/10 (elect.) |
 Leeds Leeds |
Hull FC Hull FC |
7: 7 26:12 |
Huddersfield Huddersfield |
11,608 19,413 |
| 1910/11 | Broughton Rangers |
 Wigan
|
4-0 | Salford | 8,000 |
| 1911/12 |
 Dewsbury
|
Oldham |
8: 5 | Leeds | 15,271 |
| 1912/13 |
 Huddersfield
|
Warrington |
9: 5 | Leeds | 22,754 |
| 1913/14 |
Hull FC |
Wakefield Trinity |
17: 0 | Halifax | 19,000 |
| 1914/15 |
Huddersfield |
St Helens |
37: 3 | Oldham | 8,000 |
| 1915-1919 canceled because of the First World War | |||||
| 1919/20 |
Huddersfield |
Wigan |
21:10 | Leeds | 14,000 |
| 1920/21 |
 Leigh
|
Halifax |
13: 0 | Broughton | 25,000 |
| 1921/22 |
 Rochdale Hornets
|
Hull FC |
10: 9 | Leeds | 32,596 |
| 1922/23 |
Leeds |
Hull FC |
28: 3 | Wakefield | 29,335 |
| 1923/24 |
Wigan |
Oldham |
21: 4 | Rochdale | 41,831 |
| 1924/25 |
Oldham |
Hull Kingston Rovers |
16: 3 | Leeds | 28,335 |
| 1925/26 |
Swinton |
Oldham |
9: 3 | Rochdale | 27,000 |
| 1926/27 |
Oldham |
Swinton |
26: 7 | Wigan | 33,448 |
| 1927/28 |
Swinton |
Warrington |
5: 3 | Wigan | 33,909 |
| 1928/29 |
Wigan |
Dewsbury |
13: 2 | London ( Wembley Stadium ) | 41,500 |
| 1929/30 |
 Widnes
|
St Helens |
10: 3 | Wigan | 36,544 |
| 1930/31 |
Halifax |
 York
|
22: 8 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 40,368 |
| 1931/32 |
Leeds |
Swinton |
11: 8 | Wigan | 29,000 |
| 1932/33 |
Huddersfield |
Warrington |
21:17 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 41,874 |
| 1933/34 |
 Hunslet FC |
Widnes |
11: 5 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 41,280 |
| 1934/35 |
 Castleford
|
Huddersfield |
11: 8 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 39,000 |
| 1935/36 |
Leeds |
Warrington |
18: 2 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 51,250 |
| 1936/37 |
Widnes |
 Keighley
|
18: 5 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 47,699 |
| 1937/38 |
Salford |
 Barrow
|
7: 4 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 51,243 |
| 1938/39 |
Halifax |
Salford |
20: 3 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 55,453 |
| Canceled in 1939/40 due to the outbreak of World War II | |||||
| 1940/41 |
Leeds |
Halifax |
19: 2 | Bradford | 28,500 |
| 1941/42 |
Leeds |
Halifax |
15:10 | Bradford | 15,250 |
| 1942/43 (second leg) (total) |
Dewsbury Leeds Dewsbury |
Leeds Dewsbury Leeds |
16: 9 6: 0 16:15 |
Dewsbury Leeds - |
10,470 16,000 - |
| 1943/44 (second leg) (total) |
 Bradford Northern Bradford Northern Bradford Northern |
Wigan Wigan Wigan |
0: 3 8: 0 8: 3 |
Wigan Bradford - |
22,000 30,000 - |
| 1944/45 (second leg) (total) |
Huddersfield Huddersfield Huddersfield |
Bradford Northern Bradford Northern Bradford Northern |
7: 4 6: 5 13: 9 |
Huddersfield Bradford - |
9,041 17,500 - |
| 1945/46 |
Wakefield Trinity |
Wigan |
13:12 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 54,730 |
| 1946/47 |
Bradford Northern |
Leeds |
8: 4 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 77,605 |
| 1947/48 |
Wigan |
Bradford Northern |
8: 3 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 71,465 |
| 1948/49 |
Bradford Northern |
Halifax |
12: 0 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 95,050 |
| 1949/50 |
Warrington |
Widnes |
19: 0 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 94,249 |
| 1950/51 |
Wigan |
Barrow |
10-0 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 94,262 |
| 1951/52 |
 Workington Town
|
 Featherstone Rovers
|
18:10 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 72.093 |
| 1952/53 |
Huddersfield |
St Helens |
15:10 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 89,588 |
| 1953/54 (elect.) |
Warrington Warrington |
Halifax Halifax |
4: 4 18: 4 |
London (Wembley Stadium) Bradford ( Odsal Stadium ) |
81,841 102,569 |
| 1954/55 |
Barrow |
Workington Town |
21:12 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 66,513 |
| 1955/56 |
St Helens |
Halifax |
13: 2 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 79,341 |
| 1956/57 |
Leeds |
Barrow |
9: 7 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 76,318 |
| 1957/58 |
Wigan |
Workington Town |
13: 9 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 66.109 |
| 1958/59 |
Wigan |
Hull FC |
30:13 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 79,811 |
| 1959/60 |
Wakefield Trinity |
Hull FC |
38: 5 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 79,773 |
| 1960/61 |
St Helens |
Wigan |
12: 6 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 94,672 |
| 1961/62 |
Wakefield Trinity |
Huddersfield |
12: 6 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 81,263 |
| 1962/63 |
Wakefield Trinity |
Wigan |
25:10 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 84,492 |
| 1963/64 |
Widnes |
Hull Kingston Rovers |
13: 5 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 84,488 |
| 1964/65 |
Wigan |
Hunslet FC |
20:16 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 89,016 |
| 1965/66 |
St Helens |
Wigan |
21: 2 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 98,536 |
| 1966/67 |
Featherstone Rovers |
Barrow |
17:12 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 76,290 |
| 1967/68 |
Leeds |
Wakefield Trinity |
11:10 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 87,100 |
| 1968/69 |
Castleford |
Salford |
11: 6 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 97.939 |
| 1969/70 |
Castleford |
Wigan |
7: 2 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 95,255 |
| 1970/71 |
Leigh |
Leeds |
24: 7 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 85,514 |
| 1971/72 |
St Helens |
Leeds |
16:13 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 89,495 |
| 1972/73 |
Featherstone Rovers |
Bradford Northern |
33:14 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 72,395 |
| 1973/74 |
Warrington |
Featherstone Rovers |
24: 9 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 77,400 |
| 1974/75 |
Widnes |
Warrington |
14: 7 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 85,098 |
| 1975/76 |
St Helens |
Widnes |
20: 5 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 89,982 |
| 1976/77 |
Leeds |
Widnes |
16: 7 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 80,871 |
| 1977/78 |
Leeds |
St Helens |
14:12 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 96,000 |
| 1978/79 |
Widnes |
Wakefield Trinity |
12: 3 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 94,218 |
| 1979/80 |
Hull Kingston Rovers |
Hull FC |
10: 5 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 95,000 |
| 1980/81 |
Widnes |
Hull Kingston Rovers |
18: 9 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 92,496 |
| 1981/82 (elect.) |
Hull FC Hull FC |
Widnes Widnes |
14:14 18: 9 |
London (Wembley Stadium) Leeds ( Elland Road ) |
92,147 41,171 |
| 1982/83 |
Featherstone Rovers |
Hull FC |
14:12 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 84,969 |
| 1983/84 |
Widnes |
Wigan |
19: 6 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 80.116 |
| 1984/85 |
Wigan |
Hull FC |
14:12 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 99,801 |
| 1985/86 |
Castleford |
Hull Kingston Rovers |
15:14 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 82.134 |
| 1986/87 |
Halifax |
St Helens |
19:18 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 91,267 |
| 1987/88 |
Wigan |
Halifax |
32:12 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 94.273 |
| 1988/89 |
Wigan |
St Helens |
27: 0 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 78,000 |
| 1989/90 |
Wigan |
Warrington |
36:14 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 77,729 |
| 1990/91 |
Wigan |
St Helens |
13: 8 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 75,532 |
| 1991/92 |
Wigan |
Castleford |
28:12 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 77.286 |
| 1992/93 |
Wigan |
Widnes |
20:14 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 77,684 |
| 1993/94 |
Wigan |
Leeds |
26:16 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 78,348 |
| 1994/95 |
Wigan |
Leeds |
30:10 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 78,550 |
| 1996 |
St Helens |
Bradford Bulls |
40:32 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 75,994 |
| 1997 |
St Helens |
Bradford Bulls |
32:22 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 78.022 |
| 1998 |
 Sheffield Eagles
|
Wigan Warriors |
17: 8 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 60,669 |
| 1999 |
Leeds Rhinos |
 London Broncos
|
52:16 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 73,242 |
| 2000 |
Bradford Bulls |
Leeds Rhinos |
24:18 | Edinburgh ( Murrayfield Stadium ) | 67,247 |
| 2001 |
St Helens |
Bradford Bulls |
13: 6 | London ( Twickenham Stadium ) | 68,250 |
| 2002 |
Wigan Warriors |
St Helens |
21:12 | Edinburgh (Murrayfield Stadium) | 62,140 |
| 2003 |
Bradford Bulls |
Leeds Rhinos |
22:20 | Cardiff ( Millennium Stadium ) | 71,212 |
| 2004 |
St Helens |
Wigan Warriors |
32:16 | Cardiff (Millennium Stadium) | 73,734 |
| 2005 |
Hull FC |
Leeds Rhinos |
25:24 | Cardiff (Millennium Stadium) | 74,213 |
| 2006 |
St Helens |
Huddersfield Giants |
42:12 | London (Twickenham Stadium) | 65,187 |
| 2007 |
St Helens |
 Catalans Dragons
|
30: 8 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 84.241 |
| 2008 |
St Helens |
Hull FC |
28:16 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 82,821 |
| 2009 |
Warrington Wolves |
Huddersfield Giants |
25:16 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 76,560 |
| 2010 |
Warrington Wolves |
Leeds Rhinos |
30: 6 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 85.217 |
| 2011 |
Wigan Warriors |
Leeds Rhinos |
28:18 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 78,482 |
| 2012 |
Warrington Wolves |
Leeds Rhinos |
35:18 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 79,180 |
| 2013 |
Wigan Warriors |
Hull FC |
16: 0 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 78.137 |
| 2014 |
Leeds Rhinos |
Castleford Tigers |
23:10 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 77,914 |
| 2015 |
Leeds Rhinos |
Hull Kingston Rovers |
50: 0 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 80.140 |
| 2016 |
Hull FC |
Warrington Wolves |
12:10 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 76,235 |
| 2017 |
Hull FC |
Wigan Warriors |
18:14 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 68,525 |
| 2018 |
Catalans Dragons
|
Warrington Wolves |
20:14 | London (Wembley Stadium) | 50,672 |
| title | society | season |
|---|---|---|
| 19th |
Wigan Warriors
|
1923/24, 1928/29, 1947/48, 1950/51, 1957/58, 1958/59, 1964/65, 1984/85, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991 / 1992, 1992/93, 1993/94, 1994/95, 2002, 2011, 2013 |
| 13 |
Leeds Rhinos
|
1909/10, 1922/23, 1931/32, 1935/36, 1940/41, 1941/42, 1956/57, 1967/68, 1976/77, 1977/78, 1999, 2014, 2015 |
| 12 |
St Helens
|
1955/56, 1960/61, 1965/66, 1971/72, 1975/76, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 |
| 8th |
Warrington Wolves
|
1904/05, 1906/07, 1949/50, 1953/54, 1973/74, 2009, 2010, 2012 |
| 7th |
Widnes Vikings
|
1929/30, 1936/37, 1963/64, 1974/75, 1978/79, 1980/81, 1983/84 |
| 6th |
Huddersfield Giants
|
1912/13, 1914/15, 1919/20, 1932/33, 1944/45, 1952/53 |
| 5 |
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
|
1908/09, 1945/46, 1959/60, 1961/62, 1962/63 |
| 5 |
Halifax
|
1902/03, 1903/04, 1930/31, 1938/39, 1986/87 |
| 5 |
Bradford Bulls
|
1943/44, 1946/47, 1948/49, 2000, 2003 |
| 5 |
Hull FC
|
1913/14, 1981/82, 2005, 2016, 2017 |
| 4th |
Castleford Tigers
|
1934/35, 1968/69, 1969/70, 1985/86 |
| 3 |
Batley Bulldogs
|
1896/97, 1897/98, 1900/01 |
| 3 |
Oldham Roughyeds
|
1898/99, 1924/25, 1926/27 |
| 3 |
Swinton Lions
|
1899/00, 1925/26, 1927/28 |
| 3 |
Featherstone Rovers
|
1966/67, 1972/73, 1982/83 |
| 2 | Broughton Rangers | 1901/02, 1910/11 |
| 2 |
Hunslet Hawks
|
1907/08, 1933/34 |
| 2 |
Dewsbury Rams
|
1911/12, 1942/43 |
| 2 |
Leigh Centurions
|
1920/21, 1970/71 |
| 1 | Bradford Park Avenue | 1904/05 |
| 1 |
Rochdale Hornets
|
1921/22 |
| 1 |
Salford Red Devils
|
1937/38 |
| 1 |
Workington Town
|
1951/52 |
| 1 |
Barrow Raiders
|
1954/55 |
| 1 |
Hull Kingston Rovers
|
1979/80 |
| 1 |
Sheffield Eagles
|
1998 |
| 1 |
Catalans Dragons
|
2018 |
