Wheelchair Challenge Cup

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Wheelchair Challenge Cup
Current season or competition:
2024 Wheelchair Challenge Cup
The women's, men's, and wheelchair Challenge Cup trophies
SportWheelchair rugby league
Instituted2015[1]
Inaugural season2015
Country England
 France
 Scotland
 Wales
Winners Catalans Dragons (2023)
Most titles Halifax Panthers (4 titles)
Broadcast partnerBBC Red Button
(final only)
Related competitionRFL Wheelchair Super League

The Wheelchair Challenge Cup is a wheelchair rugby league competition organised by the Rugby Football League.

History

The Wheelchair Challenge Cup was established in 2015.[1] Originally the tournament was played using a knockout format. Halifax defeated Medway Dragons 120–40 in the opening round of the 2015 competition[2] and went on to win the final against Mersey Storm[3][4] before completing the double by winning the league championship.[5] Another double followed for Halifax in 2016 which included a 92–48 win over Leeds Rhinos in the cup final. Leeds had scored over 100 points their previous two rounds but faced a Halifax side who had not lost a match since June 2015.[6][7] Halifax repeated the double again in the 2017 season with a 110–48 cup final win over Leeds that included 15 tries by Jack Brown.[8] Other notable matches included a 160–0 win for Leeds over Argonauts in the opening round and the first all-Scottish match in the competition between Dundee Dragons and Glasgow Panthers in the quarter-finals.[9]

In 2018, a plate competition was introduced which was intended to reduce the number of one-sided fixtures being played. The two plate finalists qualified for the quarter-finals of the cup though the finals of both competitions were played on the same day.[10] Hereford Harriers defeated North Wales Crusaders for the plate and Halifax won the cup competition for the fourth time by defeating Dundee Dragons 62–18 in the final.[11] In 2019, the plate was replaced by Challenge Trophy played as a separate competition competition for teams outside of the Super League. Leeds Rhinos won 74–46 against Argonauts to win the cup for the first time.[12]

Following the cancellation of the 2020 competition a new format was introduced in 2021 with the teams playing in a round-robin tournament.[13] The top two teams qualified for the final which was a repeat of the 2019 final with Leeds retaining the title with a 60–26 victory.[14] The following year it was the top four from the round-robin stage that qualified for the semi-finals. French team, Catalans Dragons, made their début in the competition, but lost in the final to Leeds who claimed the cup for the third time.[15][16] The 2023 competition saw the top two teams advance to the final. Catalans and Leeds were both unbeaten in the qualifiers and drew 4–4 against each other to set up a rematch in the final which Catalans won 66–20 to add the Challenge Cup to their French Championship and Coupe De France titles.[17][18][19]

From 2024, the Challenge Cup reverted to a straight knockout format, like the running game, for the five Super League sides, Catalans Dragons, and the Challenge Trophy finalists.[20][21]

2024

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
 27 April / 4 May
 
 
 Leeds Rhinos
 
 11 May
 
 Hereford Harriers
 
 
 
 27 April / 4 May
 
 
 
 Wigan Warriors
 
 1 June
 
 Halifax Panthers
 
 
 
 27 April / 4 May
 
 
 
 Hull FC
 
 11 May
 
 Catalans Dragons
 
 
 
 27 April / 4 May
 
 
 
 London Roosters
 
 
 Edinburgh Giants
 

Finals

List of finals
Year Winning team Score Losing team Venue Ref.
2015 Halifax Panthers ?–? Mersey Storm unknown [3][4]
2016 Halifax Panthers 92–48 Leeds Rhinos Huddersfield Sports Centre [22][23]
2017 Halifax Panthers 110–48 Leeds Rhinos [8]
2018 Halifax Panthers 62–18 Dundee Dragons Richard Dunn Sports Centre, Bradford [11]
2019 Leeds Rhinos 74–46 Argonauts English Institute of Sport, Sheffield [12]
2020 Tournament cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Leeds Rhinos 60–26 Argonauts English Institute of Sport, Sheffield [14]
2022 Leeds Rhinos 48–34 Catalans Dragons Allam Arena, Hull [16][24]
2023 Catalans Dragons 66–20 Leeds Rhinos English Institute of Sport, Sheffield [18]

Results by club

Team Winners Runners-up
Halifax Panthers 4 0
Leeds Rhinos 3 3
Catalans Dragons 1 1
Argonauts 0 2
Dundee Dragons 0 1
Mersey Storm 0 1

Challenge Trophy

In 2018, the Rugby Football League introduced a Plate competition as part of the Challenge Cup.[10] It was planned to continue in 2019,[25] but was instead replaced by the inaugural Wheelchair Challenge Trophy.[26] The Challenge Trophy is played alongside the Challenge Cup, for teams outside the Super League. This was originally played as a separate competition,[27] but in 2024 it was announced that the two finalists would qualify to take part in the Challenge Cup.[21]

List of finals
Year Winning team Score Losing team Venue Ref.
2018 Hereford Harriers 63–32 North Wales Crusaders Richard Dunn Sports Centre, Bradford [11]
2019 Gravesend Dynamite 75–48 Hull FC English Institute of Sport, Sheffield [28]
2020 Tournament cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Gravesend Dynamite 19–12 Warrington Wolves Warrington
2022 Gravesend Dynamite 82–40 Mersey Storm Allam Arena, Hull [29]
2023 Gravesend Dynamite 88–80 Sheffield Eagles English Institute of Sport, Sheffield [30]
2024 Hereford Harriers 17–16 Edinburgh Giants National Basketball Performance Centre, Manchester [31][32]

Results by club

Team Winners Runners-up
Gravesend Dynamite 4 0
Hereford Harriers 2 0
Edinburgh Giants 0 1
Hull 0 1
Mersey Storm 0 1
North Wales Crusaders 0 1
Sheffield Eagles 0 1
Warrington Wolves 0 1

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Wheelchair Rugby League 2015". www.rugby-league.com. 3 March 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Dragons out browned by Halifax". www.rugby-league.com. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Challenge Cup round up". www.rugby-league.com. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Season Review". Spider-Y. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016.
  5. ^ "Ten-try hero helps Halifax make winning start to 2016 Wheelchair League". www.rugby-league.com. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  6. ^ "Leeds Rhinos and Halifax to contest Wheelchair Challenge Cup Final". www.rugby-league.com. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Club of the Week | Halifax WRL". www.rugby-league.com. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Brown scores 15 tries as Halifax win Wheelchair Challenge Cup". www.rugby-league.com. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  9. ^ "All-Scottish tie tops bill in Wheelchair RL Challenge Cup quarter final draw". www.rugby-league.com. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Wheelchair RL boasts growth for 2018". www.rugby-league.com. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  11. ^ a b c "Halifax retain Wheelchair Challenge Cup title". www.rugby-league.com. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  12. ^ a b Hall, Ben (19 August 2019). "Rhinos Wheelchair Rugby League team win Challenge Cup". Leeds Rhinos Foundation. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  13. ^ "Leeds Rhinos and Argonauts to meet in Wheelchair Challenge Cup Final". www.rugby-league.com. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Halliwell's Five Tries Inspire Leeds To Betfred Wheelchair Challenge Cup Triumph". The Sportsman. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  15. ^ "Leeds Rhinos to face Catalans Dragons in 2022 Betfred Wheelchair Challenge Cup Final". www.rugby-league.com. 15 May 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  16. ^ a b Hall, Ben (June 26, 2022). "Rhinos slay Dragons to win third Wheelchair Challenge Cup in a row".
  17. ^ "Wheelchair Challenge Cup takes centre stage as Rugby League Inclusion Festival heads to Hull". www.rugby-league.com. 10 July 2023. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Catalans Dragons 66-20 Leeds Rhinos: French side clinch Wheelchair Challenge Cup final victory". Sky Sports.
  19. ^ "Leeds to face Catalans in 2023 Betfred Wheelchair Challenge Cup Final". www.rugby-league.com. 15 July 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  20. ^ "Giants and Harriers join Dragons and Warriors in Betfred Wheelchair Challenge Cup". www.rugby-league.com. 25 April 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Format and fixtures revealed for Betfred Wheelchair Challenge Cup". www.rugby-league.com. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  22. ^ "Halifax win 2016 Wheelchair RL Challenge Cup". www.rugby-league.com. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  23. ^ "Wheelchair Challenge Cup final set for Huddersfield". www.rugby-league.com. 11 August 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  24. ^ "University to host Wheelchair Challenge Cup Final". www.hull.ac.uk. June 24, 2022.
  25. ^ "Give Wheelchair Rugby League a try at the 2019 Season Launch this weekend". www.rugby-league.com. 6 March 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  26. ^ "Hull FC Wheelchair Rugby League". Hull F.C. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  27. ^ "Leeds to face Catalans in 2023 Betfred Wheelchair Challenge Cup Final". www.rugby-league.com. 15 July 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Wheelchair Challenge Cup triumph for Leeds Rhinos". www.rugby-league.com. 17 August 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  29. ^ "Rugby League Challenge Trophy success leaves Gravesend Dynamite on a roll as they prepare for 10th season of wheelchair rugby action". Kent Online. 23 July 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  30. ^ Ltd, Go Media. "Wheelchair Trophy Final Report". Sheffield Eagles.
  31. ^ "What's on this week". Leeds Rhinos. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  32. ^ "Hereford Harriers crowned Wheelchair Challenge Trophy champions". RFL. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wheelchair_Challenge_Cup&oldid=1221067106"