Challenge Cup Round Four Preview

Yorkshire Post

The Yorkshire Post's rugby league writer, James O'brien, loooks ahead to this weekend's Challenge Cup fourth round ties - including Bradford Bulls, Leeds Rhinos, Hull KR, Hull FC Featherstone Rovers, Batley Bulldogs and Huddersfield Giants v Wakefield Trinity

Transcript

00:00We'll probably have a good look at Salford versus Bradford. Just give us an indication

00:11of how you see that one going?

00:13It's a great opportunity for Bradford against the Salford side club that are still in turmoil

00:21a month into the season. They can only name 17 players in the squad again and by all accounts

00:26a few of those won't play. Bradford are looking at playing the Salford side with a bench of

00:33one, two, maybe three players. Bradford themselves are coming off a tough loss. They went to

00:40Toulouse and got a bit of a hammering last weekend. So a great chance for Bradford to

00:46get back on the horse and book a quarter-final place as well. Salford have still got some

00:51good players out there but if you're playing with a bench, if you've only got one or two

00:55subs you're going to struggle no matter how good you're starting as 13. So a great chance

01:01for Bradford.

01:02Similarly, Hull Key Are, they'll be highly fancied to beat Oldham. They're an ambitious

01:07championship club but Hull Key Are are a strong squad. They're taking it seriously and should

01:13win that comfortably. Leeds go into St Helens. They always seem to get tricky cup ties. They

01:17always seem to play St Helens. They've lost 17 in the last 18 meetings against St Helens

01:22which would have been unthinkable when Leeds were winning all of those grand finals against

01:26their old foes back in the day. But yeah, tough ask for Leeds. Going to St Helens in

01:33the last 16, I should see them winning there based on their performance last week against

01:38Catalan.

01:39Moving on to Saturday, Hull are at Wigan. Hull have had a decent start obviously. They'll

01:46be pleased with the way they've started considering the way they finished last season. But Hull

01:53to Wigan is never, well not for anyone, it's never an easy day out is it?

01:58No, it's a real tough ask for Hull going to Wigan. Just like Leeds really, they couldn't

02:05have asked for a tougher draw. Wigan in these knockout games are virtually unbeatable. They

02:12have been in recent times. Hull go there in good spirits. They've been very good so

02:18far. They've showed a lot of positive traits that we haven't seen in recent years. That

02:23togetherness and the ability to dig themselves out of the hole and put the bodies on the

02:28line at crucial moments. They did that last week in a draw against Lee. So they go there

02:33in good spirits. If everything falls in their favour they could produce a shock. Funny things

02:39have happened in the competition. All things being equal, Wigan should win that game. But

02:45for Hull it's just about building on the early positivity and putting in another spirited

02:49performance and one that we can be proud of.

02:52One Yorkshire derby in this round of last 16, Huddersfield v Wakey. Wakey will be more

02:58pleased with the way they've started the season. Huddersfield have had a struggle but they've

03:04shown competitiveness. How do you see that one going?

03:08It's a funny one because Huddersfield, obviously the record reads four games, four defeats.

03:13But they're winning at half-time in all those games. So they have been playing okay. They've

03:18been playing quite well. They just need to get over the line in one of those games. They've

03:21been hampered by injuries in key positions all over the field really. Particularly in

03:27those half-back, full-back and hooker as well. Those key positions.

03:34Luke Roberts has said he's got a few more doubts over players this week, which doesn't

03:40help. They're playing a Wakey side who are going well, like you say. They've made a real

03:47positive start on their return to the Super League. So they're coming off the back of

03:51that big win at Warrington last week. So you've got a fancy Wakey field in this. But if Huddersfield

03:56keep playing the way they are, they're going to get over the line eventually. It could

03:59be this Sunday.

04:00Yeah, definitely. Just a quick word about Catalan's Featherstone and Batley at Lee.

04:07Obviously up against it, massive odds. The odds are stacked heavily against them. Any

04:11chance of an upset in either of those games, do you feel?

04:14I don't think so, unfortunately, no. I spoke to the Batley Bulldogs head coach, Mike Watson,

04:23earlier. They've got a few out and the guys they've been using in the league so far, they're

04:29not eligible this weekend. So they go there with a really depleted squad over to Lee.

04:34Real big ask, it's just damage limitation, just produce spirit performance and hope the

04:40scoreboard reflects that. And it's the same for Fev going over to Catalan as well. Nobody's

04:45expecting anything of them over there. So just go over there, give it your all and hopefully,

04:49like I say, the scoreboard reflects the performance.

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