The Yorkshire Post's rugby league writer, James O'Brien, looks ahead to the Challenge Cup semi-finals. In the men's draw, Hull KR face Wigan Warriors while Huddersfield Giants take on Warrington Wolves.
In the women's draw, York Valkyrie battle with St Helens as Leeds Rhinos come up against Wigan Warriors.
In the women's draw, York Valkyrie battle with St Helens as Leeds Rhinos come up against Wigan Warriors.
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00:00 It's all about the Challenge Cup this week. We've got four semifinals to look forward
00:10 to and all involving Yorkshire sides as well. It starts Saturday morning, you've got York,
00:14 Valkyrie playing St Helens, a repeat of last year's Women's Challenge Cup semifinal. Bad
00:21 memories for York, they went down to a very late drop goal, so they missed out on that
00:27 first ever Women's Challenge Cup final at Wembley. They get the chance to have another
00:33 crack at it. Tough game, obviously there's a big three in the Women's Super League, York,
00:39 Leeds and St Helens. St Helens have won the last three Challenge Cups, so they are the
00:44 team to beat, but York did beat them in Round 1 of the Super League, so they've got that
00:48 confidence. It's just down to how they handle the occasion. They've got more than a punt
00:57 chance, they are the reigning Super League champions, so they should go in there with
01:02 confidence. As I say, they've been in St Helens recently, so it'll just be down to which side
01:08 handles the occasion best. Which brings us on to Hockey Are Wigan, later in the day in
01:12 Doncaster. Again, another repeat of last year's semifinal, that one was held at Heddenley.
01:18 It was won by a Brad Schneider drop goal and spark jubilant scenes among the Hockey Are
01:25 fans over at Heddenley. Very different circumstances, they were unlikely to play against 12 men,
01:33 they did that day for most of the game really, in the end it was just after half-time and
01:39 the game went to Golden Point. Joe Shorrocks got sent off and it was a very wet day, it
01:46 probably will be a wet day again though in England. Hockey Are, coming off the back of
01:52 a defeat, they lost at Warrington, having beaten Wigan and Saints at home. They have
01:56 struggled outside Yorkshire but obviously this one is in Yorkshire, so they won't have
02:01 any travel issues this week, or they shouldn't. So yeah, it's a tough game, they have shown
02:06 that they can beat Wigan, they beat Wigan only a few weeks ago, as I said they beat
02:11 them in the last year's semifinal, they've beaten them three times in all under Willie
02:14 Peters, so they have got some decent recent history against Wigan. They'll be tough to
02:19 beat Wigan based on the performance they produced at Huddersfield last week, they looked very
02:24 good in the sunshine there at Huddersfield. So it will be a tough ask for Willie Peters
02:28 side but they can do it, they've shown they can beat the top sides and in these kind of
02:31 games as well. Brings us on to Sunday, Leeds Wigan, another, women sorry, Leeds women against
02:38 Wigan women, repeat again of last year's semifinal, Leeds won that one. Wigan are trying to break
02:44 into that top three, well they're trying to make the big three or big four, not quite
02:49 there yet but they've had a good start to the season. Rhinos go into that as favourites
02:54 based on recent history and the past as well where they have been one of those bigger hitters
03:01 in the women's game. Leeds got to Wembley last year, fell short against St Helens, so
03:06 they're desperate to get back there, Huddersfield, they're desperate to get, Huddersfield Giants
03:11 men that is, they're desperate to get back to Wembley as well. It's been 15 years for
03:15 them since they last played at the National Stadium. Of course they got to Tottenham a
03:20 couple of years ago, lost to Wigan very late on there, similar to Hull Kier last year when
03:26 they got pipped in Golden Point. It wasn't quite Golden Point against Wigan but Liam
03:30 Marshall did score with a few minutes to go to win it for Wigan against Huddersfield.
03:34 So some painful memories there for Huddersfield and Hull Kier but they're using those this
03:38 week to hopefully set up an all-Yorkshire semi, sorry, an all-Yorkshire final at Wembley.
03:44 It could be a full Yorkshire takeover at Wembley given Sheffield and Wakey were already there
03:51 in the 1895 Cup final. So a lot to look forward to this weekend, like I say, York against
03:58 St Helens and Hull Kier against Wigan on Saturday, then Leeds Rhinos against Wigan and Huddersfield
04:05 against Warrington on Sunday afternoon. It should be a good one.
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