The start of a new decade and the dream of Wembley has the same pull as it did in 1897 when this glorious competition began. Since its inception the Challenge Cup has seen some of the most remarkable upsets in the sport and winners from every corner of the game from Workington Town to Catalan Dragon’s and everywhere in between. Perhaps the greatest upset of all time came in 1998 when John Kear masterminded a sensational win for Sheffield Eagles against the almighty, all conquering Wigan Warriors at the Old Wembley.
Back to the here and now and our friends at the league one hub will be on the road to sunny Cumbria and Distington where they will entertain a Bedford Tigers side who are entering the side for the first time in the clubs history.
Distington are going into the game as overwhelming favourite having reached the 3rd round on a couple of occasions in the last few season. For Bedford it’s their 1st venture into the Cumbrian Rugby heartland, although with the ever expanding game I don’t think it’ll be their last. It will however be a mammoth trip for the club who lie just 57 miles north of London in the county of Bedfordshire.
Bedford will be buoyed by the fact that they are an unknown entity to their opposition and in knock out rugby anything can and often will happen.
Our friends at the league one hub will be covering the game via a live feed on their twitter page.
*if you are getting the train the best place to go is either Whitehaven or Workington and get the bus to distington.
** car is the M6 to Junction 40 at Penrith then follow the signs to Whitehaven coming off at the A595 1st turn off at Lakes college, Distington and Bypass route.
The 2020 Betfred League 1 fixtures were released yesterday (17/11) – we will have a Yorkshire derby in the mix as early as Round One as Keighley Cougars welcome Hunslet to Cougar Park on Sunday 16th February.
The Betfred League One competition logo used in 2019.
The season itself begins on Saturday 15th as Promotion finalists Newcastle Thunder welcome the West Wales Raiders to Kingston Park in what will be a tough test for the Raiders in only their 3rd season in League 1.
Newcomers Barrow Raiders will have a bye in round one. Their first match will be in Round 2 as they’re away to Richard Horne’s Doncaster while fellow relegation partners Rochdale Hornets will take to the M6 in the opening round as they head to Butts Park, Coventry in an attempt to tame the Bears.
Back into Wales again as Anthony Murray and North Wales Crusaders who will host Doncaster at Queensferry stadium.
In the final game of the round, London Skolars will make a 646 mile round trip to Cumbria as they will face Chris Thorman’s Workington. Thorman’s side will attempt to continue their impressive home form – just 4 League losses in 2 seasons!
The RFL have also introduced a new Golden Point rule to the Championship and League One should teams be level after 80 minutes. Both teams will receive a point with a third point being offered to the team who scored first during ‘Extra Time’
Our second article has been produced by Ben Long as he discusses 6 transfers with a point to prove in 2020!
The 2019 Super League campaign may have finished less than a month ago, but I’m already looking ahead to what 2020 has in store and have identified six intriguing transfers, each with a point to prove at their new clubs.
Danny Richardson to Castleford Tigers
An interesting one. 2018 Dream Team halfback Danny Richardson suffered an almighty fall from grace in 2019, going from being tipped by many to be a certainty for England in the near future to struggling to get a game. Richardson is a talent. He can kick goals for fun, has good support play and is fairly dangerous with ball in hand with his guile and evasive skills. However, he is far from the finished article and ultimately wasn’t strong enough defensively to retain his place in the St Helens line-up. His decision making under pressure also wasn’t the best, especially in the big games and perhaps the demanding role of the dominant halfback took its toll but without sounding too critical, I am looking forward to seeing how Richardson gets on at the Jungle.
Saints’ Danny Richardson celebrating after kicking a drop goal against Leeds at Headingley.
Replacing former Man of Steel Luke Gale, Richardson certainly has some big boots to fill but I believe has the confidence in his own ability to not be phased by the challenge. Daryl Powell, a former halfback himself, is renowned for his excellent man-management and has overseen some terrific attacking setups that made Castleford the most entertaining team in the competition, allowing his playmakers to really flourish. Richardson could be a fit for the Tigers. He has a few deficiencies as mentioned earlier but I think the positives of this transfer outweigh the negatives as far as Castleford are concerned. A young hungry halfback with a point to prove and will improve with experience. I’m not convinced Rankin or Mata’tuia were the answers to Castleford’s problems in the halves and Gale, having suffered a horrific injury, is now on the wrong side of 30 so it really isn’t bad business.
Pauli Pauli to Salford Red Devils
Former Parramatta Eels and Newcastle Knights powerhouse Pauli Pauli is a real enigma of a player. Possibly the biggest man in English rugby league, weighing around 129 kilos, Pauli’s big strength as a player is charging onto short balls and drop offs near the opposition’s try-line; the former Samoa international can be an absolutely devastating attacking strike weapon. However, in truth he was a disappointment for Wakefield in 2019. He enjoyed a very good second half of 2018 but just didn’t kick on the following season. His tackling technique is questionable at times and his defensive work rate can be very poor. He didn’t quite have the same level of desire and hunger in 2019 and as a result just wasn’t as destructive with ball in hand as he was the previous season, not quite applying his explosive power as much as he could have done.
Ian Watson is a terrific coach and could well give him the motivation to maintain fitness and supply the attacking drills to get the best out of Pauli. But nevertheless, in order to improve his performances on a consistent basis Pauli needs to improve his work rate and tackling technique. Performances ultimately matter more than attributes and the juggernaut will hopefully apply his ferocious power to games on a weekly basis in 2020. He could quite easily either prove a flop or a match winner for the Red Devils.
Ashton Golding to Huddersfield Giants
Another interesting one. During the Jamaican international’s time at his hometown club Leeds, Golding’s last-ditch defensive efforts and attacking work rate could never be questioned. He makes plenty of yards on kick returns and certainly isn’t one to go missing. However, when chiming into the line his ball playing skills just weren’t good enough to nail down that no.1 shirt and his all-round attacking decision making with ball in hand often let him down. This is very much a fresh start for Golding though and could well be his last chance to prove himself a Super League player. He has plenty to offer for the Giants with his versatility, never-say die attitude and tough defence. Darnell Mclntosh, a young fullback with guile and effortless athleticism was among Huddersfield’s biggest attacking threats last season and Golding, more of a defensive fullback, could be in for an intriguing battle to nail down the first-choice fullback spot at the John’s Smiths.
Ashton Golding representing Featherstone on behalf of their dual reg club Leeds. Credit: BBC
Matt Parcell to Hull Kingston Rovers
Maybe a slightly controversial one as Parcell is generally quite highly rated among Super League fans. The Australian hooker was among the Rhinos’ best players in their 2017 title-winning campaign, but in truth never really kicked on after that.
Matt Parcell (pictured) playing his preferred hooker role in the 2019 Hull derby. Credit: Sky Sports
He did however make a big impact at Craven Park when he arrived at the East-Hull club on loan during the back end of last season, and it is little surprise he is widely regarded by the Rovers’ faithful as the club’s best off-season signing going into 2020. Revealed as officially one of the competition’s fastest players, Parcell is a dangerous dummy-half runner who isn’t afraid of a scoot from the ruck. Speed and a rugby brain is a dangerous combination. Playing off slower play-the-balls in 2018 and 2019 clearly didn’t help the former Brisbane Bronco but he was starting to lose his fear factor. A new club and one where he will be one of the best strike players could be the injection required for Parcell to get back to his best.
Josh Drinkwater to Catalan Dragons
Drinkwater is a halfback that divides opinion and understandably so. He is a dominant 7 that takes charge of the kicking game and gives a team direction and structure. His close-range kicking game is very good on his day. On the other hand, he is not the type of player to take a game by the scruff of the neck and can be predictable with ball in hand.
Josh Drinkwater (pictured) playing in France for Catalan Dragons during his first stint at the club in 2018.
After a successful spell at Catalan during the second half of 2018, being very instrumental in the change of fortunes in the South of France as the Dragons went from relegation candidates when he arrived to Challenge Cup winners, Rovers supporters had high hopes when he signed for their club. Despite having the odd good game, Drinkwater struggled playing behind an inferior pack to the one at Catalan the year before and never lived up to the hype at Craven Park.
It was confirmed recently the Australian will be making a return to the South of France where he played by far the best rugby of his career. Similarly to Drinkwater, Catalan endured a disappointing 2019 and the pressure is on Drinkwater to guide the Dragons around the park in what will hopefully for Catalan be a season of more stability, having been on the receiving end of a few thrashings in 2019.
Luke Gale to Leeds Rhinos
Having played just thirteen games over the course of 2018 and 2019, many Super League supporters are understandably skeptical Gale will ever get close to the level he reached in 2017 when he won the prestigious Man of Steel. The transfer fee of Gale to Leeds from Castleford is believed to be in the region of £160,000. A major gamble no doubt as the 31-year-old hasn’t played since a horrific Achilles injury sustained during pre-season.
Castleford celebrating with Luke Gale after his successful drop goal in the 2018 Super League Semi-Final against Saints
However, the off-season is ultimately all about recruiting in areas of weakness and it’s no secret Leeds desperately lacked an organising halfback with a kicking game last season. Due to being written off by many going into 2020, Gale is undoubtedly playing with a point to prove and this will probably be the last club he plays for in his Super League career. Leeds are also of course Gale’s hometown club so the motivation will surely be there. Playing alongside the skillful and unpredictable Robert Lui, Leeds’ new halfback pairing looks very promising. Lui has the ball skills and guile to unlock any defence and Gale has the kicking game and organisation skills to get the team around the park. Whether it works out or not for Gale, he is certainly in for an intriguing personal 2020. It will be a big test of his character and resilience, coming back from two long-term injuries.
The Rugby League Scene 