Women's Challenge Cup Explained

Women's Challenge Cup
Current Season:2024 Women's Challenge Cup
Pixels:300
Sport:Rugby league
Founded:2012
Inaugural:2012
Country:England
Wales
Championtag:Winners
Champion: St. Helens
Season:2024
Most Champs:St Helens
Count:8
Tv:BBC
Website:Women's Challenge Cup
Related Comps:Women's Super League
Women's Super League South
Championship
League 1

The Women's Challenge Cup is a rugby league knockout competition organised by the Rugby Football League. The competition started in 2012.

History

2012–2016: Foundations

The Women's Challenge Cup was set up in 2012[1] to run alongside the men's competition to give women's rugby teams more competitive games and to give the sport a bigger profile by attaching it to the Challenge Cup. Most teams in the first few years were community clubs and had no links to professional men's clubs. In 2014 the RFL set up an amateur league for the women's game, to help more women's teams get regular game time.[2]

2017–2020: Exposure

In 2018 the competition started to receive a much higher profile, with the final being broadcast live on the BBC Sport website.[2] [3] In 2019 bookmakers Coral agreed to sponsor the competition – in addition to their sponsorship of the men's Challenge Cup – and it was also announced that the final of the 2019 Cup would be played as part of a triple-header with the semi-finals of the men's 2019 Challenge Cup at the University of Bolton Stadium on 27 July 2019.[2] [4] The 2019 competition also saw the introduction of a new trophy commissioned by the RFL.[2] [5] In 2020, the competition was suspended after the first round and later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021–present: Restructuring

In the 2021 competition, entry was restricted to the ten teams in the Super League.[6] The following year the competition expanded to 16 teams (12 Super League, three Championship and one Super League South) and a group stage was introduced with the top two teams from the four groups advancing to the quarter-final stage.[7]

Finals

Year! scope="col"
Winning teamScoreLosing teamVenue
2012 Featherstone Rovers46–0 Bradford ThunderbirdsCrown Flatt[8]
2013 Thatto Heath Crusaders54–12 Bradford ThunderbirdsMount Pleasant[9]
2014 Thatto Heath Crusaders32–24 Bradford ThunderbirdsCrown Flatt[10] [11]
2015 Thatto Heath Crusaders22–6 Featherstone RoversOdsal Stadium[12] [13]
2016 Thatto Heath Crusaders62–6 Leigh Miners Rangers[14]
2017 Bradford Bulls50–16 Featherstone RoversHeworth ARLFC[15]
2018 Leeds Rhinos20–14 Castleford TigersHalliwell Jones Stadium[16]
2019 Leeds Rhinos16–10 Castleford TigersUniversity of Bolton Stadium[17]
2020[18] [19]
2021 St. Helens34–6 York City KnightsLeigh Sports Village[20]
2022 St. Helens18–8 Leeds RhinosElland Road[21]
2023 St. Helens22–8 Leeds RhinosWembley Stadium[22]
2024 St. Helens22–0 Leeds RhinosWembley Stadium[23]

List of teams by number of wins

! scope="col"
ClubWinsRunners
up
WinnersRunners up
1 St. Helens802013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
2 Leeds Rhinos232018, 20192022, 2023, 2024
3 Bradford Bulls1320172012, 2013, 2014
4 Featherstone Rovers1220122015, 2017
5 Castleford Tigers022018, 2019
6 Leigh Miners Rangers012016
York City Knights012021

Challenge Shield

Between 2012 and 2019 teams that were knocked out of the cup in the early rounds went on to compete in the Challenge Shield competition.[24] In 2021, with entry to the Challenge Cup restricted, the Rugby Football League launched a Women's League Cup for teams outside of the Super League and Championship.[25] In 2022, the League Cup was opened to teams from the Championship, with the two sides that did not progress from the group stage of the Challenge Cup entering the League Cup at the quarter-final round.[26]

Year!scope="col"
Winning teamScoreLosing team
2012 Widnes Vikings40–10 Stanningley[27]
2013Normanton Knights34–14 Featherstone Rovers[28]
2014 Featherstone Rovers64–14 Stanningley[29]
2015
2016 Thatto Heath Reserves62–6Whitley Bay Barbarians[30]
2017 York City Knights26–24 Army RL[31]
2018 Bradford Bulls44–16 Stanningley[32]
2019 Army RL40–4 York City Knights[33]

Sponsorship

YearSponsor Name
2019–2020[34] CoralCoral Women's Challenge Cup
2021–present[35] Betfred Women's Challenge Cup

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Coral Women's Rugby League Challenge Cup Roll of Honour . 2019 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20190425181320/https://www.rugby-league.com/challengecup/coral_womens_challenge_cup . 25 April 2019 . 26 April 2019 . live.
  2. Web site: These Girl Can: The Wider Impacts of the Development and Growth of Women's & Girls' Rugby League (March 2021) . 16–19 . Rugby Football League . 19 May 2023.
  3. Web site: Women's Challenge Cup final and Shield to be streamed live . . 3 August 2018 . 26 April 2019.
  4. Web site: Challenge Cup 2019: RFL confirm new sponsor and semi-finals double-header . . 21 January 2019 . 26 April 2019.
  5. Web site: Coral Women's Challenge Cup - new trophy for Rugby League . Rugby-League.com . 25 July 2019 . 10 May 2023.
  6. Web site: Draw details for AB Sundecks 1895 Cup and Betfred Women's Challenge Cup . Rugby-League.com . 24 April 2021 . 4 April 2024.
  7. Web site: A new format, a new final venue - Why we should look forward to the 2022 Women's Challenge Cup . Serious About Rugby League . 11 December 2021 . 4 April 2024.
  8. Web site: Featherstone win Women's Challenge Cup . Love Rugby League . 16 July 2012 . 26 April 2019.
  9. News: RFL Womens Challenge Cup Final . . 2,868 . 33 . 24 June 2013.
  10. Web site: Amateur game: Women's Rugby League round-up . Total RL . 4 August 2014 . 26 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150405174548/http://www.totalrl.com/amateur-game-womens-rugby-league-round/ . 5 April 2015 . live.
  11. Web site: Thatto Heath win the Ladies' Challenge Cup . St Helens Star . 7 August 2014 . 17 May 2023.
  12. Web site: Stanley racks up points in Challenge Cup triumph . St Helen's Star . 4 August 2016 . 26 April 2019.
  13. Web site: Coral Women's Rugby League Challenge Cup . Rugby-League.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20190322085915/https://www.rugby-league.com/challengecup/coral_womens_challenge_cup . 22 March 2019.
  14. Web site: Women's Rugby League Challenge Cup Final . 1 August 2016 . 26 April 2019 . 4 The Love of Sport . https://web.archive.org/web/20190426161641/http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2016/08/01/womens-rugby-league-challenge-cup-final/ . 26 April 2019 . live.
  15. Web site: Bradford Bulls win Women's RL Challenge Cup . . 30 July 2017 . 26 April 2019.
  16. News: Women's Challenge Cup: Leeds Rhinos women beat Castleford Tigers 20-14 to lift trophy . BBC Sport . 4 August 2018 . 26 April 2019.
  17. News: Women's Challenge Cup final: Castleford Tigers 10-16 Leeds Rhinos . BBC Sport . 27 July 2019 . 17 September 2019.
  18. Web site: Update Betfred Women's Super League / Coral Women's Challenge Cup . Rugby-League.com . 20 May 2020 . 23 May 2023.
  19. Web site: Covid-19 forces cancellation of Women's Competitions in 2020 . Rugby-League.com . 27 August 2020 . 23 May 2023.
  20. Web site: 5 June 2021. St Helens outclass York to take Women's Challenge Cup with Woosey double . The Guardian. 6 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210606020748/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jun/05/york-city-knights-st-helens-womens-rugby-league-challenge-cup-final-match-report. 6 June 2021. live.
  21. Web site: St Helens retain Women's Challenge Cup in front of record UK crowd . Rugby-League.com . 7 May 2022 . 17 May 2023.
  22. News: Bower . Aaron . 2023-08-12 . Hoyle makes sure Saints fight off Leeds in Women’s Challenge Cup final . en-GB . The Observer . 2023-08-21 . 0029-7712.
  23. Web site: Saints beat Leeds to retain Women's Challenge Cup . BBC Sport . 8 June 2024 . 8 June 2024.
  24. Web site: Women’s Rugby League heads into summer . A Brighter Future . Rugby Football League . 9 March 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120919204242/http://www.abrighterleague.com:80/news/womens-rugby-league-heads-into-summer . 19 September 2012.
  25. Web site: Dewsbury Moor Ladies win inaugural Women's League Cup . Rugby-League.com . 11 August 2021 . 4 April 2024.
  26. Web site: Hull FC To Face Hull KR In Women’s League Cup Quarter-Finals . Hull F.C. . 5 April 2022 . 5 May 2024.
  27. Web site: Rugby: Widnes win Challenge Shield Final. Smith . Sophia. 16 July 2012. Sport Sister. https://web.archive.org/web/20120723024806/http://www.sportsister.com/2012/07/16/rugby-widnes-win-challenge-shield-final/ . 23 July 2012.
  28. Web site: Knights lift Challenge Shield . Women's Rugby League . 24 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130630215442/http://www.womensrugbyleague.co.uk:80/article/10123/knights-lift-challenge-shield . 30 June 2013.
  29. Web site: Rovers take Challenge Shield . Rugby-League.com . 4 August 2014 . 6 February 2024.
  30. Web site: Thatto Heath double up! . Rugby-League.com . 31 July 2016 . 17 May 2023.
  31. Web site: Bradford Bulls win Women's Challenge Cup . Rugby-League.com . 2 August 2017 . 17 May 2023.
  32. News: Catch-up: Women's Challenge Cup & Challenge Shield finals . BBC Sport . 4 August 2018 . 17 May 2023.
  33. Web site: REPLAY Army Rugby League 40-4 York City Knights Women's Challenge Shield . Rugby-League.com . 26 July 2019 . 17 May 2023.
  34. Web site: Coral to sponsor the Challenge Cup . www.rugby-league.com . 7 February 2021 . 21 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230430021904/https://www.rugby-league.com/article/54174/coral-to-sponsor-the-challenge-cup . 30 April 2023.
  35. Web site: Betfred up for the Cups . www.rugby-league.com . 11 May 2023 . 4 February 2021.