The draw for the sixth round of the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup, the round which sees the introduction of the remaining eight Super League clubs, takes place live at 8:30am on BBC Radio 4 next Thursday morning.
After a sensational fifth round, the hat will include both Toulouse Olympique XIII and Oldham Roughyeds who recorded fantastic victories over loftier opposition to punctuate this years competition with a couple of great cup shocks.
The biggest upset of the weekend came on Saturday afternoon when Super League side and 2015 beaten finalists were dumped out of the competition at home by the Championships ninth placed side Oldham Roughyeds. Hope had given the Roughyeds an early lead but quarter of an hour in Tilse scored the equaliser. But just as you thought that Hull KR would go on the offensive, tries from Lepori, Roper and Clay stunned the home crowd by establishing a 24-6 lead for the visitors. Robins hooker Lunt got one back but Middlehurst re-established the eighteen point lead. Blair and Wardle reduced the arrears to 22-30 but a last minute Lepori try for Oldham sealed the victory and one of the biggest cup upsets of recent years.
Toulouse Olympique XIII recorded and equally impressive win as the top side in Championship 1 beat the top side in the Championship, sending Leigh Centurions back to Lancashire to concentrate on their quest for promotion to Super League. Canet, with a converted try, took a very early lead and extended it to 8-0 at the break thanks to a penalty from their full-back Kheirallah. The Centurions pulled back a try through Hopkins a minute after the interval and thanks to a Ridyard penalty they were level on the hour mark. Ten minutes from the end an another Kheirallah penalty edged the French side into the lead and they held on until the final hooter. Not many sides will be relishing the thought of a trip southern France in the sixth round.
There were two games played on Friday night, both of which went with league position.
Wakefield trailed early to a Yere try for Sheffield Eagles but tries from Finn (2) and Miller gave the Wildcats a 14-6 lead, one which they'd not relinquish. Yere got a second Eagles try on twenty-four but the Wildcats then took full control. Jones-Bishop, Arona (2), Simon and Sio all got on the scoresheet to seal a 44-10 win for the Super a League side.
Just the other side of the M1 motorway, Dewsbury Rams found the going a bit tougher against a spirited York Knights side. Teanby and Morton had established a ten point lead for the Rams but with tries from Wilkinson, Brining and Buchanan it was the Knights who led 16-10 at the interval. A second Morton try in the first minute after the restart levelled the scores before Grant and Kain both crossed the whitewash for the home side to see the Rams into the hat.
Saturday nights televised game saw SKY broadcast a
humdinger between Batley Bulldogs and Featherstone Rovers which ended in a 28-10 Bulldogs win, despite them trailing by 6-4 at the interval.
The remaining three fifth round fixtures took place on Sunday afternoon, but there would be no more surprises.
Hunslet Hawks gave a plucky performance against Salford Red Devils but were no match for the Super League side. Lannon, Bibby and Griffin (2) gave the Devils a 20-0 lead after seventeen before The Hawks registered their first try through Lee. Despite another try for the home side through Flanagan it was 32-8 to the visitors at the interval as Wood and Lui added two more for the Devils. Lui and Bibby, both with their second of the afternoon put the tie beyond safe at 44-8 before a late Duckworth consolation try and an even later Ansell penalty reduced the loss to 14-44.
After conceding a fourth minute try to Bridge, Rochdale had the audacity to take the lead after twenty minutes when Crook scored and converted for 6-4, but it would be the home sides only points of the game as the Vikings onslaught saw them score nine unanswered tries. Johnstone, Brown (3), Dean, Marsh, Thompson, Manuokafoa and Bridge with his second gave a final score of 52-6 and easy progress for the Vikings into the last sixteen.
Brave Castleford Lock Lane came up against a Halifax side who had no time for cup shocks. First half tries from Johnston, Fairbank, Barber (2), Potts (2), and Smeaton gave 'Fax a 40-0 half time lead. There was some joy for Lock Lane when Robinson was the first to cross the whitewash in the second half for 40-4 but Halifax ran in another forty second half points through; Moore, Greenwood, Bracek, Ambler, Barber (another two for four on the day) and a second for Johnston.
Joining last seasons top eight Super League sides (Castleford, Catalans, Huddersfield, Hull FC, Leeds, St. Helens, Warrington, Wigan) in the sixth round draw will be; Batley, Dewsbury, Halifax, Oldham, Salford, Toulouse, Wakefield, and Widnes.